Chapter 10 - THE MAN BEHIND VANESSA
Investigators traced the photograph through several servers.
The trail eventually pointed north.
A property outside Santa Barbara belonged to a company linked to Daniel Mercer.
Police prepared a tactical operation.
Ethan was ordered to remain behind.
He refused until Rachel looked him directly in the eye.
“If you want Sophie home, let us do our jobs.”
Those words stopped him.
At 11:40 p.m., officers surrounded the property.
The house was empty.
But inside they found fresh food.
Sophie’s blue hair clip.
And a handwritten note.
NO POLICE TOMORROW.
Daniel was moving them.
Rachel finally understood the structure of the old crime.
Daniel had managed Michael’s finances.
Vanessa had helped him divert money.
Michael discovered the theft.
Vanessa confronted Michael.
Michael died.
Daniel then helped suppress evidence.
But Vanessa had become dependent on him.
He possessed records proving her involvement.
She possessed records proving his.
For years they had protected each other through mutual fear.
Then Emily kept Michael’s evidence.
Lucy survived.
And Ethan started asking questions.
Their arrangement began collapsing.
At sunrise, Vanessa called.
This time her voice was barely audible.
“Ethan.”
“Where is Sophie?”
“She’s safe right now.”
“Right now?”
“Listen carefully.”
He heard movement in the background.
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Daniel wants the ledger.”
“I know.”
“He thinks Michael wrote account numbers inside it.”
“Did he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did you take Sophie?”
Silence.
“I didn’t.”
Ethan gripped the phone.
“What?”
“I went to Claire’s house.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I was going to talk to you.”
“You climbed through a window?”
“No.”
“Then who took Sophie?”
“Daniel.”
Ethan looked at Rachel.
Vanessa continued.
“He forced me to make the call.”
“Why?”
“Because Sophie trusts me more than she trusts him.”
Ethan nearly laughed from rage.
“She’s terrified of you.”
“I know.”
For the first time, Vanessa sounded ashamed.
It did not erase anything.
But Ethan heard it.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Then I can’t help Sophie.”
Vanessa began crying.
Daniel shouted somewhere nearby.
The call abruptly ended.
Rachel had enough.
“Signal came from the coast.”
“How close?”
“About fifteen miles north of Santa Barbara.”
Lucy leaned over the map.
“There.”
She pointed toward an abandoned seaside property.
“My father owned that house.”
Rachel looked at her.
“Daniel knew about it?”
“He handled the taxes.”
Police moved immediately.
Ethan waited in a command vehicle several miles away.
Every minute felt endless.
Then Rachel’s radio crackled.
Movement at the property.
A man had been seen near the garage.
Another figure appeared upstairs.
Small.
A child.
Ethan closed his eyes.
Sophie was alive.
Officers approached.
Suddenly a vehicle burst through the rear gate.
Daniel was driving.
Vanessa sat beside him.
Sophie was in the back.
Police vehicles followed.
The chase ended three miles later when Daniel abandoned the car near a rocky access road.
He dragged Sophie toward the cliffs.
Vanessa followed.
Officers spread out.
Ethan heard everything through Rachel’s radio.
Then gunfire echoed.
One shot.
Then another.
Silence.
Ethan screamed Sophie’s name.
Rachel grabbed the radio.
“Status!”
Static.
Then a voice answered.
“Child located.”
Ethan stopped breathing.
“Child is alive.”
He nearly fell to his knees.
Then came the next message.
“Female suspect injured.”
Ethan looked at Rachel.
“Vanessa?”
Rachel listened.
May you like
Then nodded.
But Daniel Mercer was gone.
