Chapter 4 - The Woman in the Photograph

# Chapter 4 - The Woman in the Photograph

Walter Briggs had just identified Emily Reed as one of the people responsible for Lily Cross's disappearance.

There was only one problem.

The woman in the photograph appeared to be twenty-eight years old.

Lily had vanished twenty years earlier, when she was eight.

And Walter was insisting that Emily had helped take her.

Ethan Cross slowly placed the photograph on the kitchen table.

"Explain that."

Walter's eyes remained fixed on the young woman's face.

"I recognized the name."

"You said she helped kidnap my daughter."

"I said that was the name they used."

Ethan stepped closer.

"Then start making sense."

Walter swallowed.

"Twenty years ago, there was a woman working at the facility. She was younger than the doctors, perhaps in her early twenties. She introduced herself as Emily Reed."

Rachel Miller frowned.

"But this woman couldn't have been old enough."

"Exactly," Walter whispered.

Ethan looked at the photograph again.

A young woman with dark hair, gray eyes, and a silver medal around her neck.

"You're saying someone else is using her name."

Walter nodded.

"Or someone gave it to her."

Mason Hale folded his arms.

"Why would they give a kidnapped child the name of someone involved in taking her?"

Walter's expression darkened.

"Because the people running that place didn't just hide children."

He hesitated.

"They gave them new identities."

The kitchen fell silent.

Rachel instinctively pulled Ava closer.

Ethan stared at Walter.

"Did you ever see Lily again after the transfer?"

"No."

"Then how do you know what name they gave her?"

"I don't."

Ethan's jaw tightened.

Walter continued quickly.

"But Caleb found something. Something that convinced him Lily was still alive."

"The storage device?"

"Yes."

"Then tomorrow we get it."

Walter looked toward the darkened windows.

"If it's still there."

Rachel refused to sleep.

By midnight, Ava had finally drifted off on the living-room couch, her stuffed rabbit tucked beneath her chin.

Boone and Leon remained outside.

Hector sat near the front door with an ice pack against his injured shoulder.

Ethan stood at the kitchen counter, examining the photograph of Emily Reed.

Rachel approached with two cups of coffee.

"You should rest."

"So should you."

She placed a cup beside him.

"That's not going to happen."

Ethan gave a tired smile.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Rachel asked, "Do you think she's Lily?"

He looked down at the photograph.

"I don't know."

"She has the necklace."

"Someone could have given it to her."

"She looks like you."

Ethan's expression changed.

Rachel immediately regretted saying it.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"

"No."

He studied the woman's face.

"Sarah had gray eyes."

"Your wife?"

"My ex-wife."

Rachel nodded.

"Does she know about any of this?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"When I have something worth telling."

Rachel leaned against the counter.

"Maybe she would want to know there's a chance."

Ethan looked toward the living room.

"Would you want someone to tell you Ava might be alive after twenty years, without knowing whether it was true?"

Rachel followed his gaze.

Her daughter slept peacefully beneath a faded blanket.

The thought of losing her made Rachel's chest tighten.

"I don't know," she admitted.

Ethan nodded.

"Neither do I."

For the first time that night, Rachel understood something about him.

His anger wasn't simply anger.

It was fear.

Fear of discovering Lily had suffered.

Fear of learning she was dead.

And perhaps most of all, fear of finding her alive only to discover she no longer wanted him.

Rachel touched his arm.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, you don't have to face it alone."

Ethan looked at her hand.

Then at her face.

"Neither do you."

Neither moved for a moment.

Then Ava stirred in the living room, and Rachel quietly stepped away.

At six the next morning, the Iron Saints prepared to leave for San Antonio.

Ethan had decided that Rachel and Ava would remain at the house with Leon and Hector.

Rachel disagreed immediately.

"I'm going."

"No."

"We already discussed this."

"That was before someone broke into your house."

"Which is exactly why I'm not staying here."

Ethan glanced toward Ava.

Rachel lowered her voice.

"Caleb left that box. I have a right to see what's inside."

"And Ava?"

"She can stay with Maggie."

Ethan frowned.

"The diner owner?"

"She's known my family for years. Ava trusts her."

Mason approached.

"Actually, boss, that might be safer than keeping everyone in one place."

Ethan considered it.

The Miller house had already been compromised.

Someone knew Caleb's notebook was there.

Someone knew Rachel had been asking questions.

Moving Ava to a trusted location made sense, provided the location remained private.

"Fine," Ethan said. "But Leon stays with her."

Rachel nodded.

"And I'm coming."

Ethan sighed.

"You're stubborn."

"So I've been told."

Mason grinned.

"You're going to get along beautifully."

Ethan gave him a warning look.

Mason immediately found something interesting to inspect on his motorcycle.

The old San Antonio bus terminal had closed almost fifteen years earlier.

A smaller private transportation company now operated part of the building, while the original storage lockers remained available through a rental arrangement.

Walter had arranged access before the group arrived.

The terminal stood near a row of aging warehouses.

Its windows were dusty, and several fluorescent lights flickered above the entrance.

Ethan entered first.

Mason followed.

Rachel stayed close to Walter.

The locker was located in a narrow corridor behind the ticket office.

Number 214.

Walter stopped in front of it.

"This is where I left the box."

Ethan held out his hand.

"The key."

Walter gave it to him.

Ethan inserted it into the lock.

Turned.

The mechanism clicked.

He opened the door.

Inside sat a small gray metal toolbox.

Rachel covered her mouth.

"That's Caleb's."

Ethan carefully lifted it out.

The box was heavier than expected.

A small combination lock secured its lid.

Rachel stared at the numbers.

"Caleb always used the same code."

"What code?"

"Our wedding anniversary."

She turned the three dials.

The lock opened.

Inside were several folded documents, a flash drive sealed inside a plastic bag, and a photograph.

Ethan picked up the photograph first.

It showed Caleb standing beside a woman outside a gas station.

The woman wore dark sunglasses.

She held a blue umbrella.

Rachel whispered, "That's her."

Ethan turned the photograph over.

A date had been written on the back.

Three weeks before Caleb's death.

Below it were two initials.

E. M.

"Evelyn Mercer," Walter said.

Ethan looked up.

"You're certain?"

Walter nodded slowly.

"That's her."

Rachel studied the woman's face.

"She doesn't look like someone who disappeared twenty years ago."

"People can change their appearance," Mason said.

Ethan examined the remaining documents.

One was a handwritten note.

If Rachel finds this, tell her I never stopped loving her. Everything I did was to keep her and Ava safe.

Rachel pressed a hand over her mouth.

Ethan continued reading.

The evidence is on the drive. But the files are encrypted. The password is the name of the first child who escaped.

Below the note was another sentence.

Do not trust the police report about my accident.

Rachel's knees weakened.

Mason caught her before she fell.

Ethan stared at the final sentence.

Caleb had known his death might be disguised as an accident.

And someone had made sure his warning never reached Rachel.

They took the toolbox to a small motel on the outskirts of San Antonio.

Curtis had brought a laptop.

He connected the flash drive while Ethan stood behind him.

A password window appeared.

Curtis looked up.

"The first child who escaped."

Walter shook his head.

"I don't know who that was."

Ethan studied the screen.

"Try Lily."

Curtis typed the name.

ACCESS DENIED.

"Try Emily."

Another denial.

Rachel frowned.

"What if it's not a first name?"

Mason looked toward Walter.

"Did any children escape from that facility?"

Walter hesitated.

"There was an incident."

Ethan turned.

"What incident?"

"A girl disappeared during a transfer."

"When?"

"About a year after Lily arrived."

"Her name?"

Walter rubbed his forehead.

"I never knew."

Ethan's patience began to fray.

"You seem to remember everything except the things that matter."

Walter looked ashamed.

"I was a driver. They didn't give me names."

Rachel stepped forward.

"Maybe Caleb knew."

She opened the notebook again.

Most of the pages contained electrical diagrams.

But near the back, she noticed a small symbol drawn repeatedly beside several entries.

A butterfly.

"Look at this."

Ethan leaned closer.

Rachel pointed to the symbol.

"Caleb drew it beside three dates."

Curtis examined the entries.

"Maybe it's a code."

Rachel turned another page.

A sentence had been written beneath a diagram.

The butterfly found her way out.

Ethan stared at it.

"Butterfly."

Curtis typed the word.

ACCESS GRANTED.

Nobody spoke.

The screen changed.

A folder appeared.

MERIDIAN ARCHIVE — RESTRICTED

Inside were dozens of files.

Medical records.

Transfer documents.

Payment ledgers.

Photographs.

And a folder labeled:

PROJECT SECOND LIFE

Mason whispered, "What the hell was this place?"

Curtis opened the folder.

A spreadsheet filled the screen.

Rows of names appeared beside dates, identification numbers, and destination codes.

Ethan searched frantically.

Then he found it.

LILY CROSS

Age: 8.

Original location: St. Catherine's Medical Center.

Transfer date: March 21.

Status: Reassigned.

New identity: Restricted.

Destination: Classified.

Ethan gripped the edge of the desk.

"She's here."

Rachel moved beside him.

"Keep looking."

Curtis opened an attached document.

It contained a photograph of Lily taken inside the facility.

Her hair was shorter.

Her expression frightened.

But she was unmistakably alive.

Ethan reached toward the screen.

His fingertips stopped inches from her face.

"Lily..."

For twenty years, he had imagined what he would say if he ever saw her again.

Now he couldn't find a single word.

Curtis continued searching.

The archive contained records for seven children transferred during the same operation.

Several had been assigned new identities.

Others had been marked as relocated.

One file had a different status.

SUBJECT 04 — ESCAPED

Rachel pointed.

"The butterfly?"

Curtis opened the file.

A photograph appeared.

A girl approximately ten years old.

Dark hair.

Brown eyes.

A small birthmark beneath her left ear.

Her original name was listed as:

HANNAH PRICE

Ethan frowned.

"Does that name mean anything to you?"

Walter stepped closer.

His expression changed.

"Hannah."

"You remember her?"

Walter nodded.

"She was the girl who escaped."

"How?"

"I don't know. But after she disappeared, Garrett ordered every driver questioned."

Curtis scrolled down.

The file contained a final note.

Subject 04 escaped during relocation. Presumed to have received outside assistance.

Below it was a name.

CALEB MILLER — PERSON OF INTEREST

Rachel stared.

"Caleb helped her?"

Walter looked equally shocked.

"He never told me."

Ethan examined the date.

It was one year after Lily disappeared.

Caleb had been nineteen when the children were first transported and was still working at the facility when Hannah escaped.

Perhaps he had finally found the courage to open a door.

Perhaps that was why Garrett had spent years watching him.

But Ethan had another question.

"If Hannah escaped, where did she go?"

Curtis opened the final attachment.

A newspaper clipping appeared.

It described a young girl found wandering beside a highway outside San Antonio.

She had no identification.

No memory of her family.

Authorities placed her in temporary foster care.

The article included a photograph.

Ethan leaned closer.

The girl was standing beside a female social worker.

A woman with dark hair.

Gray eyes.

And a familiar face.

Rachel whispered, "Is that Evelyn Mercer?"

Walter shook his head.

"No."

"Then who?"

Walter stared at the screen.

"I don't know."

Ethan studied the woman's face.

Something about her expression was unsettling.

She looked directly into the camera.

Almost as though she knew someone would eventually find the photograph.

At the same time, Garrett Vale sat inside a private office overlooking downtown San Antonio.

Detective Daniel Warren stood across from his desk.

Garrett was reading a report.

"You entered the Miller house?"

Warren nodded.

"And failed to retrieve the notebook?"

"They were expecting trouble."

Garrett slowly set the report down.

"Did anyone recognize you?"

Warren hesitated.

"Rachel Miller."

Garrett closed his eyes.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he stood.

"Do you understand what you've done?"

Warren's expression hardened.

"I was trying to fix the problem."

"You've made yourself a witness."

"She already knew my face."

"And now she knows you're involved."

Warren stepped closer.

"Caleb should have been dealt with years earlier."

Garrett turned sharply.

"Be careful."

Warren fell silent.

Garrett walked toward the window.

"Where is Cross?"

"San Antonio."

"With Rachel?"

"Yes."

Garrett's jaw tightened.

"They found the box."

Warren said nothing.

Garrett turned.

"Didn't they?"

"I believe so."

Garrett stared at him.

Then he picked up his phone.

"Move the woman."

Warren frowned.

"Which woman?"

Garrett looked at him coldly.

"The one who still believes her name is Emily Reed."

Back at the motel, Ethan was examining the archived photographs when Rachel discovered something unusual.

"Look at these dates."

Curtis leaned over.

"What about them?"

"Some records were updated recently."

Ethan turned.

"How recently?"

Rachel pointed.

"Eleven months ago."

The same month Caleb died.

Curtis opened the update history.

Several files had been accessed from an external terminal.

The user account was registered under a familiar name.

EVELYN MERCER

Walter stared at the screen.

"She's still involved."

Ethan shook his head.

"Or someone is using her credentials."

Rachel looked at the file again.

"There's an address."

Curtis opened the account details.

A residential address appeared in northern San Antonio.

It matched the address written on the back of Emily Reed's photograph.

Ethan felt his pulse quicken.

"That's where we're going."

Mason frowned.

"Boss, we don't know what we're walking into."

"Then we'll find out."

Rachel touched Ethan's arm.

"Wait."

He turned.

She pointed toward another file.

It was labeled:

FAMILY RECONNECTION — AUTHORIZED CONTACTS

Curtis opened it.

A list of names appeared.

Most had been redacted.

But one entry remained visible.

SARAH CROSS

Ethan went completely still.

Rachel looked at him.

"Your ex-wife?"

He nodded.

Curtis scrolled down.

Beside Sarah's name was a date.

Eight years after Lily disappeared.

And a notation.

CONTACT COMPLETED — SUBJECT INFORMED

Ethan stared at the screen.

"What does that mean?"

Nobody answered.

Curtis opened the attached document.

A scanned letter appeared.

It carried Sarah Cross's signature.

Ethan recognized her handwriting immediately.

The letter contained only three sentences.

I understand that my daughter is alive.

I agree not to disclose her location.

I accept the conditions necessary to protect her.

Ethan stepped backward.

"No."

Rachel turned toward him.

"Ethan—"

"No. That's impossible."

Curtis examined the signature.

"It could be forged."

Ethan shook his head.

He remembered Sarah's handwriting.

The unusual curve of the letter S.

The way she crossed her t's.

The small mark she placed beneath her signature.

Everything matched.

For twelve years, Sarah might have known Lily was alive.

For twelve years, she might have known where their daughter was.

And she had never told him.

Ethan walked out of the motel room without speaking.

Rachel followed him into the parking lot.

"Ethan!"

He stopped beside his motorcycle.

"Go back inside."

"No."

He turned.

"Rachel, please."

She saw the pain in his face.

It frightened her more than his anger.

"You don't know whether that letter is real."

"I know her signature."

"That doesn't prove she wrote it."

He looked away.

Rachel stepped closer.

"Even if she did, you don't know why."

Ethan laughed bitterly.

"Why would a mother hide her living daughter from her father?"

Rachel hesitated.

"Maybe someone threatened her."

"Then she should have told me."

"Maybe she couldn't."

Ethan stared at her.

"You sound like you're defending her."

"I'm asking you not to decide the truth before you have it."

He said nothing.

Rachel lowered her voice.

"Caleb hid things from me. Terrible things. But I'm trying to understand why."

Ethan looked at her.

"And what if you find out he wasn't the man you thought he was?"

Rachel's eyes filled.

"Then I'll have to live with that."

For a long moment, they stood in silence.

Then Ethan spoke.

"I spent twenty years believing I failed Lily."

Rachel moved closer.

"You didn't take her."

"I left her alone."

"For a few minutes."

"Long enough."

Rachel gently took his hand.

"Someone stole your daughter, Ethan. That was their choice. Not yours."

His expression softened.

He looked down at their joined hands.

Neither pulled away.

Then his phone rang.

An unfamiliar number.

Ethan answered.

"Cross."

For several seconds, there was only static.

Then a woman's voice spoke.

"Mr. Cross?"

He straightened.

"Who is this?"

"My name is Emily Reed."

Ethan's heart began pounding.

"Where are you?"

"That doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

The woman hesitated.

"I know you're looking for Lily."

Ethan closed his eyes.

"Do you know where she is?"

A long silence followed.

Then Emily whispered, "I know what happened to her."

Ethan gripped the phone.

"Tell me."

"I can't. Not over the phone."

"Then meet me."

"There's something you need to understand first."

Her voice began to tremble.

"The people who took Lily didn't just change her name."

Ethan felt a chill.

"What did they do?"

"They changed everything."

"Emily—"

"They made her believe her father was the man who rescued her."

Ethan froze.

"Who?"

Emily began crying.

"The man who raised her."

"What's his name?"

Before she could answer, a second voice sounded in the background.

A man's voice.

Cold.

Controlled.

"Emily. Put the phone down."

Ethan recognized it immediately.

Garrett Vale.

"Emily!" Ethan shouted.

There was a struggle.

Something crashed.

Then Emily screamed.

The call disconnected.

Ethan ran back into the motel room.

"Mason! We have to move."

Mason stood.

"What happened?"

"Garrett has Emily."

Curtis turned from the laptop.

"Then we need her