Chapter 8 - Martin Vance's Offer

Martin called twenty minutes later.

Nathan recorded everything.

"You have my mother."

"I'm preventing Eleanor from making another mistake."

"If you touch her--"

"Threats waste time."

Nathan looked through the hospital window at Lily.

"What do you want?"

"The original recording Grace kept."

Grace stood beside him and shook her head.

Martin continued.

"Bring it to the old Cole shipping terminal at eight tonight. Alone."

"And my mother?"

"She goes home."

"The custody petition?"

"Gone."

"Grace?"

"Paid well enough to start somewhere else."

Nathan's jaw tightened.

"And me?"

"You marry Victoria next Saturday."

Nathan almost laughed.

"You think I'll marry her after she attacked Grace?"

"I think you'll do anything to keep Lily safe."

Silence.

Martin heard the answer in it.

"There," he said softly. "Now you understand leverage."

Nathan asked for proof Eleanor was alive.

A video call came through.

Martin showed her tied in what looked like an unfinished basement: concrete wall, small window, furnace.

"Mom."

"I'm okay," Eleanor said.

Martin ended the call.

Nathan immediately sent the video to Elias.

"Find that room."

Grace reached for the envelope. "You're not taking the real card."

"No."

"What are you taking?"

"A clone."

"You think Martin won't check it?"

"He will. So we make it perfect."

A forensic technician copied the file, metadata, timestamps, and folder structure onto another card. A tracker was embedded in the sleeve.

At 5:40, Elias called.

"I found the basement."

Nathan stood.

"Where?"

"Not Boston. I matched the furnace serial plate to an installation permit."

"Address?"

Elias gave it.

Nathan stopped breathing.

Victoria's childhood home.

Ruiz obtained a warrant.

The plan was simple: Nathan would go to the terminal. Police would hit the Vance estate at the same time.

Then Grace looked at the frozen video frame again.

"Wait."

She zoomed in on the basement wall.

A small brass plaque showed four faded letters.

H.N.B.

Nathan stared.

Hudson National Bank.

Martin had shown them a room that looked like Victoria's house.

But it wasn't.

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He had planted the clue.

And now they had no idea where Eleanor really was.