Chapter 7 - The House by the Lake
Police traced Vanessa’s second phone for less than three minutes before the signal disappeared.
Last location: a lake road forty miles north.
Ethan wanted to drive.
Randall refused.
“You’re emotional.”
“My baby was kidnapped.”
“Exactly.”
Maya stepped forward.
“I’ll go with the police.”
Ethan stared at her.
“You’ve already done enough.”
The words came out wrong.
He knew it immediately.
Maya stepped back.
“Right.”
“No. Maya—”
“You fired me after I saved your son.”
“I was wrong.”
“You let her turn me into a monster in your head in less than ten minutes.”
His face tightened.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Randall interrupted.
“We need to move.”
Three police vehicles left the estate.
Ethan rode in one.
Maya sat in another.
The lake road ended at an abandoned vacation house surrounded by tall pines.
The front door was open.
Too easy.
Police entered first.
“Clear!”
The house was empty.
In the kitchen, they found Rachel.
Alive.
Drugged.
She was lying on the floor beside Noah’s empty car seat.
Ethan dropped beside his sister.
“Rachel!”
Her eyes opened weakly.
“Ethan?”
“Where’s Noah?”
She looked around.
Then started crying.
“I’m sorry.”
“Who took him?”
“I thought Vanessa’s driver was taking us home.”
Maya crouched beside her.
“Did you see anyone else?”
Rachel nodded.
“A man.”
“What did he look like?”
“Gray jacket. Baseball cap.”
“Did you hear a name?”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“They called him Alex.”
Brooks stopped behind them.
Maya looked up.
“A.B.”
Brooks nodded slowly.
“Alex Barrett.”
Ethan frowned.
“Who is that?”
Brooks answered.
“Former driver for Claire.”
Silence.
Ethan stood.
“Claire fired him two years ago.”
“Why?”
“She said he was stealing.”
Maya remembered differently.
“Claire didn’t fire him.”
Ethan looked at her.
“She did.”
“No. Vanessa told you Claire fired him.”
Ethan went quiet.
Maya remembered Alex.
Quiet man.
Always early.
Then one morning, he disappeared.
Vanessa had told everyone Claire caught him stealing jewelry.
“What if he wasn’t stealing?”
Brooks searched the house.
He returned carrying an old laptop.
“There’s something here.”
The screen showed a live video feed.
Noah.
He was lying in a crib in another room somewhere.
Vanessa stepped into frame.
Still wearing the green dress.
“Hello, Ethan.”
Ethan moved toward the screen.
“Where is my son?”
Vanessa smiled.
“You should’ve trusted me.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“I know.”
“What?”
Vanessa leaned closer.
“I want what Claire refused to give me.”
Maya felt Ethan stiffen.
“What are you talking about?”
Vanessa smiled.
“Control of Cole Biotech.”
Ethan stared at her.
May you like
Then she added:
“And your wife died because she discovered how I planned to get it.”
