Chapter 8 - the first time the signal failed
Sarah looked at David’s hand around her wrist.
“It means two minutes.”
“For what?”
“Emma asked how long until bedtime.”
David glanced at the clock.
“It is already past bedtime.”
“That is why she is upset.”
He released her.
Sarah kept her face calm, but the failed signal frightened her.
David had noticed the gesture.
She would not be able to use it again unless he was distracted.
Richard remained hidden downstairs.
Sarah carried Emma into her room.
David followed.
“I’ll put her to bed,” Sarah said.
“We should both stay.”
“You said I need rest.”
His eyes hardened.
Then he smiled at Emma.
“Of course.”
He left the door partly open.
Sarah tucked Emma beneath the blanket.
“Grandpa is downstairs,” she whispered.
Emma’s eyes widened.
“Is it an emergency?”
“Not yet. I need you to stay in bed.”
“Can Doctor Bunny stay awake?”
“Yes. Doctor Bunny can guard the door.”
Sarah kissed her forehead.
When she returned to the hallway, David was gone.
She waited five minutes before going downstairs.
Richard stepped out of the storage room.
“He recognized the signal,” Sarah whispered.
“Then we need another one.”
“No. Teaching Emma more rules will confuse her.”
“You’re right.”
Sarah checked the security screen.
David was inside his office.
The camera showed only the hallway, not the room itself.
Richard removed a small packet from his coat.
“Put this beneath his desk.”
“What is it?”
“A location transmitter.”
“You want to track him?”
“I want to track the laptop bag he carries when he leaves tomorrow.”
“If he finds it, everything ends.”
“Everything is already moving too quickly. Emma has been withdrawn from school. Pierce is involved. They have prepared a room.”
Sarah thought of the phrase quiet room.
“Where?”
“I traced a payment from Northbridge to a private wellness facility called Hawthorne House.”
“Is it a hospital?”
“It describes itself as a residential recovery center.”
“Can someone be admitted against their will?”
“Not legally without specific conditions.”
“But documents can be forged.”
“Yes.”
Sarah looked toward David’s office.
“He plans to take me there.”
“Possibly tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Because the Eleanor Blackwell Trust releases its annual distribution on Friday.”
“How much?”
“$9 million.”
Sarah understood.
If David gained control before Friday, he could redirect the distribution.
Richard handed her the transmitter.
“You do not have to do this.”
“Yes, I do.”
Sarah walked upstairs carrying a basket of laundry.
She knocked on David’s office door.
No answer.
She opened it slightly.
The room was empty.
The laptop bag rested beneath the desk.
Sarah stepped inside.
She placed the transmitter beneath the inner lining.
Then she heard water running in the adjoining bathroom.
David had not left the room.
Sarah moved toward the door.
The bathroom handle turned.
She grabbed a folder from the desk and pretended to examine it.
David emerged, drying his hands.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for Emma’s preschool records.”
“In my office?”
“You handled her registration.”
He took the folder from her.
“That is not a preschool file.”
“I realized that.”
His eyes moved toward the laptop bag.
Sarah’s heart pounded.
David lifted the bag.
The transmitter did not fall.
“You should not enter this room without asking.”
“This is my house.”
“It is our house.”
“Then why is the door locked?”
“To protect confidential business records.”
“From your wife?”
“From anyone who does not understand them.”
Sarah stepped closer.
“Explain Northbridge Holdings to me.”
The question escaped before she could stop it.
David’s expression became empty.
“What did you say?”
“I saw a photograph of you at a lake house.”
“That property belongs to a client.”
“Which client?”
“You would not know him.”
“Is his name Northbridge?”
David set the bag on the desk.
“Who have you been speaking to?”
“No one.”
“Your father?”
“No.”
“The fake insurance assessor?”
“I don’t know who she was.”
David came closer.
“You are lying.”
Sarah forced herself not to move.
“So are you.”
For several seconds, the only sound was the bathroom tap dripping.
Then David stepped away.
“I have a surprise planned tomorrow.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“A weekend away.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
“I’m not going.”
His smile returned.
“You need rest, Sarah.”
“I need answers.”
“You need people around you who understand what is happening.”
“What is happening?”
He looked at her with practiced sadness.
“You are becoming unwell.”
Sarah felt the trap close around her.
David picked up the laptop bag.
“Your father cannot help you this time.”
He walked to the door.
Then he stopped.
“And Sarah?”
May you like
“Yes?”
“Do not wake Emma tomorrow morning. My mother is taking her somewhere safe.”
