Chapter 7 - The Friend in Uniform
Nobody moved.
Monica grabbed her phone.
Too late.
I had seen it.
So had my father.
Jason whispered.
“Oh my God.”
My mother looked confused.
“Who’s Sarah?”
I already had my phone out.
Calling.
Once.
Twice.
No answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
Eli was with her.
My body shifted before thought did.
Keys.
Door.
Car.
Monica followed me.
“Rachel, wait.”
I turned.
“What did Sarah mean?”
She looked terrified now.
Not smug.
Not superior.
Terrified.
“It isn’t what you think.”
“My son is in her house.”
“Rachel—”
“What did she mean?”
My father stepped between us.
“Answer her.”
Monica started crying.
“She was helping.”
“With what?”
“Document things.”
“Why?”
“Because you never listen.”
I stared at her.
“You recruited my best friend to collect photographs of my child?”
“She contacted me first.”
That stopped me.
“What?”
Monica swallowed.
“Sarah told me you were overwhelmed.”
“That you hid it well.”
“She said Navy leadership would never see what home was like.”
Every word sounded designed.
Not by Monica.
By someone who understood military culture.
Sarah.
I drove ninety miles an hour without exceeding the legal limits enough to give anyone a reason to stop me.
Years of discipline barely contained panic.
Sarah lived eleven minutes away.
Her driveway was empty.
I called Dana Reyes.
Then base security.
Then local police.
I did not say kidnapping.
Not yet.
Sarah had permission to watch Eli.
But she was not answering.
Her car was gone.
Inside her house, police found no signs of struggle.
Eli’s backpack remained by the couch.
So did his dinosaur.
My blood went cold.
Dana arrived.
“Rachel, breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
Barely.
Security pulled traffic cameras.
Sarah’s SUV appeared at 4:18.
Heading west.
At 4:34, her phone connected to a tower near Chesapeake.
Then went dark.
Monica arrived with my father.
I almost threw her off the property.
Dana stopped me.
“Let her talk.”
Monica looked at the empty driveway.
“She wasn’t supposed to take him anywhere.”
My voice came out low.
“What was she supposed to do?”
“Take pictures.”
“Of what?”
“Anything that showed he was upset after being with you.”
I stared.
“You wanted to manufacture evidence.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Then Monica said something that changed the direction of the entire investigation.
“Sarah said CPS would never remove Eli without something stronger.”
Dana’s expression hardened.
“What stronger thing?”
May you like
Monica looked at me.
“She said she could create it.”
