Chapter 6 - The Missing Drive
Ortiz locked down the floor within minutes.
Nobody left without being checked.
The hospital pulled hallway footage. A man wearing stolen scrubs entered the evidence room during Briar's ultrasound and walked out thirty seconds later with something in his pocket.
His face stayed turned from the camera.
But he made one mistake.
He limped.
I knew that limp.
"Calvin Ross," I said.
Ortiz looked at me. "Who?"
"My mother's head of security. Retired Marine. Knee injury."
Briar closed her eyes.
"He was at the storage unit."
"You saw him?"
"In the parking lot. He drove away before I could photograph him."
Ortiz radioed his name.
Then the monitor beside Briar changed rhythm.
The baby's heartbeat dipped again.
Every conversation stopped.
Dr. Patel came in quickly, checked the screen, and examined Briar.
"Your labor is progressing. The trauma may have accelerated it."
"How far?" I asked.
"Four centimeters. We want to avoid an emergency delivery if we can, but we're not making promises."
Briar gripped the sheet.
"My son isn't coming because she hit me."
"Your son is coming because he's ready enough to make his own decisions," Patel said gently. "Our job is to keep both of you safe."
Ortiz stepped into the hallway to take a call.
She returned five minutes later.
"Calvin Ross's SUV was found at North Pines. Empty."
"My father?"
"The facility claims Harrison Stone left in a medical transport van at 6:10 p.m."
"Where?"
"No destination logged."
That wasn't a transfer.
It was an extraction.
Briar opened her eyes.
"The USB isn't the only copy."
I stared at her.
She looked toward the suitcase.
"Your father knew someone might find it. He left instructions in the lining."
Ortiz pulled on gloves and examined the torn fabric inside the suitcase.
She found a narrow stitched pocket.
Inside was a folded piece of paper with one sentence written in shaky handwriting.
May you like
IF THEY MOVE ME, FIND THE RED HOUSE BY THE WATER.
Underneath was a set of coordinates.
