Chapter 6 - The Silent Witness
I stared at the tiny black listening device resting in the palm of my trembling hand.
Michael had somehow managed to plant a military-grade bug into the hospital bag before the police even arrested me.
He had been listening to my entire conversation with Jessica, meaning my secure hotel room was already compromised.
I knew with absolute certainty that if I stayed in this room, Michael would send someone to permanently silence me.
I quickly wrapped the bug tightly in several layers of thick aluminum foil from the hotel kitchenette to block the transmission signal.
I threw the foil-wrapped device into the back of a noisy garbage truck passing loudly through the alleyway below my window.
I realized that relying on the legal system was completely useless when Michael was always three steps ahead of the law.
I needed undeniable, concrete proof of his guilt that could instantly destroy his perfectly crafted narrative.
My mind raced back to his private office located inside a massive corporate building in the financial district.
Michael was incredibly paranoid and kept a heavy steel safe hidden behind a false bookshelf in his executive suite.
I grabbed the spare cash Jessica had left on the nightstand and slipped out the back exit of the hotel.
I purchased a cheap baseball cap and a dark hooded sweatshirt from a local thrift store to hide my face from the street cameras.
I navigated the busy city streets using crowded subway cars, constantly checking over my shoulder for anyone following me.
I arrived at the towering glass skyscraper just as the sun began to set behind the dark city skyline.
I knew the night security guard always took his mandatory dinner break exactly at seven in the evening.
I timed my entry perfectly, slipping past the main security desk and slipping into the employee stairwell undetected.
I climbed twenty exhausting flights of stairs, my leg muscles burning with intense, fiery pain by the time I reached his floor.
I used a spare magnetic keycard I had secretly copied months ago to unlock the heavy glass doors of his suite.
His office was completely dark, smelling strongly of expensive leather and the expensive cologne he wore like a weapon.
I found the hidden bookshelf and pulled the specific volume of poetry that released the mechanical latch.
The shelf swung open silently, revealing the heavy black steel safe securely bolted directly into the concrete wall.
I punched in the combination using our daughter's exact birth date and time, praying he had not bothered to change it.
The heavy metal door clicked open with a satisfying clunk, revealing stacks of neatly organized documents inside.
I pulled out a thick yellow envelope and eagerly dumped its contents directly onto his mahogany desk.
Instead of finding financial records or confession letters, several brand new, glossy passports slid across the smooth wood.
I opened the first passport and gasped when I saw Michael's face printed next to a completely fake legal name.
The second passport bore Emily's photograph, falsely identifying her as a citizen of a foreign country that did not extradite criminals.
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Tucked neatly beneath the passports were two first-class plane tickets scheduled to depart the city tonight at midnight.
He was planning to kidnap our daughter directly from the hospital before the sun ever rose again.
