Chapter 4 - The Blue Door

Julian did not go downstairs alone. He took Owen, and he kept Sadie beside him where he could see her. The little girl held the skirt of her dress clear of the floor so she could keep up.

At the blue service door, they found a broken pearl earring. Sadie picked it up.

"Miss Faye's," she said. "She only wears them to church."

"You shouldn't be here," Owen told Julian. "Security's coming."

"Then they can help us."

Julian pushed through the door. The service hall smelled of detergent and baked bread. At the far end, two men were wheeling a laundry cart into a freight elevator. One had the same black tie Sadie had described.

"Stop," Julian called.

The man in the tie ran.

Owen followed him while Julian stopped the second man and pulled the tarp off the cart. Beneath it were folded tablecloths, a tipped-over catering box, and Faye Wilkes, wrists bound with plastic ties. She was conscious and furious.

"About time," she rasped. "Get the girl away from the foundation."

Julian cut the ties with the tool Owen carried for maintenance jobs. Faye's first act was to pull Sadie into her arms.

"Your mama told me you'd be brave," she whispered.

"Where is she?" Sadie asked.

Faye looked at Julian before answering. "I wish I knew, sweetheart."

A siren sounded outside. Julian hoped it was the police. Then the elevator doors opened and Owen returned with a bruised cheek and an empty hand.

"He got away through the parking ramp," Owen said. "But he dropped this."

It was a key card bearing the Keene Civic Fund logo. The access number was printed beneath a name: G. BAIRD.

Faye gripped Julian's wrist. "Nora wasn't running from you at first. Somebody made sure she thought she was. Your lawyer sent letters on your stationery. Threats. Payments. Papers that said you'd take her baby."

"There was a baby?" Julian asked, though the answer stood in front of him.

Faye nodded once. "She found out a week before the river."

Sadie leaned away and studied his face. "Are you my dad?"

Julian opened his mouth. The right answer would take testing, patience, and a conversation with Nora. Instead he said the one thing he knew for sure.

"I never knew about you. But I won't leave you here."

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 elevator bell rang again. A uniformed police officer stepped out, followed by Camille.

"Officer," Camille said, pointing at Julian, "that man is trying to take a child who isn't his."