We followed the footprints as far as the maintenance corridor allowed.
Reyes went first.
Mercer followed.
I stayed close behind them, refusing to let myself think about what would happen if Harris reached Claire before we did.
The passage was narrow and smelled of dust, disinfectant, and old metal. Pipes ran along the ceiling. Emergency lights blinked at uneven intervals. Somewhere ahead, water dripped steadily.
Then we heard a cough.
“Claire?”
Nothing.
Another cough.
This time, from behind a service door.
Reyes tried the handle.
Locked.
Mercer pulled out his radio.
“Security, fourth-floor maintenance corridor. We need access immediately.”
No response.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Reyes looked at him.
“The radios are down.”
“Or someone shut them down.”
He kicked the door.
The lock cracked.
They forced it open.
Claire was inside.
She was sitting against the wall, one hand pressed to her forehead. Her red scarf was torn.
I ran toward her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Where is Harris?”
Claire looked behind us.
“He left.”
“Why?”
“He realized I didn't have the evidence.”
Mercer crouched beside her.
“What evidence?”
Claire looked at me.
“The original recording.”
I felt a chill.
“What recording?”
“The night Lily's father died.”
Tyler's voice came through my phone.
He had called.
“Where are you?”
I answered.
“Maintenance corridor.”
“I'm coming.”
“No. Stay in your room.”
“I heard what happened.”
“You shouldn't be moving.”
“I don't care.”
I closed my eyes.
Even injured, Tyler sounded like himself.
Protective.
Stubborn.
Alive.
“Stay there,” I said.
He hesitated.
“Okay.”
I ended the call.
Claire watched me.
“He loves you.”
“I know.”
“He always did.”
I looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
Claire looked away.
“You need to understand what happened six years ago.”
We helped her back toward the room.
When we returned, Tyler was standing beside the bed.
He looked furious.
“I told you not to move.”
“I told you the same thing.”
He looked at Claire.
She gave him a tired smile.
“You haven't changed.”
Tyler stared at her.
“Neither have you.”
The words carried years of history I didn't understand.
Claire sat down.
“Your father brought Lily to the house because he needed somewhere safe.”
Tyler frowned.
“Why our house?”
“Because Daniel knew nobody would think to look there.”
“But they did.”
“Eventually.”
She looked at me.
“Amanda, you were never supposed to know.”
“Yet I heard her.”
“Yes.”
“And saw her?”
Claire nodded.
“You opened the blue room door.”
I remembered.
Not clearly.
Just flashes.
A small face.
Dark hair.
A stuffed rabbit.
A tiny hand gripping the doorframe.
I had convinced myself it was a dream.
I whispered, “I saw her.”
Claire nodded.
“Lily saw you.”
“Then why did she act like she didn't know me?”
“Because Daniel told her never to say your name.”
“Why?”
“Because your name was already in the file.”
Mercer looked sharply at her.
“What file?”
“The one everyone has been trying to find.”
“Where is it?”
Claire looked at me.
“You already saw part of it.”
I frowned.
“The wooden box?”
She nodded.
“The box was only a copy.”
Reyes stared at her.
“Where is the original?”
Claire whispered, “With Lily.”
No one spoke.
“Why would a child have it?”
“Because her father gave it to her.”
“How?”
“He hid the memory card inside her stuffed rabbit.”
I looked at the torn rabbit.
The brass key had been inside it.
Not the card.
“The rabbit at the hospital wasn't the same one.”
Claire nodded.
“Exactly.”
I felt my stomach drop.
“Then where is the real rabbit?”
“Lily took it with her.”
“Where?”
Claire hesitated.
“That's the problem.”
Mercer stood.
“We need to find her.”
Claire shook her head.
“You can't.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever has her is not Harris.”
I stared at her.
“Then who?”
Claire's eyes moved toward Reyes.
“Someone you trust.”
The room went silent.
Reyes didn't move.
Tyler's expression hardened.
“Captain?”
Claire looked at him.
“I never said it was him.”
“You didn't have to.”
Reyes stepped back.
“Claire, be careful.”
“I've been careful for six years.”
“Then say the name.”
She shook her head.
“Not here.”
Mercer glanced at the hospital room door.
“Why?”
“Because the person listening may be closer than you think.”
I looked toward the ceiling.
The security cameras were still dark.
The room suddenly felt exposed.
Mercer moved to the door.
He checked the hallway.
Empty.
Then he noticed something taped beneath the door handle.
A small white card.
He removed it.
There were only four words.
STOP LOOKING FOR LILY.
On the back was a photograph.
Lily standing beside a man.
The man's face was partially hidden.
But his jacket was visible.
Fire department issue.
Tyler stared.
“That jacket.”
I looked at him.
“You recognize it?”
“Not the jacket.”
He pointed to the sleeve.
A small stitched emblem.
“That's Station 19.”
Reyes frowned.
“That's our station.”
Tyler shook his head.
“No.”
He looked again.
“That emblem hasn't been used in fifteen years.”
Mercer took the photograph.
“Then whoever is wearing it is trying to send a message.”
Claire looked terrified.
“No.”
“What?”
She whispered.
“He isn't trying to send a message.”
She pointed to the photograph.
“He's showing you where Lily is.”
The background of the photograph came into focus.
A blue wall.
A wooden staircase.
A narrow window.
I knew the place immediately.
“Our old house.”
Claire nodded.
“He took her there.”
Tyler closed his eyes.
“Why?”
“Because that's where the truth began.”
Reyes grabbed his coat.
“We're going.”
Claire caught his arm.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because that's exactly where he wants you.”
I looked at the photograph again.
Lily was holding something.
A stuffed rabbit.
And in her other hand was a small black memory card.
I pointed.
“The evidence.”
Claire nodded.
“And now you understand why they never stopped looking.”
A sound came from Tyler's phone.
A message.
ONE HOUR.
Then another.
BRING AMANDA.
And finally:
COME ALONE, CAPTAIN.
Reyes stared at the screen.
Tyler looked at me.
Nobody said anything.
We all knew what the message meant.
Someone had just divided us into two groups.
And whichever group made the wrong choice would lead the other directly into a trap.
Click here to continue reading: PART 19: The House Remembers
I Arrived With Balloons and Cake, Expecting My Husband to Laugh—Instead His Entire Crew Went Silent When They Saw Me
Part 18 of 40
