Chapter 7 - The Bargain No Mother Could Accept
Julian's detention hearing became the center of national attention.
Prosecutors argued that he posed a flight risk, had access to hidden money, and might obstruct witnesses. His attorneys claimed he had been manipulated by Victor Sloane and should be released under strict monitoring to help locate the child.
Clarissa sat behind the prosecution table, aware that every camera sought her reaction.
Victor's demand was precise: Clarissa must submit a statement asking the judge to release Julian temporarily. If she complied, Victor would provide proof that Evelyn Grey was alive. If she refused, he would move the girl beyond reach.
Arthur wanted to ignore the demand and trust law enforcement.
“They will find him,” he said.
“When?” Clarissa asked. “Before he changes her identity again? Before he teaches her we are the enemy?”
“He is using your hope.”
“I know.”
“Then do not let him control you.”
Clarissa looked toward Julian, who wore a dark suit without a tie. He had aged in three days. Yet when their eyes met, she saw the familiar calculation return.
He knew about the message.
During a recess, Clarissa requested five minutes with him under attorney supervision.
“Where is she?” Clarissa asked.
Julian's lips tightened. “I do not know.”
“Did you know she lived?”
“Not until the mill.”
“Did you consent to the embryo program?”
He looked at the camera in the interview room. “My attorney advised me not to answer.”
Clarissa leaned forward. “For once in your life, answer me as a human being.”
Julian's composure cracked. “Victor told me the procedure could preserve our chance at a family. After the miscarriage, you were barely conscious. I signed forms.”
“In my name?”
“Some.”
“And when he said the embryo failed?”
“I believed him.”
“Why did you never tell me?”
“Because you would have left.”
Clarissa sat back. “I should have.”
Julian lowered his voice. “Ask for my release. Victor will contact me.”
“He will kill you when you are no longer useful.”
“He needs the ledger.”
“He already has it.”
Julian froze.
Clarissa saw genuine terror. “What is in the ledger?”
“Names. Payments. Judges, doctors, trustees, politicians. Project Ash was larger than Cross Meridian.”
“Who else is involved?”
He whispered, “Someone inside Vance Capital.”
Before he could say more, his attorney ended the meeting.
Clarissa returned to court with a plan.
She did not ask for Julian's release. Instead, she delivered a statement acknowledging his potential value as a cooperating witness while insisting that any cooperation occur in custody. She also revealed publicly that a minor might be in danger, forcing Victor to understand that the search would not remain quiet.
The judge denied release.
Victor responded within ten minutes.
A live video appeared on Clarissa's phone. Evelyn Grey sat at a kitchen table drawing a red house beneath a large tree. Victor remained off-camera.
“You broke the bargain,” he said.
Clarissa replied, “You never intended to keep it.”
The girl looked toward the phone. “Who is she?”
Victor said, “The woman who abandoned you.”
Clarissa's chest tightened, but she kept her voice steady. “My name is Clarissa.”
The girl's eyes were guarded. “Victor says you are dangerous.”
“Victor lies when the truth would give someone else a choice.”
A pause.
The girl glanced sideways, perhaps toward Victor. “Are you my mother?”
Clarissa could have claimed her. Every part of her wanted to.
Instead she said, “I may be connected to you by blood. But being your mother is something I would have to earn.”
The girl's expression changed.
Victor ended the call.
Investigators traced fragments of the signal to northern Vermont, but it bounced through mobile relays. The child's drawing offered a clue: the tree had a distinctive split trunk, and a church steeple appeared behind it.
Mrs. Martha recognized the style of the house. “Evelyn's family owned a summer place near Lake Bellweather.”
Arthur stared at her. “That property burned down.”
“The main house did. The caretaker's cottage survived.”
A team departed immediately.
They found the cottage empty but recently used. On the table lay the girl's sketchbook. Most pages contained houses without doors.
The final page showed Clarissa in a red cape standing outside a locked gate.
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Beneath the drawing, the child had written a message.
HE SAYS YOUR FATHER IS THE BAD MAN.
