“MY FATHER SHOVED A 68-YEAR-OLD WOMAN TO THE GROUND AT MY WEDDING—THEN SHE REVEALED THE SECRET HE'D BURIED FOR 30 YEARS!”

Richard's driver accelerated out of the garage before the police could block the exit. Detective Ortiz followed in an unmarked sedan while dispatch sent patrol cars toward the highway.

Ethan was told not to chase. He obeyed, barely. Claire sat beside him in Maya's office, crying without making a sound.

"I kept telling myself he was difficult," she said. "Then cruel. Then dangerous. I never let myself say what he actually was."

Maya pushed a legal pad toward her. "Write down every false statement he asked you to make. Dates, witnesses, documents. Now."

At 5:40 p.m., Ortiz called. Richard's vehicle had been stopped, but Margaret was not inside. He refused to answer questions about the van.

Then Jonah sent Ethan a picture. The transport contractor's vans parked at a remote concrete plant off Route 18. One had a cracked tail light.

Ortiz dispatched deputies to the plant. Ethan and Claire drove to a gas station two miles away and waited for news.

At sunset, headlights flashed along the service road. A white van sped toward the highway, ignoring a deputy's signal.

It struck a ditch and tipped onto its side.

Ethan rushed forward before Ortiz caught his arm. "Stay back."

Paramedics opened the rear doors. Margaret lay strapped to a stretcher, barely conscious. A man dressed as an orderly was trapped near the front seat.

"She's breathing," a paramedic called.

Ethan felt his knees give out.

Margaret opened her eyes as they carried her past him. "Ethan?"

"I'm here. You're safe."

She grabbed his cuff. "No. The key."