Chương 7
Ortiz caught up beside her.
“Don’t separate from me.”
“I am not losing her because everyone in this building prefers procedure.”
They reached the upper concourse.
Bell stood near the restrooms, turning in a frantic circle.
“I checked both entrances.”
“Martin’s phone?” Evelyn demanded.
“No answer.”
Evelyn pulled out hers and called.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then Martin answered in a whisper.
“Evelyn, don’t come looking for us.”
She stopped beneath the departure board.
“Where is Sophie?”
“With me.”
“Where?”
“Daniel is inside the station.”
“Then keep her away from him.”
“I’m working on that.”
“Where are you?”
A pause stretched long enough for Evelyn to hear a train announcement through Martin’s phone, distorted but recognizable.
“Platform level.”
“Which platform?”
“Evelyn.”
“Martin.”
“Don’t use that voice with me right now.”
“It is the only voice I have available.”
Ortiz held out her hand for the phone, but Evelyn turned away.
Martin exhaled.
“We saw him near the restrooms before he saw us.”
“You’re certain it was Daniel?”
“Sophie nearly broke two of my fingers.”
From somewhere beside him, Sophie whispered, “Sorry.”
“You’re forgiven.”
Evelyn closed her eyes for half a second.
“Put Sophie on.”
“She’s right here.”
There was a rustle, then Sophie’s breathing.
“Grandma?”
The word hit Evelyn harder than the disappearance had.
Sophie seemed to hear what she had said at the same moment because she went silent.
Evelyn swallowed.
“Where are you, sweetheart?”
“I don’t know.”
“Look around.”
“Martin said not to stand up.”
“Then stay down and tell me what you can see.”
“Shoes.”
Martin murmured something.
Sophie corrected herself.
“Platform Twelve.”
Ortiz was already signaling Bell.
“Stay there,” Evelyn said.
“No.”
“Sophie.”
“He knows where we are.”
Evelyn’s grip tightened around the phone.
“How?”
“My inhaler beeped.”
“What?”
“It does that when Mom’s phone reminds her.”
Martin came back on.
“The inhaler has some kind of electronic cap.”
Ortiz heard him and swore under her breath.
“Take it off her,” Evelyn said.
“I already did.”
“Where is it?”
“In a trash can.”
Ortiz seized Evelyn’s wrist.
“No.”
Martin heard her.
“What?”
“Do not discard it,” Ortiz said loudly.
“It may be evidence, and if it’s transmitting, you’ve just created a false location that could put someone else in danger.”
There was a silence.
Then Martin said, “That would have been useful information thirty seconds ago.”
A train horn sounded below them.
Bell ran toward the stairs with one transit officer.
Ortiz followed.
Evelyn kept the phone pressed to her ear and moved after them as quickly as her knee allowed.
“Martin, retrieve it if you can do so without exposing Sophie.”
“You want me digging through a station trash can?”
“Yes.”
“I wore a good coat.”
“Your courage is inspiring.”
“I hate this family.”
Sophie’s frightened laugh came faintly through the phone.
Evelyn reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Platform Twelve beyond a row of concrete pillars.
A commuter train stood with its doors open.
Passengers moved around them carrying backpacks, umbrellas, paper cups, and the weary impatience of people whose evenings had already gone wrong in smaller ways.
“Where exactly are you?” Evelyn asked.
“Behind a vending machine,” Martin said.
“There are six.”
“The one selling beverages no human should drink.”
“That eliminates none of them.”
Ortiz pointed.
Martin’s gray coat appeared briefly near the far end of the platform.
Evelyn started toward him.
Then Sophie screamed.
The sound came through the phone and across the platform at almost the same instant.
Evelyn saw Daniel emerge from behind a pillar.
He was not running.
That was somehow worse.
He walked quickly toward Martin with both hands visible, calling Sophie’s name.
People turned.
Martin stepped between him and the child.
“Stop right there.”
Daniel stopped.
His face was wet from the rain, his hair flattened against his forehead.
“Sophie, come here.”
She pressed herself against the vending machine.
“No.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Sophie, I’m not doing this in public.”
“You’re the one who came here.”
“I came because you disappeared.”
“You followed me.”
“I was trying to find you.”
Ortiz approached from Daniel’s blind side.
“Mr. Cross.”
He turned sharply.
The relief that crossed his face was immediate and almost convincing.
“Thank God.”
“Keep your hands where I can see them.”
The relief vanished.
“What?”
“You need to step away from the child.”
“I have a court order.”
“We’ve discussed your court order.”
“I showed your officers the paperwork.”
“You showed them paperwork that does not match the filed order.”
Daniel looked at Sophie.
It lasted perhaps a second.
Evelyn saw fear there.
Not anger.
Fear.
Daniel backed away.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“Then you won’t mind answering questions.”
“I absolutely mind being treated like a criminal because Caroline is having another episode.”
Sophie flinched.
Evelyn reached them.
Daniel saw her and stared.
“You must be Evelyn.”
“You must be the man who falsified a court document.”
Ortiz shot her a warning look.
Daniel gave a short, humorless laugh.
“Caroline told me you were difficult.”
“She was understating it.”
“Evelyn.”
Martin’s voice stopped her.
He had one hand behind him, keeping Sophie close.
In the other, wrapped in a wad of brown paper towels, was the electronic cap.
“I found it.”
Daniel looked at the object.
Again, only for a second.
Again, fear.
Ortiz saw it too.
“Mr. Cross, is that device connected to an account you can access?”
“No.”
“You answered quickly.”
“Because the answer is no.”
Sophie spoke from behind Martin.
“You checked it yesterday.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“I checked your medication.”
“You checked where I was.”
“I was making sure you were taking it.”
“You said Mom turned off location.”
Passengers had begun slowing as they passed.
A teenager openly held up a phone.
Ortiz pointed at him.
“Put that away.”
He lowered it without enthusiasm.
Daniel looked around and seemed to become aware of the audience.
His voice softened.
“Soph, listen to me.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Your mother isn’t well.”
May you like
“My mother is missing.”
“I know.”
