Chapter 7: The Little Girl at the Police Station
“Lock down every exit!””
Detective Brooks grabbed his radio and hurried toward the station entrance.
Claire stood frozen, staring at the photograph of Lily.
Her eleven-year-old sister was standing outside a school, holding a purple backpack. Her brown curls fell over her shoulders, and the yellow bracelet around her wrist was unmistakably the one Claire had seen in the photograph from her childhood home.
Someone had been watching her.
Someone had taken her picture.
And now someone was bringing her to the police station.
“Detective,” Claire said, “we need to find that girl.””
Brooks turned.
“We're already sending officers to her last known location.””
“That's not enough. My uncle knows where she is.””
“Claire, listen to me. We don't know whether he's bringing her here willingly or under threat.””
Emily suddenly stood.
“He won't hurt her.””
Claire turned toward her.
“How can you be sure?””
“Because Lily is the only person who knows where Elizabeth hid the original trust.””
Brooks frowned.
“Why would an eleven-year-old know that?””
Emily hesitated.
“Because Elizabeth gave it to her before she disappeared.””
Claire felt her stomach tighten.
“My mother trusted a child with a legal document worth millions of dollars?””
“She trusted her daughter.””
Emily pulled a small folded paper from her handbag.
“Elizabeth told Lily to memorize an address. She said that if anything happened, Lily should find the woman in the photograph.””
Claire looked down.
The paper contained an address in a small Pennsylvania town.
Beneath it was a name.
Claire Harper.
Her own name.
“Why didn't she contact me?”” Claire whispered.
Emily's eyes filled.
“Your mother was afraid that Margaret would use you to find the trust. She thought keeping you apart was the only way to protect both of you.””
Brooks studied the address.
“Is this where Lily lives?””
“No. It's where the document is hidden.””
“Where is Lily now?””
Emily looked at her phone.
“I don't know.””
Suddenly, the station's front doors opened.
A little girl stood in the entrance.
She wore a faded pink jacket and carried a purple backpack.
Her hair was tangled, and one sleeve was torn.
Claire stopped breathing.
“Lily?””
The girl looked around.
Then her eyes landed on Claire.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Finally, Lily took one cautious step forward.
“Are you Claire?””
Claire nodded.
“I'm Claire.””
Lily stared at her face.
Then she reached into her backpack and pulled out a photograph.
It showed Claire at four years old, sitting on her mother's lap.
Lily compared the photograph with the woman standing in front of her.
“Mommy said you had the same eyes.””
Claire's tears spilled over.
“Can I hug you?””
Lily nodded.
Claire dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the little girl.
Lily clung to her.
“She said you might come one day,” she whispered.
Claire closed her eyes.
“I wish I had come sooner.””
Lily shook her head.
“You didn't know.””
That simple sentence broke Claire more than anything else had.
Emily rushed toward them.
“Lily! Where have you been?””
Lily pulled away.
“Uncle Robert brought me.””
Brooks immediately stepped forward.
“Where is he?””
Lily pointed toward the street.
“He said he needed to park the car.””
Brooks grabbed his radio.
“Possible suspect outside the station. Robert Carter. Approach with caution.””
Two officers rushed outside.
Claire held Lily's hand.
“Did he hurt you?””
Lily shook her head.
“He was nice at first.””
“What happened?””
“He said Mommy wanted me to come with him.””
Claire crouched.
“Did you believe him?””
Lily looked down.
“He showed me a video.””
“What video?””
Lily pulled out a phone.
On the screen was a recording of Elizabeth sitting in a chair.
Her mother looked tired and frightened.
“Lily,” Elizabeth said in the recording, “if Uncle Robert comes to get you, you must go with him. He has something important for your sister.””
The video ended.
Claire stared at the screen.
“That isn't right.””
Lily nodded.
“I knew something was wrong.””
“How?””
“Mommy never calls him Uncle Robert.””
Claire looked at Emily.
Emily covered her mouth.
“Your mother always called him Robert.””
Lily continued.
“And Mommy never wears that necklace.””
Claire looked at the video again.
Elizabeth was wearing a silver necklace with a small heart pendant.
Claire recognized it.
Her mother had owned the same necklace when Claire was a child.
But the clasp was broken.
She had never seen her wear it again.
“Lily, did Robert tell you where Mommy is?””
Lily nodded.
“He said she was at a house near the river.””
Brooks leaned closer.
“Which river?””
“I don't know. But he said I could see her after I gave him the paper.””
“What paper?””
Lily looked at Claire.
“The one Mommy told me to keep.””
She unzipped her backpack and removed a small plastic envelope.
Inside was an old photograph and a folded legal document.
Claire unfolded it.
The document was a certified copy of the original trust agreement.
Her father's signature appeared at the bottom.
But something else caught her attention.
A handwritten note had been added beneath the signature.
If my daughter Claire ever discovers the truth, she must be told that the accident was not an accident.
Claire's hands shook.
“There's more,” Lily whispered.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny voice recorder.
“Mommy said to play this only when I found you.””
Claire pressed the button.
A woman's voice emerged.
Elizabeth.
“My darling girls. If you're hearing this together, then I failed to protect you from the people who destroyed our family.””
Claire covered her mouth.
Her mother's voice continued.
“Your father discovered that Margaret and Robert had arranged the accident. But Robert wasn't the only person involved. The person who gave Margaret the medication used on Nathan was someone we all trusted.””
There was a long pause.
Then Elizabeth whispered something that made Claire's blood run cold.
“The doctor who declared Nathan dead was not the real doctor.””
The recording crackled.
“His real name is—”
A gunshot exploded outside.
Lily screamed.
Brooks pushed Claire and the girl behind the reception desk.
“Everyone down!””
The station erupted into chaos.
Officers rushed through the entrance.
Someone shouted that a vehicle was speeding away.
Claire held Lily tightly.
“Don't move, sweetheart.””
The little girl buried her face against Claire's shoulder.
Emily crouched beside them.
“Is she okay?””
Claire nodded.
Then she noticed something.
Lily's backpack was open.
The plastic envelope was gone.
Claire looked around.
“Where's the trust document?””
Lily's face went white.
“I had it.””
Claire searched the floor.
Nothing.
Then Emily slowly stood.
Her expression had changed.
She was looking toward the hallway.
A uniformed officer was walking away from the reception desk.
He carried a brown envelope.
“Detective!”” Emily shouted.
The officer turned.
For one second, Claire saw his face.
Then he ran.
Brooks drew his weapon.
“Stop!””
The officer disappeared through the emergency exit.
Claire stared after him.
Her hands were shaking.
The enemy wasn't simply outside the station.
Someone had already infiltrated the police department.
And as Brooks returned, his radio suddenly crackled.
A voice came through.
“Detective Brooks, we have a situation at St. Mary's Hospital.””
Brooks grabbed the radio.
“What situation?””
A pause.
Then the voice answered.
“Someone has entered Nathan Harper's room.””
Claire's blood ran cold.
“Who?””
May you like
The reply came slowly.
“Your husband is missing.””
