Chapter 5 - phase two)
The police came before noon.
Detective Renee Walsh listened without interrupting.
She was in her forties, sharp-eyed, calm and unimpressed by the Mercer name.
Ava liked her immediately.
When Marcus finished explaining the deleted files, Walsh closed the folder.
"Nobody confronts Sebastian."
Julian leaned forward.
"He's involved in targeting my son."
"I understand."
"Then arrest him."
"For what?"
Julian stared at her.
Walsh continued.
"I have circumstantial evidence, a photograph where half his face is blocked and corporate records showing he invested in a consultant. That is not enough for a conspiracy charge."
"What about Celeste?"
"Different situation. We have the child's statement, medical evidence, multiple witnesses who saw him outside and evidence suggesting she possessed unauthorized access to the surveillance system."
"So arrest her."
"Her attorney claims she found the service key in a kitchen drawer."
Marcus scoffed.
Walsh ignored him.
"We are building the case."
Ava asked, "Where is she?"
"At a hotel."
"Which one?"
"I'm not giving you that information."
"I'm not going near her."
"Good."
Walsh turned toward Ava.
"I need you to hear something clearly. If these people were preparing an incident involving you, then the fastest way to help them is to behave unpredictably."
Ava knew she was right.
That did not make the advice easier.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Protect Owen. Keep communication documented. Let us investigate."
Ava looked toward the ceiling.
Her son was somewhere above them drawing pictures with a therapist.
"Can you protect him?"
Walsh answered honestly.
"We can make it harder for anyone to reach him."
Harder.
Not impossible.
Julian spoke.
"He stays with Ava."
Ava looked at him.
Julian continued.
"I will not exercise visitation until this is resolved."
Walsh nodded.
"That simplifies things."
Ava had expected to feel victory.
Instead she felt sadness.
Owen loved his father.
Celeste had damaged something that should never have belonged to her.
After the police left, Julian remained behind.
Ava found him in the hallway staring at one of Owen's drawings taped to the wall.
It showed three people holding hands.
Ava.
Owen.
Julian.
A large gray scribble stood behind them.
"What is that?" Julian asked.
Ava knew.
"Snow."
He closed his eyes.
"I want to kill him."
"Sebastian?"
"Yes."
"That won't help Owen."
"I know."
Ava folded her arms.
"Then stop thinking like Sebastian."
Julian looked at her.
"Meaning?"
"He acts as if everyone is a piece on a board. Celeste. Owen. Me. You."
"And?"
"We stop moving where he expects."
Julian studied her.
"What do you suggest?"
Ava looked toward Marcus's office.
"Phase Two."
Julian's expression changed.
"No."
"You don't know what I'm going to say."
"You're going to suggest using yourself as bait."
Ava said nothing.
"No."
"We need to know what they planned."
"The police can investigate."
"They are behind."
"Ava."
"Sebastian already knew about a court hearing before one existed."
Julian went quiet.
"He knew your travel schedule. He knew Owen's weekends. He had my private records. Someone close to us is feeding him information."
"I agree."
"Then nothing is secure."
Julian stepped closer.
"Which is exactly why you don't walk into whatever Phase Two is."
Ava looked at him.
"You don't get to decide for me anymore."
Pain crossed his face.
"You're right."
The answer disarmed her.
He continued.
"But I can ask you not to risk leaving Owen without his mother."
Ava looked away.
That evening Detective Walsh called.
They had found Celeste.
She was gone from the hotel.
Her luggage remained.
Her phone remained.
Her attorney claimed not to know where she was.
Marcus checked private flight records.
Nothing.
Julian's corporate airfields.
Nothing.
Border alerts.
Nothing.
Celeste had vanished.
At 9:20 p.m., Ava received a text from an unknown number.
She almost deleted it.
Then she saw the photograph.
Owen sleeping in his bedroom.
Taken from outside the window.
Ava screamed for Marcus.
He was upstairs within seconds.
Julian ran behind him.
Ava handed over the phone.
Marcus immediately shut the curtains.
"How old is this photo?"
Ava stared.
The stuffed blue elephant was beside Owen's pillow.
He had put it there thirty minutes earlier.
"Now."
Marcus drew his weapon and moved toward the back door.
Julian called police.
Ava ran into Owen's room.
The child was still asleep.
She lifted him.
He stirred.
"Mommy?"
"Shh."
Ava carried him downstairs to an interior room without windows.
Marcus returned ten minutes later.
"No footprints."
"There's snow everywhere," Julian said.
"Exactly."
Ava looked at the image again.
"Could it be from inside?"
Marcus froze.
"What?"
"What if they didn't take it through the window?"
He examined the angle.
Then looked slowly upward.
Toward the ceiling.
A small round smoke detector sat above Owen's bed.
Marcus pulled over a chair.
He removed the detector.
Inside was a camera.
Julian cursed.
Ava covered Owen's ears.
Marcus inspected it.
"Wireless transmitter."
"Who installed it?"
Julian asked.
Marcus turned it over.
"No serial number."
Ava felt something close to panic.
"They were watching him here."
Her house.
Not Julian's villa.
Her house.
The unknown number sent another message.
This time there was no picture.
May you like
Just five words.
Phase Two has already begun.
