Chapter 7 - The WarehouseI knew the message was a trap.
Daniel knew it too.
But Skylar was missing.
That changed the rules.
The police tracked the phone.
The location was an old distribution warehouse near the industrial district.
Surveillance teams positioned themselves around the property.
I wore a concealed microphone.
A tracking device was hidden under my jacket.
The USB drive I carried was a copy.
The original evidence remained with Daniel.
At 11:32 p.m., I walked inside.
The warehouse smelled like dust and oil.
One light flickered above me.
“Brandon?”
No answer.
I took another step.
Then a man's voice came from the darkness.
“You came alone.”
Victor Hale stepped forward.
I had never met him.
He was older than I expected.
Gray hair.
Dark suit.
Calm expression.
He smiled.
“You're Charlotte.”
“Yes.”
“You've caused quite a problem.”
“Where is my daughter?”
“Safe.”
“Prove it.”
He nodded.
A screen lit up.
Skylar appeared.
She was sitting in a chair.
Terrified.
But unharmed.
I exhaled.
“Let her go.”
“After you give me the drive.”
I held it up.
“Here.”
Victor smiled.
“Throw it.”
I did.
He picked it up.
Then examined me.
“You don't look frightened.”
“I am.”
“But you're standing straight.”
“I've had worse days.”
He laughed.
“You're stronger than Brandon said.”
That sentence made my blood run cold.
“What did he tell you?”
“Everything.”
A door opened.
Brandon stepped inside.
He looked terrible.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His face was pale.
He hadn't shaved.
For the first time in years, he looked like a man who understood what he'd done.
“Charlotte…”
I stared at him.
“You kidnapped our daughter.”
“I didn't.”
“You were there.”
“I was trying to protect her.”
“By standing next to her captors?”
He lowered his eyes.
Victor interrupted.
“This is getting emotional.”
I glared at him.
“You wanted the house.”
“Yes.”
“You could have bought it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because your equity made it more profitable to acquire.”
I laughed.
“You nearly destroyed a family for profit.”
Victor shrugged.
“Families destroy themselves every day.”
Then he stepped closer.
“You should have signed.”
“I never signed.”
He smiled.
“You will.”
That was when I noticed something.
A tiny red light blinked behind him.
A surveillance camera.
The police were watching.
I deliberately stepped into its view.
Then I said:
“You know something, Victor?”
“What?”
“I didn't bring you the original evidence.”
His smile disappeared.
“The drive is a copy.”
The room became silent.
Victor turned toward Brandon.
Brandon looked confused.
I continued.
“The original documents are already with investigators.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“You're bluffing.”
“No.”
I smiled.
“You've spent months assuming I was scared.”
Then the lights suddenly turned on.
Police flooded the warehouse.
Victor reached for his gun.
An officer shouted.
Victor froze.
Brandon dropped to his knees.
I ran toward the screen.
But Skylar wasn't there.
The video was prerecorded.
My heart stopped.
“Where is my daughter?”
No one answered.
Victor was handcuffed.
Brandon was arrested.
Gertrude was taken into custody at her home.
But Skylar was still missing.
The warehouse was searched top to bottom.
Nothing.
Then an investigator found a hidden room.
Inside was a mattress.
A bottle of water.
A stuffed rabbit.
And a piece of paper.
Skylar's handwriting.
Mom, I think Dad is trying to help me.
I stared at the sentence.
Then read the line underneath.
He told me not to trust Grandma.
My heart pounded.
Brandon was dragged away before I could question him.
But as he passed me, he whispered:
“Follow the blue door.”
I looked at him.
“What blue door?”
His eyes filled with tears.
Then he said:
“Before Victor gets to her.”
He was taken away.
I turned toward the investigators.
“What does he mean?”
Nobody knew.
Until someone opened the warehouse blueprint.
There was one structure missing from the original plans.
A basement.
May you like
And its entrance was marked with one word.
BLUE.
