Chapter 9 - THE WEDDING THAT NEVER HAPPENEDThe wedding ceremony began at noon.
At least, that was what everyone believed.
Guests were seated.
Music played.
Flowers lined the aisle.
The same people who had spent the morning whispering about Graham's daughter now smiled politely and pretended nothing had happened.
Graham stood at the altar.
Sloane stood across from him.
She wore the same dress.
Same veil.
Same diamond earrings.
But neither of them looked like bride and groom.
They looked like two people waiting for a bomb.
Daniel was disguised as a catering supervisor.
Three private investigators were among the guests.
Two security officers monitored the exits.
And somewhere outside, state investigators were quietly reviewing the files Graham had sent them.
Graham's phone vibrated.
UNKNOWN NUMBER.
YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE WRONG GAME.
He did not react.
Sloane looked at him.
"What did they say?"
"They know."
A priest began the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved..."
Graham barely heard him.
His attention stayed on the church's rear doors.
Nothing.
Then his phone vibrated again.
A message.
YOUR DAUGHTER IS ALONE.
Graham looked at Maisie.
She was in the side chapel with a security officer.
Safe.
A third message appeared.
LOOK AGAIN.
Graham turned.
The guard was gone.
His stomach dropped.
He ran.
Sloane followed.
The side chapel was empty.
Maisie had disappeared.
Graham's heart stopped.
"Where is she?"
No one answered.
Security locked the building.
The guests screamed.
Someone shouted.
"Find the child!"
Graham moved through the halls.
"Maisie!"
Nothing.
Then he saw Bunny.
The stuffed rabbit was lying on the floor.
Graham picked it up.
There was a red stain on one ear.
Blood.
His hands shook.
Sloane arrived behind him.
"No."
Graham turned.
"Don't."
"I didn't do this."
"You were the last person in the hallway."
"I was with the guard."
"Where is the guard?"
Sloane looked around.
"I don't know."
Graham closed his eyes.
Then he noticed something.
Bunny's stomach was unzipped.
Inside was a tiny audio recorder.
He pressed play.
Maisie's voice filled the hallway.
"Daddy, if you're hearing this, don't come."
Graham froze.
"Maisie?"
Her recorded voice continued.
"I know where they are taking me."
Sloane covered her mouth.
A second voice whispered in the background.
"Quiet."
The recording ended.
Graham ran toward the basement.
A hidden service elevator opened.
Inside was a single envelope.
He opened it.
A court notice.
Emergency transfer approved.
Effective immediately.
The signature at the bottom belonged to a judge.
But the date was tomorrow.
Someone had forged the court order in advance.
Graham looked at Sloane.
"This was planned before today."
Sloane nodded.
"I know."
"No."
She stared at him.
"You knew?"
"I suspected."
"What didn't you tell me?"
Sloane's face crumbled.
"That Marcus had a second plan."
"What second plan?"
"Once Maisie was gone, you were supposed to sign a marital asset agreement."
Graham frowned.
"Why?"
"Because the marriage would give me access to your personal assets."
"And?"
"And then Marcus would petition for guardianship of Maisie's trust."
Graham stared.
"You were part of it."
"I was supposed to be."
"Supposed to be?"
"I tried to get out."
He looked at her.
"Why?"
She swallowed.
"Because Claire found me first."
"What did she say?"
Sloane's eyes filled.
"She told me exactly what Marcus would do to me once the money moved."
Graham stepped closer.
"What did she know about him?"
"Everything."
"Then why didn't she expose him?"
Sloane whispered:
"Because she knew someone inside the court was helping him."
Graham's blood went cold.
"Who?"
Sloane shook her head.
"I never learned."
Then the elevator doors opened.
A figure was standing on the other side.
An elderly woman.
Silver hair.
Dark coat.
Graham froze.
His mother.
Eleanor Grant looked directly at him.
Then she smiled.
"You have no idea how much trouble that child has caused."
Graham stepped forward.
"Where is my daughter?"
Eleanor tilted her head.
"You still call her yours."
"She is mine."
"No."
"Where is Maisie?"
Eleanor's smile disappeared.
"Exactly where she belongs."
Graham lunged.
Security grabbed him.
Eleanor turned and walked away.
But before disappearing around the corner, she looked over her shoulder.
"Ask your daughter what Claire told her before she died."
Graham froze.
"She remembers."
Then Eleanor vanished.
May you like
And Graham realized something even worse.
Maisie might remember the night her mother died.
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