Chapter 0 - 6: THE MAN IN THE FLOOR
Owen Price had been locked beneath the carriage house for nine hours.
At least that was what he claimed.
Evan found him sitting on a folding chair under a bare lightbulb with a bruise along his jaw and plastic restraints around one wrist.
The other wrist was free.
That detail bothered Evan immediately.
Marcus noticed it too.
“You could have climbed out,” Marcus said.
Owen looked exhausted.
“The hatch locks from above.”
“You had one hand free.”
“I got one hand free.”
Marcus crouched beside the discarded restraint.
“No abrasion.”
Owen said nothing.
Evan leaned against the stone wall.
“Where is my son?”
“I do not know.”
“Wrong answer.”
“I swear to you, Evan.”
“You stopped earning the right to use my first name when you intercepted Grace’s package.”
Owen’s eyes flickered.
Grace stood near the door.
She held up her phone.
“I have the delivery signature.”
Owen looked at her.
“You were never supposed to come here.”
That was the first honest thing he had said.
Evan pushed away from the wall.
“Who told you to intercept it?”
Owen looked toward Marcus.
Marcus’s expression became murderous.
“Do not look at me.”
Owen swallowed.
“Thomas Whitaker.”
Evan felt no surprise this time.
Only confirmation.
“Why?”
“He said Grace was trying to extort the family.”
“Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“And later?”
Owen’s shoulders sagged.
“Later I realized he was scared of what she had.”
Grace stepped closer.
“What did my package contain?”
“Copies of custody cases.”
“Anything else?”
“A list of judges.”
Grace’s face tightened.
Evan noticed.
“What judges?”
“Judges who signed emergency placements after Miriam Vale evaluated the children.”
Marcus swore.
“How many?”
“Twenty-three.”
Grace’s voice went flat.
“I only knew about fourteen.”
Owen looked at her.
“Then somebody added nine before the package reached me.”
The room went still.
Evan stepped forward.
“Who?”
“I do not know.”
“Try harder.”
“I gave the package to Thomas unopened.”
Grace shook her head.
“No, you did not.”
Owen glared at her.
“The original list had fourteen names, and I marked every page with an ultraviolet dot.”
Marcus looked at Owen.
“If there were twenty-three names when you saw it, somebody replaced the contents before Thomas got it.”
Owen’s face changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
“Then Thomas was not the one who intercepted it.”
Evan’s phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
CHECK THE NORTH GREENHOUSE.
No signature.
No explanation.
Evan showed Marcus.
Owen saw it too.
“Do not go.”
Evan looked at him.
“Why?”
Owen stared at the message.
“Because that is how Daniel contacts people.”
The north greenhouse had been abandoned since Rachel’s death.
She had grown white orchids there.
After the funeral, Evan ordered the irrigation shut off and never entered again.
Now the glass panes were filmed with dirt.
Dead vines hung from the ceiling like old rope.
Evan entered first.
Marcus followed with two men.
Grace came despite being ordered to remain behind.
Evan no longer wasted time arguing with her.
A small battery lantern glowed beside the potting table.
Next to it sat Caleb’s stuffed rabbit.
The blue ear had been stitched closed again.
Evan grabbed it.
“Caleb?”
No answer.
Then a speaker crackled overhead.
“Do not shout.”
Evan recognized the altered voice from the phone.
“Daniel.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Marcus raised his weapon toward the shadows.
“Show yourself.”
“No.”
Evan looked around the greenhouse.
“Where is my son?”
“Safe.”
“You took him from my house.”
“I took him before Miriam’s people could.”
Grace stepped forward.
“What people?”
The speaker hissed.
“An ambulance was scheduled to arrive at 1:40 p.m.”
Evan’s stomach tightened.
“For what?”
“To transport Caleb for psychiatric observation after an alleged violent episode.”
“He is three.”
“That would have made the paperwork more convincing.”
Evan’s vision darkened.
“Vanessa arranged it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did she threaten Grace today?”
“Because Grace ruined the timing.”
Grace stared at the speaker.
“Where is Vanessa now?”
Daniel did not answer.
Evan’s voice sharpened.
“Where is she?”
“With her mother.”
Marcus looked at Evan.
The lockdown had failed more completely than they realized.
“How did she leave?”
“The estate has seven tunnels.”
Evan knew of four.
“You expect me to believe you are helping me after taking my child?”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice became quieter.
“I expect you to believe Rachel.”
A panel beneath the potting table clicked open.
Inside rested a burner phone.
The screen lit.
A live video appeared.
Caleb sat on a couch eating crackers.
He looked tired but unharmed.
Beside him, only an arm was visible.
A woman’s arm.
Evan stared at the familiar silver bracelet on the wrist.
He had given that bracelet to Rachel on their tenth anniversary.
Caleb looked toward someone off camera.
“Can I talk to Daddy now?”
A woman answered.
Her voice was unmistakable.
“Soon, baby.”
Evan gripped the phone until his knuckles whitened.
“Rachel.”
The video ended.
Then a text appeared.
DO NOT TRUST THE COURT ORDER THAT ARRIVES TONIGHT.
Evan looked at Marcus.
“What court order?”
As if summoned by the question, Marcus’s phone rang.
He answered.
His eyes closed briefly.
“What?” Evan demanded.
Marcus lowered the phone.
“State police are at the front gate.”
Evan’s jaw tightened.
May you like
“For what?”
“They have an emergency order removing Sophie from your custody.”
