Chapter 13 - Evelyn Took EmmaHospital security footage showed exactly what happened.
A blonde woman.
Black coat.
Same height as Madeline.
Hair styled almost identically.
She wore a surgical mask.
She presented forged discharge paperwork.
Emma, still weak, followed her.
The woman held her hand.
Ghost had been with Noah, not Emma.
Daniel nearly collapsed.
“Why would Emma go with her?”
Noah answered.
“She looked like Madeline.”
Madeline stared at the screen.
“Evelyn.”
Ross’s phone rang.
Seconds later Daniel’s phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A photograph.
Emma sitting in the back seat of a car.
Alive.
Scared.
Then a message.
BRING THE LEDGER.
Daniel’s vision blurred.
Another:
MADELINE COMES ALONE.
Madeline said:
“I’ll go.”
Daniel turned.
“No.”
“She wants me.”
“She has my daughter.”
“She wants the ledger.”
“And then what?”
Madeline didn’t answer.
Daniel looked at Ross.
“We can track it?”
“Working on it.”
The sender used layers of masking.
The network was sophisticated.
Crane’s influence.
Daniel stared at the picture.
Emma held something.
A folded paper.
He zoomed in.
Writing.
Emma had written with a pen.
Three letters.
N.W.A.
Noah looked.
“What’s that?”
Daniel thought.
Emma loved puzzles.
NWA.
Then Adrian said:
“Northwest Aquarium?”
Daniel shook his head.
Madeline whispered:
“Northwest Airfield.”
Ross looked.
“What?”
“Samuel owned a hangar there years ago.”
Daniel’s heart jumped.
Police moved.
The abandoned airfield lay forty minutes north.
By the time units arrived, a single light burned inside Hangar 12.
Daniel was not supposed to enter.
He did anyway.
Madeline followed.
Ross cursed and followed them.
Inside—
Emma sat tied to a chair.
Evelyn stood behind her.
Dr. Crane beside a small aircraft.
Daniel stopped.
“Emma.”
“Dad!”
Crane raised a gun.
Everyone froze.
“Bad choice.”
Madeline stared at her father.
“You.”
Crane smiled.
“Hello, daughter.”
Evelyn looked exhausted.
Not triumphant.
Daniel noticed.
Her hands shook.
Maybe she wasn't controlling this.
Crane was.
“Give me the drive,” he said.
Ross stayed near the entrance.
Gun lowered but ready.
Daniel held up a copy.
“The ledger?”
“Original backup.”
“You're not getting anything until Emma walks.”
Crane laughed.
“You don't negotiate well.”
Madeline stepped forward.
“Take me.”
Crane looked at her.
“You were always sentimental.”
“Leave Emma.”
“She remembers Rebecca’s code.”
“You already know the location.”
“I know one location.”
Daniel realized.
There were three ledger copies.
Crane still wanted the remaining one.
Evelyn whispered:
“Dad, enough.”
Crane turned on her.
“You should have finished this years ago.”
Daniel looked at Evelyn.
Her eyes filled.
She wasn't Madeline’s partner.
She was another daughter trapped in Samuel Reed’s orbit.
“Evelyn,” Daniel said.
Crane snapped.
“Don't.”
Daniel ignored him.
“Rebecca thought you were dangerous.”
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
“She was right.”
“But your father killed Rachel.”
Evelyn froze.
Crane’s face changed.
Daniel saw it.
Madeline saw it too.
“Rachel?” Evelyn whispered.
Crane aimed the gun at Daniel.
“Stop talking.”
Daniel continued.
“He drugged her.”
“No.”
“Toxicology confirms it.”
Evelyn turned slowly toward her father.
“You told me she overdosed.”
“She did.”
“No.”
Her voice broke.
“You told me Rachel killed herself.”
Crane’s hand tightened.
That was the crack.
Daniel pressed.
“He framed Madeline financially.”
Madeline stared at Evelyn.
Evelyn looked at her sister.
“You knew?”
“No.”
For the first time, the sisters seemed to see the same enemy.
Crane realized it.
He grabbed Emma.
Daniel lunged.
A gunshot exploded.
Everyone screamed.
Ghost burst into the hangar.
Noah behind him.
“EMMA!”
Crane turned.
Ghost charged—
not attacking—
but barking violently.
Crane fired toward the ceiling in panic.
Ross tackled him.
Daniel pulled Emma away.
Madeline grabbed Evelyn as she fell.
Evelyn had been hit.
Blood spread across her shoulder.
Not fatal.
Ross secured Crane.
Daniel held Emma.
“You’re okay.”
She sobbed.
“I knew you’d come.”
He kissed her face.
“I’ll always come.”
Then Noah ran over.
Ghost pressed against Emma.
She wrapped both arms around the white dog.
Madeline knelt nearby.
Evelyn looked at her sister.
Tears mixed with sweat.
“I didn’t know about Rachel.”
Madeline whispered:
“I didn’t either.”
Crane laughed from the floor.
Everyone turned.
“What’s funny?” Ross asked.
He smiled.
“You all think Rebecca hid the last copy for justice.”
Daniel froze.
Crane looked directly at him.
“She hid it because she discovered something about Daniel.”
Daniel’s heart stopped.
“What?”
Crane’s smile widened.
“Ask Rebecca why she was really driving that night.”
Daniel stared.
Rebecca was dead.
Then Crane added:
“Or ask the daughter she left behind.”
Daniel slowly looked at Emma.
May you like
Emma went pale.
She knew something.
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