Chapter 13 - the room beneath the neighboring house
Police searched the hidden room until sunrise.
They found medication records, surveillance photographs and bloodless medical supplies designed to keep a patient sedated for long periods.
The records identified the patient only as A.H.
Adrian Hale.
A camera above the bed had been removed less than an hour before officers arrived.
Vanessa had escaped through the tunnel and reached Adrian before the police.
Julian Cross had disappeared from Mercer Systems at the same time.
His office had been emptied, but he left behind one object.
A framed photograph of Ethan, Claire, Daniel, Miles and Julian celebrating the company’s tenth anniversary.
Claire’s face had been cut from the image.
Detective Ortiz issued warrants for Vanessa and Julian.
Airports, train stations and border crossings were alerted.
Their financial accounts were frozen.
The Halcyon investigation became public before noon.
News reports described stolen trusts, shell foundations and corporate espionage. They did not mention Sophie.
Ethan refused to allow his daughter’s name to become part of the spectacle.
Sophie spent the morning at Rachel’s home with Mrs. Bell and a child psychologist chosen by Detective Ortiz.
Unlike the fictional Dr. Rowan, Dr. Amelia Grant had a real license and a quiet voice.
She did not ask Sophie to describe everything at once.
She gave her paper, crayons and a small wooden house.
Sophie placed a doll representing Vanessa outside the house.
Then she locked the door.
“Where is Sophie?” Dr. Grant asked.
The child placed a smaller doll beside Ethan.
“Here.”
“Is she safe?”
Sophie nodded.
“Who keeps her safe?”
“Daddy.”
Ethan stood behind the observation window.
The answer did not comfort him.
He had failed to protect her before.
Later, he sat beside Sophie in the garden.
“I’m sorry.”
She was arranging stones in a circle.
“For what?”
“For not believing you the first time.”
Sophie considered this.
“Do you believe me now?”
“Yes.”
“Even when Vanessa cries?”
“Yes.”
“Even when she says I’m bad?”
“You are not bad.”
Sophie leaned against him.
“Will she come back?”
Ethan could not lie.
“She might try.”
“Will you leave?”
“No.”
“What if she makes you unhappy?”
“You are not responsible for making me happy.”
Sophie looked up.
Vanessa had taught her the opposite so often that the sentence seemed unfamiliar.
Ethan continued.
“Adults are responsible for their own choices. Nothing Vanessa did was your fault.”
Sophie returned to the stones.
After a moment, she handed him one.
“Then you can stay inside the circle.”
That afternoon, Miles decrypted a section of the ledger.
The Architect’s identity remained hidden, but they discovered scheduled payments to a private medical transport company.
One payment had been made thirty minutes after Vanessa escaped.
The destination was an abandoned rehabilitation hospital outside the city.
Ortiz led a tactical team to the building.
Ethan remained with Sophie.
Two hours later, Ortiz called.
“We found Adrian.”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Where is Vanessa?”
“Gone.”
“Julian?”
“Gone.”
“What condition is Adrian in?”
“He is conscious, but confused. He keeps asking for Claire.”
“Can he speak?”
“Not clearly.”
“Did he say anything useful?”
Ortiz hesitated.
“He gave us a name.”
“The Architect?”
“No.”
“Whose name?”
“Daniel Price.”
Ethan looked through the window toward Daniel, who was standing in the living room speaking with Rachel.
“What did Adrian say about him?”
“He said Daniel was there the night Claire died.”
Daniel turned toward Ethan at that exact moment.
Their eyes met through the glass.
Then Daniel looked down at his phone.
A message had appeared.
He read it.
May you like
His face went white.
Before Ethan could reach him, Daniel ran toward the front door.
