Chương 12
"Yes."
"He got mad."
"I know."
"Mom said lying was bad."
I moved beside her chair.
"Sometimes adults make rules too simple."
She cried harder.
I put an arm around her and waited until she leaned into me.
Chris turned away toward the wall.
Renee stepped into the hall.
Less than a minute later, Martinez and Monroe entered.
They did not question Emily again.
Renee gave them the location.
Martinez made one phone call.
Monroe made another.
The next twenty minutes were unbearable.
No one would let me go to the house.
No one would tell me what exactly was happening there.
Emily refused food.
Chris bought three coffees and forgot which one was his.
At some point, he handed me one with six sugars in it.
I drank it anyway.
Then Martinez's phone rang.
He answered with only his last name.
His eyes shifted to me while he listened.
"Secure the folder."
He paused.
"Do not open anything until it's documented."
Another pause.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
"They found it."
Emily lifted her head from my shoulder.
"Behind the board?"
"Yes."
Her relief lasted only a second.
"What was in it?"
Martinez looked at Monroe.
She answered.
"We don't know yet."
Emily groaned softly.
"Adults say that a lot."
Chris laughed once before catching himself.
Even Martinez almost smiled.
Then another officer appeared in the doorway.
"Detective."
Martinez turned.
The officer spoke quietly.
I heard only fragments.
Storage unit.
Warrant approved.
Unit forty-three.
Personal effects.
Then one phrase reached me clearly.
"Possible female victim."
I stood.
Emily grabbed my hand.
Martinez looked at me.
His face had changed completely.
"Stay here."
"Is it Sarah?"
"We don't know yet."
"Alive?"
He did not answer.
That was answer enough to make my legs move.
Emily held tighter.
"Dad."
I stopped.
Her fingers were cold around mine.
I looked at the hallway where Martinez was already walking away.
Then at my daughter.
For once, there was no freezer waiting.
No customer calling.
No emergency more important because it belonged to someone else.
I sat back down beside her.
"I'm here."
She leaned against me.
Across the hall, Monroe's phone rang.
She listened for less than thirty seconds.
Then she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she walked directly toward us.
"They found Sarah."
I stood without letting go of Emily's hand.
Monroe looked at my daughter first.
Then at me.
"She's alive."
For a second, nobody moved.
Emily's hand tightened around mine until her fingernails pressed into my skin.
"Alive where?"
Monroe looked at her.
"At the storage facility."
"Can I see her?"
"Not yet."
Emily's face changed immediately.
"Why?"
"She needs doctors first."
"Is she awake?"
Monroe hesitated.
"Not right now."
The relief that had entered the room a moment earlier thinned into something more fragile.
I crouched beside Emily.
"She's alive."
She stared at me.
"You don't know if she's okay."
"No."
"Then don't say it like that."
I nodded.
"You're right."
Monroe looked toward the hallway.
"An ambulance is taking her to County General."
"I'm going."
"Yes."
Emily stood too.
"I'm going."
Monroe's expression softened.
"That decision may need to wait until we know her condition."
"No."
Emily pulled her hand from mine.
"She's my mom."
"I understand."
"No, you don't."
Her voice shook.
"You keep saying things like wait and condition and investigation."
Renee stepped closer.
"Emily."
"I want my mom."
The words broke halfway through.
I put both hands on her shoulders.
"We'll go to the hospital."
Monroe did not argue.
The drive felt longer than it was.
Chris followed in his car because there were too many people and not enough seats.
Renee rode with us.
Emily sat behind me again.
This time she did not count cars.
Every few minutes, she asked whether I could drive faster.
Every time, I told her we were already moving as fast as we safely could.
At the hospital entrance, police were waiting.
That made me afraid before anyone spoke.
A detective I had not met took Monroe aside.
Renee stayed with Emily.
I watched Monroe's face.
She was very good at not showing much, which meant the small tightening around her mouth mattered.
"What happened?"
I asked.
"Sarah has a head injury."
My body went cold.
"How bad?"
"They're evaluating her."
"Is she conscious?"
"She was briefly responsive during transport."
"Briefly?"
Monroe nodded.
"She also appears to have been restrained."
Emily heard that.
I knew because her shoulders pulled inward.
Renee immediately guided her toward a row of chairs.
"Let's sit."
Emily did not move.
"What does restrained mean?"
Nobody answered quickly enough.
Her eyes found mine.
"Dad."
I swallowed.
"It means someone tied or secured her so she couldn't leave."
Emily stared at the floor.
"Like me."
I wanted to say no.
Different.
Not the same.
But there was no useful version of that lie.
"Something like that."
She sat down.
I remained standing.
"What did they find in the unit?"
Monroe looked at me.
"A mattress."
"Anything else?"
"Food containers, bottled water, zip ties, cleaning supplies."
The list made my skin crawl.
"How long was she there?"
"We don't know."
"Was Jason there?"
"No."
"Eric?"
"No."
"Then who left her?"
"We don't know."
I almost laughed.
Emily was right.
Adults said that a lot.
A nurse appeared and called Sarah's name.
I moved before she finished.
"Family?"
"Ex-husband."
The word felt inadequate.
"Daughter."
The nurse glanced toward Emily.
"She's ten?"
"Yes."
"She can't go back yet."
Emily stood.
"Why?"
"We need to stabilize your mom first."
There it was again.
Wait.
Later.
Not yet.
Emily sat down harder than she needed to.
I followed the nurse through two secured doors.
Monroe came with me.
The treatment area smelled like antiseptic and overheated plastic.
People moved quickly without looking rushed.
A man coughed behind a curtain.
Somewhere nearby, a monitor beeped at a regular interval.
Sarah was behind the third curtain on the left.
May you like
I stopped before going in.
For one stupid second, I pictured the last time I had seen her.
