Chapter 5 - The Man Outside the Window
The hospital went into lockdown within four minutes.
Elevators were frozen.
Security doors closed.
Police flooded the parking structure.
Detective Hayes ordered every entrance covered.
Alexander ran.
By the time he reached Lily’s floor, two officers were standing outside the room.
Rebecca opened the door.
Lily rushed toward him.
“You came back.”
Alexander dropped to one knee and caught her.
“I told you I would.”
He checked the windows.
Ninth floor.
Parking garage opposite the hospital.
Someone with a long lens could easily have taken the photograph.
“Where’s Hope?”
“Asleep.”
Rebecca pointed toward the crib.
Alexander exhaled.
Daniel arrived seconds later.
“What happened?”
Alexander showed him the messages.
His brother swore.
Lily saw the photographs.
Her face drained.
“That’s him.”
Alexander crouched.
“Who?”
“The bad man.”
“Marcus?”
She nodded.
“You’ve seen his phone?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know he took them?”
“Because he says that.”
Alexander’s stomach tightened.
“Says what?”
“Give me the baby.”
Nobody spoke.
Alexander kept his voice steady.
“When did he say that?”
“The night Mommy crashed.”
Rebecca covered her mouth.
Detective Hayes entered.
She had heard enough.
“Lily.”
The girl moved closer to Alexander.
Hayes crouched at a respectful distance.
“I need to ask you something important.”
Lily nodded.
“Was Marcus with you the night your mother had the accident?”
“No.”
“Where were you?”
“At Aunt Megan’s.”
“And Hope?”
“With me.”
“How did you get there?”
“Mommy brought us.”
“What did she say?”
Lily squeezed Alexander’s hand.
“She said we were playing the emergency game.”
“What’s the emergency game?”
“You pack pajamas and snacks and don’t ask questions until the door is locked.”
Alexander looked at Hayes.
That wasn’t a game.
That was a routine.
Rachel had practiced escaping.
Hayes asked, “Did you play it before?”
“Four times.”
Alexander closed his eyes briefly.
Hayes continued.
“What happened after your mother left?”
“She kissed us.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“To see Daddy.”
Alexander’s eyes opened.
“Me?”
Lily nodded.
“She said she was going to stop being scared.”
Rachel had been coming to him.
The night she died.
Hayes asked, “Did she say anything about Camille?”
Lily thought.
“She said if the blonde lady came, Aunt Megan should call the police.”
Alexander felt something drop inside him.
“But Camille came?”
“After the ambulance people told Aunt Megan.”
“How would Camille know where Aunt Megan lived?”
“I don’t know.”
Hayes’s eyes sharpened.
“What happened when Camille arrived?”
“She knocked.”
“Did Aunt Megan let her in?”
“No.”
“What did Camille say?”
Lily’s voice became small.
“She said Mommy had asked her to take us.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“And Aunt Megan?”
“She called her a liar.”
A tiny spark of gratitude rose inside him for a woman he had never met.
“Then what?”
“Camille got mad.”
“What did she do?”
“She said if Aunt Megan didn’t give her Hope, bad things would happen.”
There it was again.
Hope.
Alexander looked toward the crib.
“What is it about that baby?”
Hayes shook her head.
“We need to find Megan.”
“Where is she?”
“Missing.”
Alexander stared at her.
“What?”
“We went to her listed address an hour ago.”
“And?”
“Door open.”
His blood ran cold.
“Blood?”
“No.”
“Signs of struggle?”
“Yes.”
Lily had heard.
“Aunt Megan?”
Alexander turned.
He wished he could take back the entire conversation.
He knelt beside her.
“The police are looking for her.”
“Is she dead?”
“No.”
He refused to lie.
“We don’t know.”
Lily’s chin trembled.
Alexander pulled her against him.
One child shouldn’t know this much fear.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone froze.
Hayes pointed toward speaker mode.
Alexander answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a man breathed into the phone.
“Alexander Reed.”
Marcus.
Alexander looked at Hayes.
She signaled to keep him talking.
“Yes.”
A low laugh.
“Rachel always said you had a good voice.”
Alexander’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Where is Megan?”
“Not the question you should be asking.”
“Then tell me which question matters.”
“Where did Rachel hide the evidence?”
Alexander’s eyes flicked toward Hayes.
Marcus didn’t know about locker 317.
Good.
“What evidence?”
“Don’t play stupid.”
“Rachel never told me anything.”
“She sent the girl.”
“Yes.”
“Then she sent something with her.”
Alexander glanced at Lily.
The backpack.
Police had searched it.
Nothing except the key.
“What do you want?”
“Hope.”
“Why?”
“She’s my daughter.”
“Rachel said she wasn’t.”
Silence.
Alexander knew instantly he had struck something.
Marcus’s voice changed.
“You don’t know what Rachel said.”
“I have her letter.”
Another pause.
“What letter?”
Alexander saw Hayes shake her head.
Don’t reveal more.
He ignored the question.
“You murdered her.”
Marcus laughed.
“Careful.”
“Did you?”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you terrorized a woman and two children.”
“You know what she wanted you to know.”
Alexander looked through the glass.
Hope was awake now.
Tiny fingers gripping the blanket.
“Then tell me your version.”
“My version?”
Marcus sounded amused.
“Rachel was a liar.”
Alexander felt rage, but he kept his tone level.
“About what?”
“Everything.”
“Was Lily my daughter?”
Marcus went silent.
Alexander continued.
“DNA says she is.”
“That must hurt.”
“Why?”
“Six years.”
Marcus laughed softly.
“All those birthdays.”
Alexander nearly crushed the phone.
Hayes pointed at him.
Stay calm.
Marcus continued.
“She used to ask why her daddy didn’t want her.”
Alexander’s face twisted.
“That was you.”
“What?”
“You told her that.”
Another small laugh.
“Maybe.”
Alexander wanted to reach through the phone.
Instead he remembered Lily.
He remained quiet.
Marcus disliked the silence.
“Want to know something else?”
“What?”
“Rachel almost told you three years ago.”
Alexander’s pulse quickened.
“How?”
“She came to Boston.”
“When?”
“March.”
Lily’s birthday month.
“She stood across the street from your office for twenty minutes.”
Alexander felt sick.
“Why didn’t she come inside?”
“She saw Camille.”
Of course.
“She left?”
“Eventually.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
Alexander didn’t believe him.
Marcus continued.
“You billionaires always think everything is about you.”
“This isn’t about me.”
“No?”
“No.”
Alexander looked at Hope.
“It’s about the baby.”
Silence.
There.
Marcus had reacted.
“Why do you need Hope?”
“She belongs to me.”
“No.”
“She’s mine.”
“Then why are you afraid of a DNA test?”
The line went quiet.
Alexander knew.
Marcus was afraid.
He pushed.
“You already know you aren’t her father.”
A faint sound.
Breathing.
Then Marcus whispered.
“You should have married Camille.”
Alexander’s blood chilled.
“What did you say?”
“You should have finished the ceremony.”
“Why?”
“Because now she’s angry.”
The call disconnected.
Hayes immediately barked orders.
“Trace?”
An officer shook his head.
“Burner.”
Alexander stared at the phone.
Hayes looked at him.
“Something bothered me.”
“What?”
“He said Camille is angry.”
Alexander nodded.
“So?”
“He didn’t say Camille would be angry.”
She held his gaze.
“He said she is.”
Daniel understood first.
“They’ve spoken.”
Hayes nodded.
“Recently.”
Alexander turned toward the hallway.
“Find her.”
“We’re already watching her hotel.”
A second officer entered quickly.
“Detective.”
Hayes turned.
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
He handed her a tablet.
Security footage.
Hotel garage.
Camille, still wearing sweatpants and a coat over clothes someone had brought her after the wedding.
Timestamp:
Thirty-two minutes earlier.
She entered a black SUV.
The SUV left.
Hayes stared at the screen.
“Where were the officers?”
“She used the service elevator.”
Alexander laughed in disbelief.
“You lost her?”
The officer looked embarrassed.
“We’re tracking the vehicle.”
Daniel pointed at the screen.
“Pause it.”
The image stopped.
Camille was halfway into the SUV.
A man sat in the driver’s seat.
His face was partially turned toward the camera.
Alexander recognized him from the photograph.
Marcus Vale.
Lily appeared beside Alexander.
She looked at the screen.
Then immediately stepped backward.
“That’s him.”
Alexander put an arm around her.
“It’s okay.”
But Lily wasn’t looking at Marcus.
She pointed toward Camille.
“No.”
Alexander frowned.
“What?”
“That’s the black car lady.”
“I know.”
Lily shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed again.
“The night Mommy crashed…”
Her voice started shaking.
“She was in his car.”
Alexander stared at the screen.
Camille and Marcus.
Together.
The night Rachel died.
And suddenly the canceled wedding was no longer the biggest disaster of Alexander’s life.
May you like
It was the thing that may have saved Lily’s.
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