Chapter 8
The next morning, I waited.
I watched the news. I checked the prepaid phone. I paced the small motel room.
Margaret was supposed to get Elodie out of the estate by noon.
Noon came and went.
One o'clock. Two o'clock.
Nothing.
I picked up the phone. I typed a message to Margaret.
Status?
I hit send.
No response.
I tried calling. It went straight to voicemail.
My stomach twisted.
Something was wrong.
I called Detective Chen.
"She's not answering," I said. "Something's happened."
"Stay where you are," Detective Chen said. "I'm going to the estate. I'll find out what's going on."
"I'm coming with you," I said.
"No," she said. "It's too dangerous. If Harrison sees you—"
"I don't care," I said. "That's my daughter in there."
I hung up before she could argue.
I grabbed the evidence. I grabbed the cash. I grabbed the gun from the truck.
I drove toward the Mercer estate.
My hands were shaking. The gun felt heavy in the glove compartment.
As I got closer, I saw police cars. Lots of them.
My heart stopped.
I parked down the road and walked through the trees. I found a spot where I could see the estate.
An ambulance was parked in the driveway. Paramedics were wheeling someone out on a stretcher.
I couldn't see who it was.
Harrison stood on the porch, talking to Captain Reeves. Celestine was next to him, crying into a tissue.
And Elodie...
Elodie was standing in the doorway. She looked small and scared. She was holding her favorite stuffed rabbit. The one I'd given her when she was a baby.
I'd know that rabbit anywhere.
Margaret wasn't anywhere.
The paramedics loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. I caught a glimpse of gray hair.
Margaret.
They'd hurt her.
I had to get to Elodie.
I started moving through the trees. Closer to the house.
A hand grabbed my arm.
I spun around, ready to fight.
It was Detective Chen.
"Are you crazy?" she whispered. "They'll see you."
"What happened?" I said. "Is Margaret—"
"She's alive," Detective Chen said. "They found her in Elodie's room. She was packing a bag. Harrison caught her. He... he pushed her down the stairs."
My blood ran cold.
"Elodie?" I said.
"She's okay," Detective Chen said. "She saw it happen. She's in shock. But she's physically unhurt."
I looked at my daughter standing in the doorway. She looked lost. Alone.
"We need to get her out of there," I said.
"We can't do it now," Detective Chen said. "There are too many police. Too many witnesses. We stick to the plan. The gala is in six days. We expose Harrison, we get Elodie, we put them all away."
"Margaret is in the hospital," I said. "What if she can't help us?"
"She gave me everything before she went to the estate today," Detective Chen said. "All the evidence. All the contacts. She knew this might happen."
She pulled a key from her pocket.
"She left a safe deposit box key for you," she said. "At the downtown bank. In your name. There's more evidence in there. And something else. For you."
I took the key.
"Can I see her?" I said. "At the hospital?"
Detective Chen hesitated.
"It's risky," she said. "Harrison might have people watching."
"I don't care," I said.
She sighed.
"Ten minutes," she said. "That's all. And if anything feels wrong, we leave immediately."
We drove to the hospital.
Margaret was in the ICU. She had a broken arm, a concussion, and cracked ribs. But she was alive.
I walked into her room. She was asleep. Her face was bruised.
I sat down next to her bed.
"Why did you do it?" I whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open. She looked at me. A small smile touched her lips.
"For Elodie," she whispered. Her voice was hoarse. "For you."
She tried to lift her good arm. I took her hand.
"The gala," she said. "Don't stop. Promise me."
"I promise," I said.
"Harrison... he knows someone is helping him from the inside," she said. "He doesn't know who. But he's suspicious. Be careful."
Her eyes closed again.
I stayed for a few more minutes. Then Detective Chen signaled it was time to go.
As we walked out of the hospital, I saw Captain Reeves talking to a uniformed officer. He was looking right at me.
I froze.
"Keep walking," Detective Chen said quietly. "Act natural."
We walked past him. He didn't stop us. But I felt his eyes on our backs until we were out the door.
"He knows," I said when we got to the car.
"He suspects," Detective Chen said. "But he doesn't know for sure. Not yet."
She started the car.
"Six days," she said. "We have six days to get everything ready. And then we end this."
I looked at the safe deposit box key in my hand.
May you like
Six days.
I just hoped we all survived that long.
