Chapter 12 - THE HOUSE ABOVE THE LAKE
Snow began falling over Lake Arrowhead.
The wind erased tire tracks almost as quickly as they formed.
Detective Reyes searched the lake house.
Emma’s coat lay beside the fireplace.
A mug of hot chocolate remained on the table.
The drink was still warm.
They had missed her by less than twenty minutes.
Nathan examined the property network.
A security camera had been removed from the porch.
The storage drive was missing.
However, the smart thermostat retained location logs from connected phones.
Derek Shaw’s phone had connected at 6:14 p.m.
Vanessa’s connected at 6:21.
A third device appeared at 7:03.
The number belonged to Andrew Mercer.
Lucas stared at the screen.
“Mercer is in federal custody.”
Reyes called the detention center.
Mercer had been transported to a hospital after claiming chest pain.
The ambulance was intercepted on the highway.
Two guards were injured.
Mercer escaped.
The wedding conspiracy had reunited.
Vanessa wanted the trust.
Derek wanted his legal fees and a share of the assets.
Mercer wanted Rachel’s archive destroyed.
Emma was the only person who could authorize access.
Nathan found another connected device.
It belonged to an old ranger station three miles north of the lake.
The station had been closed for winter.
Lucas and Reyes drove through the storm.
The road ended half a mile away.
They continued on foot.
Lucas’s shoes sank into the snow.
Branches struck his face.
He did not slow down.
Lights appeared between the trees.
The ranger station sat above a frozen section of the lake.
Reyes ordered Lucas to remain outside while officers surrounded the building.
Then a child screamed.
“Daddy.”
Lucas ran toward the door.
A gunshot broke a window above him.
He dropped behind a snowbank.
Mercer’s voice came through a loudspeaker.
“Send Lucas inside with the necklace.”
“No weapons.”
“No police.”
Reyes grabbed Lucas’s arm.
“You cannot go in there.”
“He has Emma.”
“He will kill you after he gets the token.”
“Then make sure he does not leave.”
Lucas removed his weapon and handed it to her.
He placed the necklace around his neck.
Then he walked toward the station.
The front door opened.
Derek searched him.
Vanessa stood behind Derek wearing a gray sweater and black pants.
The wedding glamour was gone.
She looked exhausted.
“Where is Emma?”
“Safe.”
“Let me see her.”
Mercer appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Bring him up.”
Lucas followed them to the second floor.
Emma sat in a wooden chair beside a computer terminal.
Her hands were not tied.
A red mark crossed her cheek.
Lucas’s chest tightened.
“Who touched her?”
Vanessa looked away.
Mercer smiled.
“She tried to run.”
Lucas moved toward him.
Derek raised a gun.
Emma began crying.
“Daddy, stop.”
Lucas forced himself to remain still.
Mercer pointed toward the computer.
“Open the pendant.”
Lucas removed the gold chip.
Mercer inserted it into the terminal.
The archive requested biometric authorization.
He took Emma’s hand.
She pulled away.
“No.”
Vanessa crouched beside her.
“Emma, place your finger on the screen.”
“No.”
“You want your father to leave with you.”
Emma looked toward Lucas.
He shook his head slightly.
Vanessa noticed.
She slapped him across the face.
Emma screamed.
“Stop.”
Vanessa turned back to her.
“Then touch the screen.”
Emma’s hand trembled.
She placed one finger against the reader.
The archive unlocked.
Thousands of files appeared.
Mercer began searching for his clinical records.
Lucas studied the room.
Derek stood near the door.
Vanessa stood beside Emma.
Mercer focused on the computer.
A fire extinguisher hung behind Lucas.
Outside, snow pressed against the windows.
Lucas needed one moment.
Then the computer displayed an unexpected message.
SECOND GUARDIAN AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.
Mercer stared at the screen.
“What does that mean?”
Lucas knew.
Rachel had added a final safeguard.
Emma could open the archive only with someone she trusted.
The screen displayed a question.
WHO IS YOUR FAMILY?
A voice-recognition symbol began blinking.
Mercer looked at Emma.
“Say Vanessa Caldwell.”
Emma stared at him.
Then she looked at Lucas.
“My family is my daddy.”
The computer recognized her answer.
A second biometric panel illuminated beside Lucas.
Mercer raised the gun.
“Touch it.”
May you like
Lucas placed his hand near the reader.
Then he grabbed the fire extinguisher.
