Chapter 15 - The Woman Who Vanished
Hannah Mercer stepped out of the rain beneath a dead ferry sign, thin and trembling in a gray coat. Lily's mother had once been smiling in photographs. Tonight she looked like somebody had erased the smile with a knife.
Ethan approached slowly. "I'm Daniel's brother."
Hannah nodded. "He talked about you. He said you were the only honest person in that house."
"Then why didn't he tell me about Lily?"
"He was going to. Charles threatened to take her away if Daniel spoke."
Mara stood beside Ethan, watching the dark terminal windows. "Who has Lily now?"
"A woman named Reed. She works for Harbor, not the government. The real people behind it wear badges, sit on boards, write the laws."
"Why did you disappear?" Olivia asked.
Hannah pressed her lips together. "I tried to testify. Evelyn put me in a locked treatment program. A nurse helped me escape. I hid because every time I called Lily, somebody came looking."
"She's been counting to seven to stay calm," Ethan said.
Hannah made a small broken sound. "I taught her that."
A ferry horn moaned across the harbor though no ship was visible. The terminal's overhead lights flickered on one row at a time. A recorded voice came from the speakers.
"Welcome back, Ms. Mercer. Your daughter is waiting upstairs."
They climbed a rusting stairwell. On the second floor, Lily sat behind a glass partition, wearing a blanket over her pink dress. She saw Hannah and ran to the glass.
"Mommy!"
Hannah slammed both palms against it. "Baby, I'm here!"
Reed emerged on the other side, gun at her hip. She held a tablet displaying the patient files.
"One signature," Reed said. "Hannah states that Daniel fabricated the evidence. Then the child goes free."
"Never," Hannah answered.
May you like
Reed nodded to a technician. Red lights flashed on the partition locks.
"In that case," she said, "we're going to flood the lower level.
