Chapter 13 - Ryan Was Going to Run
I had never applied for a passport for Sophie.
Daniel called federal authorities before Dad finished explaining.
The passport was fraudulent, created with forged parental signatures and an altered birth-certificate copy.
“Where would he take her?” I asked.
Dad hesitated.
“Ryan has talked about Costa Rica.”
“He planned to take my baby out of the country?”
“I don’t know if he planned to. I only know he talked about property there.”
Daniel requested an emergency custody order and travel restriction.
The judge granted both within hours.
Ryan was ordered not to remove Sophie from the state. Her identifying information was flagged. My temporary custody became exclusive pending a hearing.
Then the police could not find Ryan.
His phone was off.
He was not at the house.
He was not at work.
Natalie had not seen him.
His SUV turned up in an airport parking garage.
Empty.
My fear became physical. I could taste metal in my mouth.
“He doesn’t have Sophie,” Grandma reminded me.
“No. But he knows where she is.”
We moved to a secure hotel for the night at Daniel’s insistence.
Jason came too.
At 2:06 a.m., someone knocked on the hotel room door.
Three soft taps.
No one should have known the room number.
Another three taps.
Jason looked through the peephole.
His face changed.
“It’s Mom.”
Daniel had warned me not to assume family meant safe.
“Call security,” I whispered.
Mom must have heard movement.
“Emily,” she said through the door. “Please. I need five minutes.”
I said nothing.
“I know where Ryan is.”
Jason and I looked at each other.
“Tell the police,” I called.
“I can’t.”
“Then leave.”
“He has something that can destroy you.”
“What?”
Mom lowered her voice.
“A video.”
“What video?”
“It looks like you hurt Sophie.”
Every part of me went still.
“I never hurt her.”
“I know.”
The words came so fast I almost missed them.
Mom knew.
“How do you know?”
May you like
Outside the door, she began to cry.
“Because Ryan paid someone to edit it.”
