Chapter 7 - She Took Our DaughterThere is a kind of fear that does not feel like fear.
It feels like cold.
Not winter cold.
Something deeper.
Something that empties your body of everything except one command.
Find your child.
Nora tried running into the hallway.
I caught her.
“Let me go!”
“Kline needs to clear it.”
“She has Lily!”
“I know.”
“Then move!”
Two agents searched stairwells.
Security footage had gone offline exactly ninety seconds before the alarm.
A service elevator descended from the thirty-fourth floor.
It stopped in the basement.
By the time police reached it, the elevator was empty.
Lily’s yellow scarf lay inside.
Nora stared at it when Kline brought it upstairs.
Then she became very calm.
That frightened me more than screaming.
“She wants the trust.”
“Probably,” Kline said.
“So give it to her.”
“Mrs. Rowan—”
“Give her every share.”
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“I don’t care.”
Neither did I.
I called our attorneys.
“I want the trust dissolved.”
“It can’t be dissolved unilaterally.”
“Then find a way.”
“Caleb—”
“I’m paying seven hundred dollars an hour so people like you can find ways.”
Nora looked at me.
Under different circumstances, she might have smiled.
No one smiled now.
At 2:13 a.m., Celeste called.
Video.
Kline traced while we answered.
Lily appeared on screen.
She was sitting in a chair.
Hands free.
No visible injuries.
“Mom?”
Nora moved closer.
“Baby, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“Did she hurt you?”
“No.”
Celeste stepped into frame.
She looked nothing like the polished CFO who once hosted charity dinners at our house.
Hair disordered.
Eyes wild.
“You’ve made this very difficult.”
I said, “Let Lily go.”
“You don’t give orders anymore.”
“Then tell me what you want.”
“The original trust documents.”
“You already know what they say.”
“I need Lily to sign a temporary proxy.”
“She’s eighteen.”
“Exactly.”
Nora said, “She won’t sign anything.”
Celeste smiled.
“She will.”
Lily looked directly into the camera.
“No, I won’t.”
For one second, pride broke through my terror.
Celeste’s smile vanished.
Nora said, “Don’t touch her.”
“I haven’t.”
“Celeste.”
“What?”
“You tried to bury me alive.”
Her expression twitched.
“I didn’t know you were conscious.”
“That’s your defense?”
“No.”
For the first time, Celeste looked tired.
“My defense is that your husband’s family destroyed mine long before I ever met you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Ask Andrew.”
The call ended.
Kline cursed.
Trace failed.
But Andrew called five minutes later.
“I know where she may have taken Lily.”
“Where?”
“Our old marina.”
My blood chilled.
The marina where Andrew supposedly died.
“Why there?”
“Celeste bought it through a shell company.”
Of course she did.
Federal agents moved.
I tried going.
Kline blocked me.
“No.”
“That’s my daughter.”
“And if Celeste sees you, she could panic.”
“She kidnapped my daughter because of me.”
“Exactly.”
Nora stepped beside me.
“We’re coming.”
Kline stared at both of us.
“No.”
Nora moved closer.
“You can either let us sit in the command vehicle where you can control us, or Caleb will steal a car and I will help him.”
I looked at her.
“You’d help?”
“Obviously.”
Kline rubbed her forehead.
“I hate wealthy people.”
“We’re charming once you know us,” I said.
Nora muttered, “No, we’re not.”
Twenty minutes later, we were in an armored command SUV heading north.
Snow had started again.
The abandoned marina sat on the Hudson, dark against black water.
Agents surrounded it silently.
Thermal imaging showed three people inside the boathouse.
Celeste.
Lily.
And one man.
Andrew.
My brother had found them first.
Nobody knew whether that was good.
Through a tactical audio feed, we heard voices.
Celeste shouted.
“You ruined everything!”
Andrew answered.
“No. You did.”
“You helped me.”
“I know.”
“You don’t get to become righteous now.”
“No.”
His voice broke.
“But Lily had nothing to do with this.”
Then my daughter spoke.
“Aunt Celeste, you don’t even want the company.”
Silence.
I looked at Nora.
Lily continued.
“You want them to hurt because you’re hurt.”
Celeste laughed.
“You sound like your mother.”
“Good.”
Nora covered her mouth.
“I’m proud of her,” I whispered.
“She’s grounded forever.”
“For getting kidnapped?”
“For being brave during it.”
“That seems unreasonable.”
“Shut up.”
Inside the boathouse, Celeste said, “Your grandfather destroyed Andrew.”
Lily answered, “Grandpa’s dead.”
“So?”
“So hurting us doesn’t punish him.”
Silence.
Then we heard a gunshot.
Nora screamed.
Agents moved.
I tried leaving the vehicle.
Two officers held me back.
More gunfire.
Shouting.
Thirty seconds became thirty years.
Then Kline’s radio crackled.
“Hostage secure.”
Nora collapsed against me.
“Lily?”
“Secure.”
“And Andrew?”
Static.
Then:
“Male subject injured.”
My mother, listening by phone, began sobbing.
Agents brought Lily out first.
Nora and I ran.
Our daughter hit us so hard all three of us nearly fell.
“I’m okay,” she said repeatedly.
Nora kissed her entire face.
I couldn’t speak.
Then paramedics carried Andrew out.
Blood covered one side of his shirt.
He was conscious.
Barely.
I approached.
His eyes found mine.
“Did Lily get out?”
“Yes.”
He exhaled.
“Good.”
“You idiot.”
“Yeah.”
“You absolute idiot.”
“I know.”
I took his hand.
He looked surprised.
“Caleb.”
“What?”
“Celeste didn’t shoot me.”
I froze.
“Who did?”
Andrew looked toward the boathouse.
Agents were bringing Celeste outside.
Her hands were cuffed.
She looked terrified.
Andrew whispered, “Wynn.”
The missing doctor.
“He was inside?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
Andrew’s eyes began closing.
“He ran.”
Then he whispered one more thing.
“Mom knows where he’ll go.”
My heart sank.
May you like
Again.
Every road returned to Beatrice.
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