Chapter 12 - The Lake Arden House
The intake house looked like a vacation rental.
A wooden sign that said WELCOME HOME.
Daniel wanted to tear it down with his hands.
Daniel ran before anyone could stop him.
"Sophie!"
He found her in a bedroom with Marcus.
A laptop sat open on the bed.
A scanner glowed beside it.
Mercer stood near the window.
Sophie was crying but unhurt.
Marcus smiled.
"Look who finally made a school pickup."
The insult landed exactly where Marcus wanted.
Daniel did not move.
"Let. Her. Go."
Mercer said, "This does not need to become violent."
"You kidnapped my daughter."
"We removed her from an unstable legal environment."
Sophie shouted, "Daddy!"
Marcus pulled her toward the scanner.
"Thumb on the glass, kid."
She kicked him in the shin.
He cursed.
Daniel almost smiled.
Police shouted from the hallway.
Mercer raised his hands.
Marcus panicked.
He grabbed the laptop.
Sophie twisted free and ran to Daniel.
Daniel dropped to his knees and caught her.
"I've got you."
"I knew you'd come."
"Always."
Officers arrested Mercer.
Marcus jumped from the second-floor balcony onto an awning and ran into the trees.
Police chased him.
Daniel stayed with Sophie.
He had learned something.
Ortiz searched the house.
They found six intake rooms.
Locked medicine cabinets.
Old files.
And a hidden office behind the laundry room.
Inside were dossiers on twenty-three families.
Widowed parents.
Divorced parents.
Grandparents with guardianship disputes.
Every child had either an inheritance, settlement, trust, or wealthy relative.
Laura read one file and whispered, "This is selection."
Daniel found Sophie's folder.
The first page was dated eighteen months before Daniel met Claire.
His photo was attached.
Hannah's obituary was clipped beneath it.
Across the top, someone had written:
TARGET HAS CHILD TRUST + ISOLATED WIDOWER.
Daniel felt nauseated.
Then Sophie pointed to the photograph clipped behind Claire's notes.
"Daddy, that's the man who came to Mommy's funeral."
Daniel looked.
Paul Mercer stood beside Marcus.
May you like
Behind them was another man Daniel knew very well.
His own financial adviser, Thomas Vale.
