Chapter 8 - Daniel stared at the screen.Detective Harris stood beside Lena.
Alive.
Uninjured.
Calm.
“That can't be.”
Claire shook her head.
“He was unconscious.”
Emily looked terrified.
“Harris isn't one of them.”
Daniel turned.
“How do you know?”
“Because he tried to protect me.”
On the screen, Harris looked directly into the camera.
He appeared exhausted.
Then Lena stepped forward.
She was older than in the photograph.
Perhaps eleven now.
She held a small black recorder.
Martin's voice came through another speaker.
“Tell them.”
Lena looked frightened.
But she spoke.
“My real name isn't Lena.”
Dr. Shaw stepped closer.
“What?”
She looked at him.
“You named me Lena because you wanted to forget the first name.”
Dr. Shaw's face went pale.
“What was it?”
The girl looked at Daniel.
“Emma Whitmore.”
Silence.
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Emily started crying.
Daniel turned to her.
“You knew?”
Emily nodded.
“She is your father's daughter.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“Then she's my sister.”
Emily nodded.
Lena looked down.
“He told me you would come.”
Daniel stepped toward the screen.
“Where are you?”
She shook her head.
“I can't tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because he can hear me.”
Martin's voice came through.
“Very good.”
Lena flinched.
Claire looked around the room.
“There has to be another microphone.”
Dr. Shaw scanned the walls.
“He's monitoring us.”
Daniel looked toward the ceiling.
Then he noticed something.
A tiny black lens.
He smashed it.
The screen went black.
At the same moment, a door opened behind them.
Detective Harris stood there.
Daniel raised his fists.
“Harris?”
The detective held up both hands.
“It's me.”
Daniel stared.
“How did you get here?”
“I followed the ambulance crew.”
“What happened at the hospital?”
Harris looked at Emily.
“They took her.”
Emily frowned.
“Who?”
“Two men dressed as paramedics.”
Daniel's stomach dropped.
“Where did they take her?”
Harris pointed toward the tunnel.
“She wasn't in that room.”
Everyone stared.
“What?”
Harris took out his phone.
He showed them security footage.
The woman in the hospital bed looked like Emily.
But the face was not hers.
It was a medical mask and shadowing.
“Then where was my wife?”
Harris shook his head.
“We've been chasing a decoy for six hours.”
Daniel turned toward Emily.
She was standing beside him.
The real Emily.
Alive.
Harris looked at Claire.
“And someone inside the department helped arrange it.”
“Who?”
Harris took a breath.
“I don't know yet.”
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
It was Claire's phone.
She answered.
A man's voice whispered:
“You shouldn't trust the detective.”
Claire looked at Harris.
“Who is this?”
“You know me.”
The line clicked.
Then the tunnel lights went out.
In darkness, someone grabbed Claire.
She screamed.
Daniel lunged.
A shot exploded.
Claire fell.
“Claire!”
Lights returned.
The room was empty.
Claire was gone.
Emily stared at Daniel.
Martin's voice came through the speaker again.
“One person from the coffin has already been recovered.”
Daniel looked up.
“Bring her back!”
Martin laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
“What?”
“The coffin was never meant for Emily.”
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A pause.
“It was meant for Claire.”
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