Chapter 13 - Eleven O'Clock

"Let Martin have the boardroom," Julian told Owen. "Find out who ordered that demolition."

A few minutes later, a city records clerk confirmed that the permit had been issued weeks earlier under a routine maintenance contract. The contractor had received an urgent instruction to arrive early that morning.

"From whom?" Serrano asked.

"Grant Baird's office," Owen said.

The city halted the demolition. Serrano's team divided between two abandoned pumping stations near the river, checking each before anyone went inside.

Julian waited on a gravel road beside the farther station. He could see rusted tanks and windows boarded from the inside. A crane stood motionless beyond a fence.

The first search produced nothing. At the second station, officers found a fresh tire track, a chair with a torn restraint strap, and a disposable coffee cup still warm to the touch.

"They moved her again," Serrano said over the phone.

Julian slammed his fist against the car door. "How do they keep knowing?"

"Somebody is warning them," she answered. "Maybe not from my team. Maybe from yours. Stop telling Owen where we go until we know."

That accusation stung. Owen had worked beside him for fourteen years. But Julian had already made one disastrous mistake by trusting familiar faces.

At eleven-thirty, Camille appeared on every local news channel. Standing beside Martin, she said the Keene Civic Fund would protect its mission during Julian's "personal crisis." She described the warehouse investigation as an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Then a reporter asked whether Julian had discovered a secret daughter.

Camille's smile did not move. "We have no evidence that this child's claims are true."

Sadie heard the interview from a tablet at the new safe location. Faye turned it off too late.

"She thinks I'm pretend," Sadie said.

"She knows you're real," Faye replied. "That's what frightens her."

Julian phoned Sadie. "I'm sorry you heard that."

"Did you get fired?"

"Maybe."

"Do you still want to help us?"

"More than ever."

"Okay. Mom says a job isn't the same thing as being a good person."

May you like

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

The Bride Threw His 80-Year-Old Mother’s Jacket on the Floor at Their We...

She threw his 80-year-old mother’s jacket on the floor… and smiled like she had just won.In front of two hundred wedding guests, t...

The child was quiet, then added, "When she talked about the old building, she called it the place with two rivers, not one."

Julian looked at the city map. Only one pumping station stood at the junction of two channels, and it wasn't on the demolition list.