Chapter 9 - Hannah Disappears
Hannah refused Adrian’s offer of private security.
“You're being ridiculous.”
Adrian stood in the hospital corridor.
“Someone drugged your tea.”
“Attempted to.”
“Someone discussed getting rid of you on a recording.”
“People have discussed getting rid of me in every house I've ever worked in.”
“This is different.”
“Yes.”
Hannah adjusted her coat.
“These people have better lawyers.”
Adrian did not smile.
“Hannah.”
She softened.
“Noah needs you.”
“And I need to go home.”
“I haven't slept.”
“I need clothes.”
“I need twenty minutes where no one asks me about secret rooms.”
Adrian finally nodded.
“Two security officers.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“One.”
“Hannah.”
“One officer, and I'll allow the poor man to stand outside my apartment without calling the police on him.”
Adrian sighed.
“Fine.”
It was the last conversation anyone had with Hannah for six hours.
She never reached her apartment.
The security officer’s SUV was found beneath an overpass.
Driver door open.
Airbags deployed.
The officer was unconscious but alive.
Hannah was gone.
Adrian received the call while Noah slept.
He stood silently beside the hospital window.
Then he called Detective Chen.
“Find her.”
“We're already moving.”
“Use everyone.”
“We are.”
“Use my people.”
“Only the ones we've cleared.”
Adrian understood.
He could no longer trust his own security organization.
Noah woke twenty minutes later.
He immediately noticed Hannah was missing.
“Where is she?”
Adrian did not lie.
“She was supposed to go home.”
“Did she?”
“No.”
Noah’s face changed.
“They took her.”
“We don't know that.”
“They took her.”
“Noah—”
“They said they would.”
The boy began shaking.
Adrian sat beside him.
“Look at me.”
Noah did.
“I am going to find her.”
“They'll put her in the dark.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Lang.”
“Victor is in custody.”
Noah shook his head.
“Not Mr. Lang.”
“The other man.”
Adrian remembered.
The other man.
Noah had mentioned someone else behind the walls before.
“Who is he?”
“I don't know his name.”
“What does he look like?”
“Gray hair.”
“Old?”
Noah nodded.
“Older than Uncle Malcolm?”
“Yes.”
“Does he work at the house?”
“Sometimes.”
“What does he do?”
Noah thought.
“He wears white gloves.”
A memory surfaced.
White gloves.
One person in the mansion routinely wore them during formal events.
Edgar Pike.
The estate’s longtime butler.
Seventy-one years old.
Edgar had served the Vale family since Adrian was a teenager.
He had worked for Adrian’s father.
He knew every renovation.
Every old corridor.
Every locked room.
And he had vanished after the gala.
Adrian called Chen immediately.
Police searched Edgar’s cottage.
Empty.
Inside they found dozens of photographs of the Vale family.
Adrian as a child.
Malcolm as a teenager.
Their father.
Isabelle.
Noah.
One photograph showed the original mansion floor plans.
Red markings indicated hidden corridors.
Another item sat on Edgar’s desk.
A recent picture of Hannah.
Adrian’s blood ran cold.
On the back were three words.
SHE HEARS TOO MUCH.
Hannah woke with her wrists tied.
She was inside a moving vehicle.
A cloth covered her eyes.
Her head hurt.
She remembered the security SUV approaching an intersection.
A truck.
Impact.
Then someone opening her passenger door.
Hannah tested the restraint.
Plastic zip ties.
Her shoes were gone.
Her phone was gone.
She listened.
Two people in the front.
One breathing heavily.
Another tapping fingers against the steering wheel.
An older man spoke.
“You should've taken the tea.”
Edgar.
Hannah remained still.
“You always were stubborn.”
She answered.
“And you always overstarched the napkins.”
Edgar sighed.
“This isn't funny.”
“Then improve your material.”
The second man laughed.
Hannah did not recognize him.
Edgar sounded irritated.
“Malcolm wants to know what Noah told you.”
“Ask Noah.”
“You've become inconvenient.”
“That's what Celeste said.”
Silence.
Interesting.
Hannah continued.
“Is she inconvenient too?”
Edgar did not answer.
That answer told Hannah enough.
The conspiracy was fracturing.
Malcolm did not trust Celeste.
Celeste did not trust Victor.
Gideon had run.
Edgar had kidnapped Hannah.
Everyone was trying to survive.
That made them dangerous.
But it also made them careless.
The vehicle stopped.
Hannah was pulled out.
Cold air.
Gravel beneath bare feet.
Water nearby.
She smelled salt.
A dock.
Someone led her into a building.
The blindfold came off.
She was inside an abandoned marina warehouse.
Edgar stood in front of her.
He looked exactly as he had every morning for eleven years.
Silver hair.
Perfect posture.
Calm eyes.
Only the white gloves were missing.
“You helped raise Adrian.”
Hannah said.
Edgar looked away.
“I served his father.”
“That's not what I said.”
“Family loyalty is complicated.”
“No.”
Hannah leaned forward.
“Kidnapping children is surprisingly simple.”
Edgar’s expression hardened.
“You don't know what this family was before you arrived.”
“I know what you became.”
Footsteps sounded outside.
Edgar turned.
A woman entered.
Celeste.
Hannah stared.
Celeste looked exhausted.
No makeup.
Hair pulled back.
A dark coat replacing the evening gown.
Edgar seemed surprised.
“You shouldn't be here.”
Celeste closed the door.
“Neither should she.”
Hannah watched them carefully.
Edgar reached inside his jacket.
Celeste immediately raised a pistol.
“Don't.”
Hannah’s stomach tightened.
Edgar froze.
Celeste pointed toward Hannah.
“Untie her.”
Edgar laughed.
“You've lost your mind.”
“No.”
Celeste stepped closer.
“I finally understand Malcolm intends to bury me with the rest of his evidence.”
Hannah stared.
“You expect me to believe you're rescuing me?”
Celeste looked at her.
“I don't care what you believe.”
“Untie her.”
Edgar shook his head.
“You're already finished.”
“Malcolm has Gideon.”
“He has the recorder.”
“He has the trust documents.”
“And once Adrian hears what really happened to Isabelle, he will destroy you himself.”
Something moved across Celeste’s face.
Guilt.
Real guilt.
Hannah noticed.
“So you did have something to do with Isabelle.”
Celeste’s eyes met hers.
Before she could answer, a shot shattered the warehouse window.
Edgar dropped.
Celeste pulled Hannah behind a concrete pillar.
Another shot struck the wall.
Edgar crawled toward a side door.
Celeste fired once toward the shattered window.
Then she cut Hannah’s restraints with a knife.
“Run.”
Hannah stared.
“Why?”
“Because Malcolm didn't send Edgar here to question you.”
Another bullet hit the pillar.
Celeste shoved Hannah toward the back exit.
May you like
“He sent him to make sure neither of us left.”
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