Chapter 14 - THE SAWMILL
The old sawmill sat above a swollen river, half hidden by pine trees and sheets of rain.
Claire's SUV was parked behind it.
Rebecca's sedan was beside it.
Daniel's heart hammered.
Grant held him back while deputies moved into position.
Inside, Ethan heard voices rising.
"You said we were taking him somewhere safe," Rebecca snapped.
Claire laughed. "Safe for who?"
"I am not hurting a child for you."
"A little late for morality, Rebecca."
Ethan sat behind a stack of lumber, wrists free now. Rebecca had insisted Claire untie him.
"I helped move money," Rebecca said. "I helped cover the charity mess years ago. I did not agree to this."
Claire's voice turned low. "You agreed the second you forged Daniel's authority."
Outside, Grant heard enough through a deputy's directional microphone to order entry.
"Sheriff's office! Nobody move!"
Everything exploded at once.
Rebecca screamed.
Claire grabbed Ethan.
Daniel broke from cover before Grant could stop him.
"Ethan!"
"Dad!"
Claire dragged Ethan toward a rear loading platform over the river.
"Stay back!"
Daniel stopped.
Rain blew sideways through the broken wall.
"Claire," he said, forcing his voice steady. "Let him go."
"You destroyed my life."
"No. You did that."
Her grip tightened on Ethan's jacket.
A rotten board cracked beneath her foot.
Ethan reacted first.
He dropped his weight, twisted the way his soccer coach had taught him to escape a grab, and slipped free.
Daniel lunged forward and pulled him away.
Claire stumbled toward the edge.
Rebecca caught her arm.
For one strange second, the two women stared at each other.
Then Rebecca said, "I'm done saving you."
She released Claire only after a deputy seized her jacket and hauled her back from the drop.
Claire was handcuffed on the floor.
Ethan buried his face in Daniel's chest.
It should have ended there.
It did not.
As deputies searched Claire's bag, Harris pulled out a small digital recorder.
He pressed play.
Lily's voice filled the sawmill.
May you like
"If anything happens to me, Claire Pike is not the only person you should investigate."
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