Chapter 3 - The Empty Room
I walked out of the police precinct as a free man, but my heart was pounding out of my chest.
I refused to wait for a cab and sprinted three blocks back to Saint Mary's Hospital.
I bypassed the emergency room intake desk entirely and slipped into the crowded back stairwell.
I climbed three flights of stairs, my lungs burning as I navigated the maze of medical corridors.
I finally reached room 312, praying to hear Lily's sweet voice again.
I pushed the heavy door open and stopped dead in my tracks.
The hospital bed was completely empty.
The white sheets were ripped off the mattress and tangled on the linoleum floor.
The intravenous fluid line had been cleanly sliced in half, dripping clear liquid onto the tiles.
I ran to the bed, desperately searching for any sign of where they had taken my daughter.
That was when I noticed a shiny silver object resting on the center of the pillow.
It was a sterile surgical scalpel, stabbed deeply into the fabric.
Pinned beneath the sharp blade was a small piece of hospital stationary.
I pulled the scalpel free and unfolded the note with shaking hands.
The handwriting was elegantly cursive and chillingly familiar.
"If you ever want to see her breathe again, come to your warehouse alone."
I crushed the paper in my fist, a terrifying realization washing over me.
Kate did not just want me in prison.
She wanted to lure me into a trap where I would never be found.
Suddenly, the burner phone in my pocket vibrated again.
I answered the call, ready to unleash every ounce of rage I had left.
But it was not Kate on the other end of the line.
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It was my ex wife, Sarah, and she was crying hysterically.
"Daniel, she locked me in the basement, and she has a gun!" Sarah screamed before the line went dead.
