Chapter 12
I tumbled down the stairs. My head hit the wood. Pain exploded behind my eyes.
I lay at the bottom, dazed.
Harrison stood at the top, looking down at me.
"Get her out of here," he said to someone.
Two men in suits appeared. Security. They grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the back of the house.
I tried to fight. But my head was spinning. My body ached.
They threw me into a small room. A pantry. The door clicked shut. Locked.
I lay on the cold floor. I touched my head. My fingers came away bloody.
I checked my watch. 8:15 PM.
The website went live in five minutes. The news would break soon.
Harrison's speech was in fifteen minutes.
I had to get out of here.
I stood up. The room spun. I leaned against the wall.
I banged on the door.
"Let me out!" I shouted.
No answer.
I looked around the small room. Shelves lined the walls. Canned goods. Cleaning supplies.
I grabbed a heavy glass jar. I threw it at the door handle.
It shattered. The handle didn't budge.
I tried again. And again.
Nothing.
I checked my purse. The gun was still there. The evidence USB drive was still there.
I could shoot the lock. But the sound would alert everyone. And I might miss.
I thought about Elodie. Upstairs. Scared. Alone with Celestine.
I thought about Margaret. In the hospital.
I thought about Detective Chen. Wondering where I was.
I had to get out.
I looked at the ventilation grate above the shelves. It was small. But maybe...
I climbed onto the counter. I pulled at the grate. It was held in place with screws.
I found a screwdriver in a drawer. I worked at the screws. My hands were shaking.
One screw came out. Then another.
The grate fell.
The vent was small. Tight. But I was thin. I could fit.
I crawled inside.
The metal was cold against my skin. I crawled forward. The vent turned. I could hear voices below.
The party.
I crawled toward the sound. I found another grate. I looked down.
The ballroom. Hundreds of people. Harrison was standing on the stage, microphone in hand.
Detective Chen was in the crowd. She looked worried. She was scanning the room, looking for me.
I checked my watch. 8:28 PM.
Harrison started speaking.
"Good evening, everyone," he said. His voice boomed through the speakers. "Thank you all for coming to this year's Mercer Foundation Gala."
The crowd applauded.
I worked at the grate screws from the inside. They were old. Rusted.
"Tonight, we celebrate everything this foundation has accomplished," Harrison said. "Helping children. Building communities. Making the world a better place."
The hypocrisy made me sick.
One screw came out. Then another.
"But none of this would be possible without my family," Harrison said. "My beautiful wife, Celestine."
The crowd turned to look. Celestine stood at the front of the room, smiling and waving. Her face was perfect. No sign of the rage I'd seen earlier.
"And my daughter, Elodie," Harrison said. "The light of my life."
The crowd "awwed."
I got the last screw out. The grate was loose.
Harrison was still speaking.
"Family is everything," he said. "It's what gives our lives meaning. It's what—"
I pushed the grate out. It fell to the floor with a loud crash.
Everyone looked up.
I dropped down from the vent. I landed hard on the stage.
The room went silent.
Harrison stared at me. Shock on his face.
I stood up. I pulled the USB drive from my purse. I walked to the podium.
"Harrison is lying," I said into the microphone.
My voice echoed through the silent ballroom.
"Everything he just told you is a lie," I said. "He doesn't help children. He hurts them."
Harrison recovered. He moved toward me.
"Security!" he shouted. "Get her out of here!"
But I was ready. I plugged the USB drive into the podium's computer. I pressed play.
The large screen behind Harrison came to life.
A photograph of Elodie's bruised wrist appeared.
The crowd gasped.
"This is my daughter," I said. "Elodie. Four years old. These are the bruises Harrison Mercer gave her."
Next photograph. The broken rib medical report.
"Three years ago, I tried to report this," I said. "Harrison told everyone I was crazy. He paid off doctors. He paid off police officers. He destroyed my life to cover up what he'd done."
Text messages appeared on the screen. Messages between Harrison and Captain Reeves.
$50,000 to make the Vale case go away.
Done. She'll never see her daughter again.
The crowd murmured. People pulled out their phones.
The website was live. The news was breaking.
Harrison's face was purple with rage. He lunged at me.
I stepped back. Two plainclothes officers—Detective Chen's people—stepped forward and grabbed him.
"Let go of me!" Harrison shouted. "Do you know who I am?"
Captain Reeves moved through the crowd. He reached for his gun.
Detective Chen stepped in front of him. Her gun was drawn.
"Don't even think about it," she said.
More officers poured into the room. Uniformed. Not on Harrison's payroll.
They surrounded Captain Reeves. They cuffed him.
Harrison was still struggling. Still shouting.
Celestine stood frozen in the crowd. Her perfect face was pale. Terrified.
Officers moved toward her.
"Celestine Mercer," one said. "You're under arrest for child endangerment and conspiracy."
They cuffed her too.
The room was chaos. Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted questions.
May you like
But I didn't care about any of it.
I ran toward the staircase. I ran toward Elodie.
