Judge Margaret Reynolds read the first page of the packet twice. Then she read it a third time, and I saw the instant her perception of the case shifted.<\/p>\n
She looked at me, then at my parents, then back at the classified military identification packet. Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Without a word, she raised her gavel and brought it down with a crack that made everyone in the room jump.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll non-essential personnel will leave this courtroom immediately,\u201d she said. \u201cNo exceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gallery erupted in whispers. Reporters traded glances. Even the deputies looked startled.<\/p>\n
But the order was clear. Within sixty seconds, the room had emptied until only the judge, her clerk, the deputies, my parents, their attorney, Ethan, and I remained.<\/p>\n
The clerk moved to seal the courtroom. Digital locks engaged with a quiet hum.<\/p>\n
My mother was the first to speak. \u201cYour Honor, this is completely uncalled for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge Reynolds ignored her. She fixed her eyes on me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLieutenant Commander Carter, this packet identifies you as a point of contact for a federal protective investigation involving your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Your Honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also indicates that the Department of Justice has been monitoring this custody matter for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s correct.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradley Collins rose from his chair. \u201cYour Honor, this is highly irregular. My clients have no notice of any federal involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSit down, Mr. Collins.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t sit.<\/p>\n
The judge leaned forward and spoke in a voice that lowered the temperature of the entire room.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you do not sit down, I will have you removed. And your bar association will receive a transcript of today\u2019s hearing before the sun sets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bradley blinked. Then very slowly, he sat.<\/p>\n
My father placed a hand on his arm, quieting him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Honor,\u201d my father said, calm and smooth, \u201cI understand my daughter wishes to create drama. But this is a custody matter, not a military tribunal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge turned her attention to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Carter, I have a sealed file that states you are a person of interest in a federal investigation into the financial exploitation of incapacitated adults and minors.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father laughed. Actually laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge did not laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father\u2019s estate,\u201d she said, \u201chas been under review since his death. That review uncovered irregularities in his medical records, his financial directives, and his guardianship arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s face went stiff. \u201cThat was all handled legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to a doctor who is currently under federal indictment,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n
The silence that followed was so deep I could hear my own heartbeat.<\/p>\n
Then the judge looked down at the packet again, and her expression changed once more. This time, it was not anger. It was concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cLieutenant Commander Carter,\u201d she said slowly, \u201cthe first page of this document references a protective order for a minor. But the second page references something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
She held it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cA DNA report.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my stomach drop.<\/p>\n
I had read that report only once. It had been handed to me by a federal agent six weeks ago with strict instructions not to open it until ordered.<\/p>\n
I had followed orders.<\/p>\n
Until now.<\/p>\n
The judge read the report aloud. Her voice was quiet, but everyone in the room could hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tested individual identified as Madison Carter shares no biological relationship with Richard Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s face went pale.<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s pen clattered onto the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a lie,\u201d my father said.<\/p>\n
The judge looked at him. \u201cThis report is from the FBI. Are you calling them liars?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s jaw worked. \u201cThere must be an error.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no error, Mr. Carter. And what is more troubling is the name listed as the biological mother on the accompanying birth certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah Kellerman.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name hit me like a blow. I had seen it when I opened the file for the first time. But hearing it from the judge made it real.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Sarah Kellerman?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
The judge looked at me with something close to sympathy.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was employed as a nanny by the Carter family twenty-two years ago,\u201d she said. \u201cShortly after you were born, she resigned. And then she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappeared?\u201d My voice cracked. \u201cAs in\u2026 gone?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother stood abruptly. \u201cI refuse to participate in this circus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge\u2019s gavel hit the bench again. \u201cYou do not have that option, Mrs. Carter. Sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mother remained standing for a long moment. Then she lowered herself back into her chair, her hands shaking.<\/p>\n
My father stared at me with an expression I had never seen. It wasn\u2019t hatred. It was calculation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandfather hated me,\u201d he said softly. \u201cHe would have done anything to destroy my reputation. Even after death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBI does not fabricate DNA evidence to continue an old family conflict,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n
She turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLieutenant Commander Carter, did you know any of this before today?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head. \u201cNo, ma\u2019am. The file was given to me sealed. I was told it was for my protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtection from what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a breath. \u201cFrom the people who wanted Ethan controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room fell still again.<\/p>\n
Ethan sat at the defense table, looking smaller than I had ever seen him. His face was white, and his hands were squeezing the edge of the chair as if he was afraid of falling.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan,\u201d I said softly. \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up at me. \u201cIs it true? Are you not my sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will always be your sister,\u201d I said. \u201cNo piece of paper changes that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge gave a small nod. She looked at my parents with cold, measured eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the presence of a federal investigation, a disputed parentage, a recorded history of surveillance, and credible allegations of coercion, I am ordering a temporary change in custody effective immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d my mother said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan Carter will be placed in the temporary custody of Lieutenant Commander Madison Carter pending a full court review.\u201d<\/p>\n
The courtroom erupted.<\/p>\n
My father shouted. My mother began to cry in loud, theatrical sobs. Bradley jumped to his feet, objecting over and over. Deputies moved forward to maintain order.<\/p>\n
But the judge\u2019s voice cut through it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is my ruling. Court is in recess for one hour. Then we will address the next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n
She slammed her gavel.<\/p>\n
Ethan looked at me across the room, terrified.<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cStay calm,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m not letting you go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deputies began to move my parents out of the side entrance. My father stopped at the door and looked back at me. His eyes were cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what you have done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Dad. I know exactly what I\u2019ve done. I\u2019ve stopped you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled then. It was not a nice smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then they were gone.<\/p>\n
The judge gestured for me to approach the bench. I walked forward, still aware of the weight of the rifle across my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cLieutenant Commander, this is going to get messy,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cYour father has connections. Money. Power.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you have a file that cuts both ways. The DNA report makes you a vulnerable witness. It also makes you a threat to everything your family has built.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied me for a long moment. \u201cDo you have somewhere safe to take Ethan today? Somewhere your parents cannot reach him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have Aunt Helen\u2019s cabin in Michigan. She\u2019s expecting us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d She slid a piece of paper across the bench. \u201cThis is a temporary emergency order. It gives you legal authority until the full hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took it. My fingers were steady, but my heart was not.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should know,\u201d she added, \u201cthat the federal investigation is not just about your family\u2019s finances. There is a witness who went missing. A young woman named Elena Vance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw that name in the file,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was your grandfather\u2019s nurse during his final months,\u201d the judge said. \u201cIf she is alive, she can testify to what really happened to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the name printed on the paper. Sarah Kellerman. Elena Vance.<\/p>\n
Two women who had been a part of the Carter family\u2019s hidden history.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll find her,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
The judge gave me a long look. \u201cBe careful, Lieutenant Commander. People like your father do not lose gracefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ve been losing to him my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost smiled. \u201cNot today.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned and walked toward Ethan.<\/p>\n
He stood as if the world had shifted under him. And it had.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we leaving?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, baby boy. We\u2019re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put my hand on his shoulder, and together we walked out of the courtroom.<\/p>\n
The hallway was crowded with reporters, but deputies kept them back. I shielded Ethan with my body, walking quickly toward the side exit.<\/p>\n
I could feel the cameras flashing. I could hear the questions shouted.<\/p>\n
But all I could focus on was the boy beside me, trembling but moving forward.<\/p>\n
We made it to the stairwell before he stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie?\u201d His voice was very small.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not Dad\u2019s daughter\u2026\u201d He swallowed. \u201cDoes that mean I\u2019m not your real brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled him into a hug right there in the stairwell. The armor was cold against his face, but he didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the only family I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd nobody is going to take you away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He buried his face in my shoulder and cried.<\/p>\n
I held him, letting my own tears fall into the collar of my uniform.<\/p>\n
And in that echo-filled stairwell, with the sound of boot steps and distant shouts above us, I made myself a promise.<\/p>\n
I would find the truth about Sarah Kellerman.<\/p>\n
I would find Elena Vance.<\/p>\n
And I would never let my parents use another child as a pawn.<\/p>\n
This was no longer just a custody battle.<\/p>\n
It was a war.<\/p>\n
And I had just lit the match.<\/p>\n
The End of Part 2.<\/p>\n
PART 3:<\/p>\n
The stairwell swallowed the sound of the courthouse. Only our footsteps and Ethan\u2019s uneven breathing filled the concrete shaft.<\/p>\n
I kept one hand on his shoulder, guiding him down. The weight of the emergency order pressed against my vest like a second heartbeat.<\/p>\n
We reached the ground floor exit. The security door opened into a narrow corridor that smelled of damp concrete and old coffee.<\/p>\n
A woman in a dark trench coat stood at the end of the hall. She didn\u2019t move when she saw us.<\/p>\n
\u201cLieutenant Commander Carter?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
I stepped in front of Ethan. \u201cWho\u2019s asking?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled a badge from her pocket and held it up. \u201cSpecial Agent Maria Reyes, Department of Justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied her face. She was maybe forty, with sharp eyes and a hollowness that came from seeing too much.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the DOJ would send more than one person,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey sent enough.\u201d She glanced at Ethan, then back at me. \u201cWe need to talk about Sarah Kellerman.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name made Ethan\u2019s hand tighten on my sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalk fast,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Reyes glanced around the corridor. \u201cNot here. There\u2019s a vehicle in the north garage. It\u2019s secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do I know you\u2019re with the good guys?\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached into her coat and pulled out a photograph. She handed it to me.<\/p>\n
The photo showed a young woman with dark hair and a kind smile. She was holding a baby wrapped in a yellow blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Sarah Kellerman,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cAnd that baby is you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the image. The woman\u2019s smile looked real, not forced.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Henry Carter\u2019s safe deposit box,\u201d she said. \u201cYour grandfather kept a file. It has everything. Birth records, adoption papers, medical reports, and a letter Sarah wrote to you before she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty-one years of silence suddenly felt like a wall crumbling around me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you telling me this now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyes looked at Ethan again. Then she said, \u201cBecause they\u2019re looking for her sister, and time is running out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer sister?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena Vance.\u201d Reyes\u2019s voice dropped. \u201cShe\u2019s not just a missing witness, Lieutenant Commander. She is Sarah\u2019s younger sister. She came to work in your grandfather\u2019s house specifically to find out what happened to Sarah. And then she vanished.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan looked up at me with wide eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew,\u201d I whispered. \u201cMy parents knew she was family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe they found out six weeks before Henry died,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cThe day Elena stopped contacting her family.\u201d<\/p>\n
I let the information settle in my chest. It felt like pieces of a puzzle I hadn\u2019t known existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know. But your grandfather left one more thing.\u201d She reached into her coat and pulled out a small audio recorder. \u201cA message he recorded for you. He said you would know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recorder was cold in my hand. I didn\u2019t dare press play there.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in the vehicle,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cWe\u2019ll go somewhere safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at the courthouse doors. Somewhere above, the judge was waiting for the recess to end.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to check in with the court first,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did,\u201d she said. \u201cJudge Reynolds knows you\u2019re leaving. She gave her blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me. But the judge had been on my side since she read the file.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d I squeezed Ethan\u2019s shoulder. \u201cLet\u2019s move.\u201d<\/p>\n
We followed Reyes through the corridor, past a bank of elevators, through a staff-only door that unlocked with her badge, and into the cold gray of the north garage.<\/p>\n
A black SUV sat idling in the shadows. No government plates. Rental tags.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in the back,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cKeep your head down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan climbed in first. I followed, closing the door behind me. The tinted windows dimmed the world.<\/p>\n
Reyes slid into the driver\u2019s seat. \u201cBuckle up.\u201d<\/p>\n
We pulled out of the garage and into the gray Chicago afternoon. Rain had started falling. The wipers beat a steady rhythm.<\/p>\n
Ethan sat beside me, his hands folded in his lap. He hadn\u2019t spoken since the stairwell.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d I asked quietly.<\/p>\n
He shook his head. Then he turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, I heard something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA phone call. Last week, Mom thought I was asleep.\u201d He swallowed. \u201cShe said, \u2018She\u2019s alive, Richard. And if she opens her mouth, we\u2019re done.’\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened. \u201cDo you know who they were talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head. \u201cBut Dad kept repeating a name. Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n
So they knew. They knew she was still alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan hesitated. \u201cHe said, \u2018The Milwaukee thing was a hole, not a grave.’\u201d<\/p>\n
The Milwaukee thing.<\/p>\n
Grandpa\u2019s voice echoed in my memory. Find the girl in Milwaukee before they do.<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t told anyone about that recording. It had surfaced in a different file, one I\u2019d kept sealed.<\/p>\n
Maybe it was time to open that door.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much further?\u201d I asked Reyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to the cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father has eyes everywhere. The cabin was the first place he\u2019d watch.\u201d She glanced in the rearview mirror. \u201cWe\u2019re going to a safehouse outside Naperville.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Aunt Helen there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s on her way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan relaxed slightly at that name.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t relax.<\/p>\n
The rain intensified as we left the city limits. The SUV moved through traffic, then onto quieter roads lined with bare trees.<\/p>\n
I kept my hand resting on my rifle, not for show, but because it was the only thing in my life that still made sense.<\/p>\n
Forty minutes later, Reyes pulled off onto a gravel road.<\/p>\n
We drove another quarter mile before a ranch-style house appeared behind a stand of pines. It was plain. Unmarked.<\/p>\n
Reyes parked inside the garage and killed the engine.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The house smelled of cedar and dry air. Clean but unlived-in. Reyes led us to a kitchen at the back, where a pot of coffee was already percolating.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone prepared this for you,\u201d she said. \u201cAunt Helen arrived twenty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, the back door opened.<\/p>\n
Aunt Helen stepped inside, rain dripping from her coat. Her silver hair was pulled back, and her face carried the same determined look I remembered from when she had helped me enlist.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie,\u201d she said, rushing to me. She wrapped her arms around me and held tight.<\/p>\n
Then she pulled back and looked at Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby boy,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Ethan buried his face in her shoulder and finally broke down.<\/p>\n
Helen held him, stroking his hair. She didn\u2019t say anything. She just let him cry.<\/p>\n
I watched them, tears burning in my own eyes.<\/p>\n
When Ethan finally lifted his head, Helen turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something you need to see,\u201d she said. \u201cYour grandfather gave me a box two months before he died. He said to keep it hidden until you needed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the floorboards of the lake cabin,\u201d she said. \u201cBut someone tried to break in last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
My jaw clenched. \u201cThey found it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. The alarm scared them off. But they\u2019ll come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyes stepped forward. \u201cWe need to get that box before they do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen looked at her, then at me. \u201cMaddie, your grandfather also left a letter. It was addressed to you personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled a folded envelope from her inside jacket pocket and handed it to me.<\/p>\n
My name was written in Grandpa\u2019s familiar handwriting. The paper was old and crisp.<\/p>\n
I turned it over. The seal was broken.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou opened it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t read it,\u201d Helen said. \u201cIt came with instructions: if I was the one to give it to you, I had to make sure you were safe first. So I read the first paragraph only. About Sarah.\u201d<\/p>\n
I unfolded the letter.<\/p>\n
The room fell silent as I began to read.<\/p>\n
My dearest Madison,<\/p>\n
If you are reading this, then the war has finally reached your doorstep. I am sorry I cannot be there to stand beside you. But I have left you the truth, hidden in the place where I once watched you learn to fish.<\/p>\n
Sarah Kellerman was not your father\u2019s lover. She was not a willing surrogate. She was a young woman your parents exploited because they could not conceive and refused to let anyone know.<\/p>\n
I discovered the truth when you were three years old. I found the original adoption papers, the medical records, and a letter Sarah wrote to you before she disappeared.<\/p>\n
Your real father was a man named Daniel Brooks. He died in a construction accident before you were born. He knew nothing about the arrangement, because Richard and Evelyn paid Sarah to leave him before she discovered she was pregnant.<\/p>\n
Sarah did not give you away willingly. She was tricked. She was isolated. She was threatened with a lawsuit she could not afford. And when she tried to reach out for help, she was silenced.<\/p>\n
I helped her once. I did not help her enough. That was the greatest failure of my life.<\/p>\n
You are not Richard Carter\u2019s daughter. You are your own woman. And that is exactly why they have always tried to control you.<\/p>\n
Find Elena. She is Sarah\u2019s younger sister. She came to me with proof that Sarah was seen in a private facility outside Milwaukee eight months ago. She was alive. She may still be alive.<\/p>\n
Elena disappeared three weeks after I granted her access to the Carter estate files. I believe she found something they wanted buried.<\/p>\n
If you are reading this, then the time for hiding is over.<\/p>\n
I love you, Madison. You were always my granddaughter, no matter what the papers said.<\/p>\n
Grandpa Henry.<\/p>\n
I finished the letter with trembling hands. The words rearranged the world around me.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know how long I stared at the page. It could have been seconds or minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie?\u201d Ethan\u2019s voice was small.<\/p>\n
I looked up. Everyone in the room was watching me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah Kellerman was my mother,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd she\u2019s not dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words felt strange leaving my mouth.<\/p>\n
Helen\u2019s eyes glistened. \u201cHenry suspected she wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Daniel Brooks?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Helen shook her head. \u201cHe was a carpenter from Detroit. He died at thirty-one, before you were born.\u201d She paused. \u201cHe had a sister, Jane. She tried to search for you years ago, but Richard and Evelyn blocked her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another piece.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is this facility outside Milwaukee?\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyes stepped forward. \u201cWe\u2019ve been investigating that for months. It\u2019s called Meadowbrook Pines. A private care facility with a record of denying access to relatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her. \u201cAnd you didn\u2019t tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t cleared to know,\u201d she said. \u201cThe file you received was only the first level. Some things are below classification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn them,\u201d I said softly.<\/p>\n
I folded the letter and slid it into my vest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to go to Meadowbrook Pines,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Reyes shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019s too risky. Your father will have people watching the facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we don\u2019t go through the front door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan looked up at me. \u201cMaddie, what are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed a hand on his head. \u201cI\u2019m going to find your mother\u2019s sister. And then I\u2019m going to expose everyone who hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n
Aunt Helen squeezed my arm. \u201cYou won\u2019t do it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither will she,\u201d I said. \u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reyes pulled out her phone and began typing. \u201cI know a place we can get a layout of the facility. But we need to move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rain drummed against the windows as if the world itself was counting down.<\/p>\n
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.<\/p>\n
I looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet go of the boy, Madison. Before we take him ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a chill crawl up my spine. Then I typed back:<\/p>\n
\u201cCome and try.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ethan was watching me, frightened.<\/p>\n
I smiled and locked my phone. \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019ve got this.\u201d<\/p>\n
But even as I said it, I wasn\u2019t sure I believed it.<\/p>\n
The war had only just begun. And my parents had already made the first move.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Judge Margaret Reynolds read the first page of the packet twice. Then she read it a third time, and I saw the instant her perception of the case shifted. She … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37744,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37743\/revisions\/37744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}