“I'm not fighting you.”
“You've ruined everything!”
That sentence told Graham more than the man intended.
A siren sounded in the distance.
The man froze.
Then he turned toward the van.
Graham stepped in front of him.
“Don't.”
The man stared at him.
“You have no idea who that child is.”
“Then explain it to the police.”
The patrol car arrived seconds later.
Two officers approached with weapons drawn.
The man raised his hands.
“That's not my child,” he shouted.
The words hung in the air.
Graham looked toward the van.
One officer opened the rear door.
Lacey was inside.
She was trembling.
But she was alive.
And she was not alone.
CHAPTER 4 — WHAT LACEY KNEW
The second person inside the van was a teenage boy.
He was unconscious but breathing.
The officers immediately called for medical assistance.
Lacey finally told them her story.
Her real name was not Lacey Carter.
It was Lacey Bennett.
She had been reported missing two days earlier.
The man who had taken her was not her father.
His name was Victor Hale.
Victor had been connected to a private transportation company under investigation for falsifying custody documents.
Lacey's older brother, Noah, had discovered the operation.
He had been taken with her.