"That's ours."
"Not ours."
She pointed to the plate.
"Look at the number."
Harrison leaned forward.
His expression changed.
"That's your father's old vehicle."
Evelyn felt the room tilt.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because that vehicle was sold twelve years ago."
"To whom?"
"I don't know."
Evelyn looked at the photograph again.
"Then somebody bought it."
Harrison whispered:
"Or somebody never stopped using it."
A sudden noise came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Evelyn immediately switched off the laptop.
Harrison moved toward the wall.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Neither spoke.
A key slid into the lock.
Evelyn motioned for Harrison to stay back.
The door opened.
A man entered.
He wore a black security uniform.
His face was hidden beneath a baseball cap.
Evelyn recognized the uniform.
It was the same kind of jacket Harrison had described.
The man looked around.
Then his eyes landed on Evelyn.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Evelyn stared at him.
"Who are you?"
The man didn't answer.
Harrison stepped forward.
"Where is Melissa Grant?"
The man looked at him.
"Safe."
"Where?"
"Somewhere you can't reach her."
Evelyn's voice hardened.
"Where is Sarah?"
The man smiled.
"You still think this is about your sister."
"Isn't it?"
"No."
"Then what is it about?"
He pulled a small flash drive from his pocket.
"Your father."
Evelyn's heart stopped.
"What about him?"
The man tossed the drive onto the desk.
"He wasn't protecting Sarah."
Harrison stared.
"Then what was he doing?"
The man looked at Evelyn.
"He was protecting you."
Evelyn didn't move.
"From what?"
The man took a step backward.
"From the people who killed your mother."
Evelyn's face went pale.
"My mother died when I was nine."
"I know."
"It was an accident."
The man smiled.
"That's what you were told."
Harrison looked shocked.
"Evelyn..."
She ignored him.
"Who killed my mother?"
The man turned toward the door.
"Watch the drive."
"Wait!"
He stopped.
Evelyn stepped forward.
"Where is Sarah?"
The man looked over his shoulder.
"She's alive."
Evelyn's heart pounded.
"Where?"
"Closer than you think."
Then he walked out.
The door slammed.
Evelyn ran after him.
But when she reached the hallway, there was no one there.
She turned around.
Harrison was holding the flash drive.
"Evelyn."
She looked at it.
"Put it in."
"We don't know what's on it."
"I don't care."
He hesitated.
"That could be exactly what they want."
Evelyn took the drive.
"If someone wanted me dead, they had twelve years to do it."
She inserted it into the laptop.
A single video file appeared.
MERCER FAMILY — 2009
Evelyn stared at the screen.
Her hands trembled.
"That's the year my mother died."
She clicked the file.
The video began.
It showed a younger Daniel Mercer sitting in a car.
He looked frightened.
Someone was sitting beside him.
A woman.
Evelyn leaned toward the screen.
She recognized the woman immediately.
Her mother.
Alive.
The video was dated three days after the accident that had supposedly killed her.
Evelyn stopped breathing.
Harrison whispered:
"Oh my God."
Her mother turned toward the camera.
And then she spoke.
"If Evelyn ever sees this..."
She paused.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"...tell her I never abandoned her."
Evelyn covered her mouth.
The recording continued.
"I had to disappear because they were watching our family."
A man's voice came from behind the camera.
"Who are they?"
Her mother looked toward the door.
"The same people who took Sarah."
Evelyn's eyes widened.
Her mother continued:
"And if they're still looking for us..."
She stared directly into the camera.
"Then Evelyn is in danger."
The screen suddenly went black.
A second file appeared.
SARAH MERCER — PRESENT DAY
Evelyn's heart pounded.
She clicked it.
The screen flickered.
Then Sarah appeared.
Older.
Alive.
And standing somewhere Evelyn recognized.
Sarah looked directly into the camera.
"Evelyn, if you're seeing this, you have to stop trusting everyone."
She paused.
"Especially the person standing beside you."
Evelyn slowly turned.
Harrison was standing behind her.
He looked horrified.
Then the basement lights went out again.
And in the darkness, a woman's voice whispered from somewhere nearby:
"Evelyn..."
She froze.
She knew that voice.
It was Sarah.
"Evelyn..."
The voice came again.
Soft.
Close.
Almost a whisper.
Evelyn's entire body went rigid.
"Sarah?"
Harrison immediately reached for his phone, but the basement was almost completely dark.
"Don't move," he whispered.
Evelyn ignored him.
"Sarah, where are you?"
No answer.
She took one careful step forward.
Then another.
Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness.
The emergency lights had failed again.
Only a thin line of light came through the narrow window above the basement door.
"Sarah?"
A metallic object fell somewhere in the corridor.
Evelyn spun around.
Harrison whispered, "Someone's here."
"I know."
"Stay behind me."
"No."
"Evelyn—"
"I've spent twelve years looking for her."
She moved toward the sound.
Harrison followed.
They reached the end of the storage room.
Nothing.
Then Evelyn noticed a small red light blinking beneath a shelf.
A camera.
She crouched.
Someone was watching them.
"Show yourself," she said.
Silence.
Then the speaker crackled.
"Evelyn."
Her heart nearly stopped.
This time, the voice was unmistakable.
Sarah.
"Sarah, where are you?"
"I'm close."
"Where?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because they're listening."
Evelyn looked toward the hidden camera.
"Who?"
Sarah's voice became quieter.
"The same people who've been watching you."
Harrison stepped forward.
"Sarah, this is Judge Harrison."
There was a long silence.
Then Sarah said:
"I know."
Harrison's face tightened.
"Sarah, I didn't know you were alive."
"I know."
"I tried to protect you."
"You failed."
The words cut through the darkness.
Harrison lowered his head.
Evelyn looked at him.
Sarah continued.
"Don't trust him."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
"Sarah, you need to tell me the truth."
"I am."
"Why did you disappear?"
"I didn't."
"What?"
"I was taken."
Evelyn's breathing stopped.
"By whom?"
"People inside the courthouse."
Harrison whispered:
"Who?"
Sarah didn't answer.
Instead, she asked:
"Did you find the files?"
"Yes."
"Did you see the recording?"
"About Mom?"
"Yes."
Evelyn swallowed.