Chapter 3 - COLE RANSOM

Grant called hospital security.

The man across the street climbed into his truck before officers reached him.

The vehicle accelerated through a red light and disappeared into traffic.

Eli shook violently when Grant showed him a photograph taken from the security camera.

“That’s Cole,” he whispered.

Grant sat beside the hospital bed.

“Is Cole your father?”

“My stepfather.”

“Did he lock you inside the minivan?”

Eli glanced toward the door.

He looked like a frightened child expecting punishment for telling the truth.

I pulled a chair close to him.

“You’re safe here.”

“No place is safe when Cole is angry.”

“What happened to your mother?” Grant asked.

Eli swallowed painfully.

“Mom found something in his office.”

“What did she find?”

“Papers.”

“What kind of papers?”

“I don’t know.”

Eli rubbed his wrists.

Dark bruises circled both of them.

“She put something inside Grace’s blanket.”

Grant and I exchanged a glance.

“The memory card?” I asked.

Eli nodded.

“She told me that if we got separated, I had to give the blanket to the police.”

“Why didn’t you mention it before?”

“Cole said he would hurt Mom if I told anyone.”

Grant leaned forward.

“When did you last see her?”

“This morning.”

Eli explained that Mara had packed a diaper bag and told him they were leaving immediately.

They reached the minivan, but Cole appeared before they could drive away.

He dragged Mara toward his black pickup truck.

Then he shoved Eli and Grace into the back of the minivan and activated the locks from his phone.

“He said Mom had made a terrible mistake,” Eli continued.

“He told me the heat would make everything look like an accident.”

Grant’s jaw tightened.

“Did anyone help him?”

Eli hesitated.

“A police officer.”

The room became completely silent.

“What did the officer look like?” Grant asked.

“He had a brown mustache.”

“Did you hear his name?”

“Cole called him Travis.”

Grant stood abruptly.

I saw recognition in his eyes.

“Deputy Travis Ransom,” he said.

“Cole’s older brother.”

At that moment, Grant’s phone rang.

He listened for several seconds without speaking.

Then he turned toward me.

“The minivan has disappeared from the evidence lot.”

“Who took it?”

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Grant looked at Eli.

“The security camera was disabled by someone wearing a county deputy’s uniform.”