Chapter 24: The Woman Holding the Gun
Police ordered Mara to drop the weapon.
She obeyed immediately.
“I didn’t shoot him.”
Owen was rushed into surgery.
The bullet had missed his heart by less than an inch.
Mara claimed Victoria fired before escaping through a maintenance tunnel.
But no one else had clearly seen it.
The gun carried Mara’s fingerprints.
She was arrested.
Lily was found outside the station with Ethan.
She said a masked person had freed her.
“Was it Victoria?” Claire asked.
Lily shook her head.
“It was a man.”
“Caleb?”
“No. Someone older.”
The next morning, a judge granted Owen’s family temporary custody authority while he remained hospitalized.
Because Victoria was his appointed legal representative, she now had a path to Ethan.
Claire’s trust authority should have prevented it.
But the original trust document had been challenged as fraudulent.
Victoria produced a second document bearing Thomas Bennett’s signature.
It named her trustee.
Claire knew the signature was forged.
Proving it could take months.
They moved Ethan to a protected location arranged by Daniel’s attorney.
Only five people knew the address.
That night, Claire received a video call.
Victoria appeared on-screen.
Behind her was Lily.
Again.
Claire turned toward the bedroom.
The woman they believed was Lily was sleeping beside Ethan.
Victoria smiled.
“Did you really think Mara was the only woman who learned to wear a yellow coat?”
Claire’s blood ran cold.
She entered the bedroom and switched on the light.
The woman beside Ethan opened her eyes.
Claire held up the phone.
“Who are you?”
The woman slowly sat up.
“My name is Sarah.”
“Where is Lily?”
May you like
Sarah looked at the screen and began to cry.
“She’s been with Victoria the whole time.”
