Chapter 14 - The Woman Who Ran
The security footage showed Sloane entering a gray sedan alone. No struggle. No visible escort. Rachel tracked the vehicle to a roadside gas station, where Sloane had purchased water and a prepaid phone with cash.
“She may have gone voluntarily,” Marcus said.
“Or she was told somebody would die if she didn't,” Evelyn replied.
The answer came from Sloane herself. At noon, she called Helen's landline from a public pay phone outside Fall River.
“My father has Nora,” she whispered. “He's moving her from the trawler tonight. He says he'll trade her for the company transfer.”
“Where are you?” Helen asked.
“Don't send anyone after me. He thinks I'm still on his side.”
“Sloane, you cannot fix this by lying to dangerous people.”
“I know. I'm giving you what I know.”
Sloane described a warehouse on a dead-end street, a blue loading gate, and a fuel truck parked outside. Rachel's team identified the property, secured the surrounding area, and prepared to enter.
Evelyn spent the evening at home staring at the emerald dress from the party. The stain at its cuff had dried brown. She remembered Sloane's terrified face beneath the teapot. She remembered feeling righteous.
Helen sat beside her. “You can regret what you did without forgetting why you were angry.”
“I made her a spectacle. Charles wanted a spectacle. I handed him one.”
“Then do something different when this is over.”
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At 9:06 p.m., Rachel called. The warehouse was empty, except for a sleeping bag and a child's inhaler. The fuel truck had left ninety minutes earlier.
But the officers also found a shipping invoice for two generators, addressed to a retired passenger ferry named Mercy. The ship was scheduled to be towed offshore for demolition at sunrise.
