Chapter 6 - The Signature
The forged request carried Adrian's digital signature and listed Celeste as Caleb's "authorized future guardian."
Adrian stared at the screen.
"I never signed this."
The pediatrician sounded shaken. "We rejected it because the authorization form was incomplete. But whoever submitted it had access to private family information."
Maya asked, "Was there an IP address?"
The doctor promised to send everything to the detective.
Adrian ended the call and looked at the papers hidden under his jacket.
"They weren't just trying to hurt Caleb."
"They were building paperwork around him," Maya said.
That night, Detective Lena Brooks arrived. Adrian showed her the video and medical documents.
Brooks did not gasp or dramatize anything.
She simply said, "Nobody leaves this property."
But Celeste was already gone.
Her room was empty. Her car remained in the driveway, but a service gate on the east side had been opened manually at 12:18 p.m.
Owen claimed he knew nothing about it.
Brooks stared at him. "You run security and somehow the cameras lose three minutes, a memory card disappears, and a locked gate opens itself?"
Owen's face reddened.
Adrian stepped toward him. "Who paid you?"
"Nobody."
"Wrong answer."
Maya noticed Owen's left hand trembling.
Not guilt.
Fear.
"He's afraid of someone," she said.
Brooks turned to him. "Who?"
Owen looked toward the staircase.
Evelyn stood above them.
Perfectly still.
Owen whispered, "You don't understand what she controls."
Evelyn smiled faintly.
Then Owen's phone rang.
He looked at the screen and went white.
"My wife," he said.
When he answered, no one spoke.
Only a child's voice could be heard in the background crying.
May you like
Owen dropped the phone.
"They have my daughter."
