“Dad… my little sister won’t wake up. We haven’t eaten in three days,” the boy whispered. Panic hit instantly as he rushed them to the hospital.

The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital consultation room hummed monotonously overhead. Across the metal table sat Detective Marcus Vance of the Metro Nashville Police Department. He was a tall, imposing man in his late forties with salt-and-pepper hair, sharp eyes that missed nothing, and a notebook already opened to a fresh page.

"Mr. Mercer, I know this has been a living nightmare for you and your children," Detective Vance began, his voice surprisingly gentle given his formidable appearance. "CPS is handling the temporary placement and safety of Micah and Elsie, but my job is to find out where Mrs. Mercer is and why two small children were left alone to starve."

Rowan sat stiffly across from him, his knuckles white as he gripped a paper cup of cold coffee. "I've called her cell phone twenty times. It goes straight to voicemail. I checked her social media—she was posting photos from a downtown rooftop bar yesterday while my kids were rotting in that house."

Detective Vance jotted something down in his notebook. "Did she own the house on East Nashville, or was she renting?"

"Renting. A small bungalow. She moved there a few months ago after our divorce settlement was finalized," Rowan explained, his jaw tight. "Look, Detective, during our marriage, Delaney was... erratic. She loved the high life, the social scene, the exclusive clubs. But she always adored the kids. I never, in a million years, thought she would abandon them like this. She told me she was taking them to a family cabin in Gatlinburg."

"Well, our patrol units checked her rental house thoroughly. Her clothes, her passport, and her luxury handbag collection are still inside the closets. But her car—a silver 2024 BMW SUV—is missing from the driveway," Vance said, looking up intently. "People who run away for a weekend getaway don't usually leave their passport behind, Mr. Mercer. Unless they left in a desperate hurry, or someone else took them."

Rowan’s breath caught. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything yet. I'm keeping all options open," Vance replied smoothly. "Let's talk about her recent behavior. Did she have any financial troubles? Gambling debts? New acquaintances?"

Rowan rubbed his temples, trying to sift through the wreckage of his failing memory of their final months together. "She spent money like water. Designer clothes, spa treatments, private yoga retreats. When I cut her off from my primary business accounts after the divorce, she threw massive tantrums. She claimed she had 'investments' that would make her rich independently, but she never gave details."

"Investments," Vance repeated, tasting the word. "That’s a common euphemism for high-risk schemes, online scams, or worse. Let's look at her phone records. With a court order, we can ping her cell phone location history."

Just then, the door clicked open, and a young female social worker named Sarah entered quietly. She carried a clipboard and gave Rowan a compassionate, weary smile.

"Mr. Mercer, Micah is currently resting in the family lounge with a volunteer. He ate some soup and drank an electrolyte solution. He’s doing remarkably well considering the trauma," Sarah reported.

"Can I bring him home with me tonight?" Rowan asked immediately.

"Officially, emergency protective custody requires an expedited home assessment, but given that you are the non-offending biological parent with joint custody rights, and your home environment is stable, CPS will clear you to take them home as soon as Elsie is discharged—likely tomorrow morning," Sarah answered reassuringly. "However, the agency will need to conduct a mandatory follow-up visit at your residence next week."

"Whatever it takes," Rowan said firmly. "My home is open."

Detective Vance stood up, buttoning his suit jacket. "I'm heading over to Delaney's rental house now to search for physical clues—receipts, notebooks, computer hard drives. I want to see what she was working on before she vanished."