Chapter 16 - Seven Seconds of Darkness
Someone screamed.
Vanessa felt Daniel grab her hand.
“Stay with me.”
In the darkness, chairs scraped. Glass shattered. A man shouted for the emergency lights.
Seven seconds later, the chandeliers flickered back on.
The cedar box was gone.
So was Helen.
And the red folder lay open and empty.
Daniel swore.
Security sealed the room.
“No one leaves,” the chief ordered.
Vanessa looked around.
Renee was still beside the table. Celeste was crying. Brooke stood frozen near the floral arch.
Margaret clutched Emily’s sketch.
Daniel said, “Check every exit.”
A server raised a shaking hand. “I saw someone go through the service curtain.”
Daniel and security ran.
Vanessa followed despite the heavy dress.
The service corridor behind the ballroom was narrow and bright. At the end, an emergency door stood open.
Helen was nowhere in sight.
But the cedar box sat on the floor.
Vanessa slowed.
“Why leave it?”
Daniel crouched beside the box without touching it.
The lid was open.
The envelope marked DANIEL was missing.
A phone began ringing nearby.
Not Daniel’s.
Not Vanessa’s.
The sound came from a linen cart.
Security pulled away a stack of napkins and found a cheap prepaid phone.
Daniel answered.
A man spoke through heavy static.
“Daniel Whitmore?”
“Yes.”
“Your sister did not die alone.”
Daniel gripped the phone.
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then the man said, “Aaron Vale.”
Renee, standing behind them, went white.
Daniel whispered, “Where are you?”
Aaron ignored the question.
“If Helen has the letter, you have less than ten minutes before she destroys the only proof your father ordered the sabotage.”
Daniel’s eyes hardened.
“Where is she going?”
May you like
Aaron answered with two words.
“Roof garage.”
