Chapter 9 - The Night the Mansion Went Dark
The lights went out at 9:17 p.m.
Every chandelier, every hallway lamp, every security monitor went black simultaneously.
Richard was already moving.
“Sophie!”
He raced upstairs with Daniel behind him.
Sophie's bedroom door stood open.
The bed was empty.
A small stuffed rabbit lay on the floor.
Richard felt the world narrow to a single point.
“Lock down the grounds!” he shouted.
Daniel spoke rapidly into his radio.
“Perimeter breach. All units, report positions. Secure the child immediately.”
Richard searched the adjoining bathroom, the closet, and the connecting bedroom.
Nothing.
Then he heard a faint sound.
A tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It came from inside the wardrobe.
Richard pulled the door open.
Sophie was curled beneath a shelf, holding her knees against her chest.
“Daddy!”
He dropped to the floor and gathered her into his arms.
“I'm here. I'm right here.”
She was shaking violently.
“He came into my room.”
“Who?”
“The man with the ring.”
Richard held her tighter.
“Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head.
“He said Mommy was waiting for me.”
Richard's blood ran cold.
“Did he tell you where?”
Sophie pointed toward the window.
“He said the car was outside.”
Richard looked through the curtains.
A black vehicle stood beside the service entrance.
Its headlights were off.
Then the phone in his pocket vibrated.
An unknown number.
A message appeared.
Bring the documents to the old boathouse. Come alone. If you involve the police, you'll never see Claire again.
A photograph followed.
Claire sat in a chair, her hands tied in front of her.
Richard stared at the image.
She was alive.
And Thomas had her.
Daniel read the message over his shoulder.
“We need to contact the authorities.”
“Not yet.”
“Sir—”
“Prepare the security team. Quietly.”
Richard looked down at Sophie.
“I'm going to get Mommy.”
She clutched his shirt.
“Don't go.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I promise I'll come back.”
Then he stopped.
He remembered what Dr. Carter had told him.
Never make promises you cannot guarantee.
So he corrected himself.
“I will do everything I can to come back to you.”
Sophie studied his face.
Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny plastic horse.
“Mommy gave me this.”
Richard took it.
“She said if I ever got lost, I should look underneath.”
He turned the toy over.
A small compartment opened.
Inside was a memory card.
Richard looked at Daniel.
“Get this to our forensic team.”
Daniel nodded and hurried away.
Richard opened the final file on his phone.
It contained the recovered documents from the hidden room.
The forged signatures.
The transfers.
The recordings.
Enough evidence to destroy Thomas's operation—if they could prove who was responsible.
Richard drove toward the old boathouse with two security officers following at a distance.
The lake was black beneath the moonlight.
A single light burned inside the boathouse.
Thomas Vale stood beside a table.
He wore a black coat.
A silver ring glinted on his left hand.
“Richard,” he said. “You've become difficult to manage.”
Richard stopped several feet away.
“Where is my wife?”
Thomas smiled.
“Still asking the wrong question.”
“Where is Claire?”
Thomas nodded toward a chair in the shadows.
Claire sat there, pale and exhausted.
When she saw Richard, tears filled her eyes.
“Richard.”
He took a step forward.
Thomas raised a gun.
“Not so fast.”
Richard froze.
Thomas smiled.
“Three years ago, your wife made the mistake of thinking she could expose me. Tonight, you made the mistake of thinking you could save her.”
Richard looked at Claire.
Then at Thomas.
“You're finished.”
Thomas laughed.
“Not until I have those documents.”
Richard slowly raised his hands.
“You'll get them.”
But he didn't reveal the phone in his pocket.
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The recording was already transmitting.
And somewhere outside, police officers were listening.
