Chapter 12 - The Last Threat
Richard's disappearance transformed the case into a manhunt. Police warned everyone involved to avoid predictable routines. Elena and Grace remained under protection. I stayed with a friend in a location only investigators knew.
Then a message appeared on my phone from Daniel's old number: HE DIDN'T DIE FOR YOU TO HAND OVER THE EVIDENCE.
I showed Mara immediately. She traced it to a compromised messaging account. The sender demanded that I meet alone at Bellwether Orchard with the original recording. There was no reason to believe the demand was genuine, and every reason to believe it was a trap.
"I'm not going," I told her.
Mara nodded. "Good. We can use the message without putting you at risk."
Investigators coordinated a controlled operation using a decoy device and surveillance. I waited far away, holding a cup of tea I couldn't drink. Vincent stayed with Elena and Grace. For once, none of us tried to become the hero of someone else's danger.
At dawn Mara called. Richard had been arrested near the orchard after attempting to collect the decoy. Officers recovered false passports, cash, and a phone containing messages about Elena's confinement and Daniel's death.
I asked the only question I cared about. "Can he hurt anyone else?"
"He's in custody," she said. "The case still has to go through court. But we've secured substantial evidence."
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When I hung up, I felt no sudden rush of triumph. Only exhaustion. Then my daughter kicked so firmly that I laughed through tears.
"We're still here," I whispered to her. "That's enough for today."
