Chapter 4 - The Ticking Clock
The state police issued an Amber Alert. Lily’s face appeared on digital billboards across three states, but Daniel Carter was a meticulous planner. He had disabled the GPS in his vehicle months prior and kept his finances in untraceable cash reserves.
Back at the precinct, Rachel sat in front of a giant whiteboard mapping out Daniel’s past.
“Where would he go, Rachel?” Elena asked gently, sliding a cup of tea across the desk. “Think back. Not just to the marriage, but to his childhood, his old hobbies, anywhere he felt totally in control.”
Rachel pressed her knuckles to her temples. “Daniel’s grandfather owned a cabin in the North Woods... near Pine Creek. But he sold it ten years ago.”
“We’ll check the property records anyway,” Elena said. “Anything else?”
“He used to go hunting near an abandoned limestone quarry off Highway 9,” Rachel added, her eyes suddenly widening. “Wait... his family used to own a hunting lodge near the old rail line in Blackwood. His father built it by hand. It’s not on any official tax maps because it was built on unregistered squatter land back in the 1970s!”
Elena immediately flagged the coordinates with state police dispatch.
Meanwhile, fifty miles away, a dark SUV pushed through the dense, fog-covered pine trees along a dirt trail in Blackwood. Inside, eight-year-old Lily sat in the back seat, clutching her purple backpack. Her left hearing aid was missing, making the world sound muffled and distant.
“Daddy?” Lily asked softly. “Where is Mommy? You said we were going to see her at the new house.”
Daniel looked at her through the rearview mirror. His face was pale, his eyes wide and bloodshot. Beside him in the passenger seat, his sister Melissa was frantically refreshing a news app on her phone.
“Mommy is sick, sweetie,” Daniel said smoothly, forcing a gentle smile. “She... she did something very bad to our old house. But don't worry. Daddy is going to keep you safe forever.”
“I want my rabbit,” Lily whimpered. “I dropped it in my room.”
“We’ll get you a new one, Lily,” Melissa snapped nervously, her voice trembling. “Daniel, the police published my name. They know about the recording. They know everything!”
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“Shut up, Melissa!” Daniel hissed, dropping his calm persona for a fraction of a second. “Keep your head down. Once we cross the state line to the cabin, we switch cars. They think I'm a monster, but I'm protecting my family from a woman who wanted to tear us apart.”
Lily shrank back into her seat. The darkness outside the car window felt vast and terrifying, but for the first time, the eight-year-old girl realized that the real danger wasn't the fire—it was the man sitting in the front seat.
