Chapter 5 - The Predecessor
I hesitated for a fraction of a second before opening the rear door and pushing Lily inside.
I climbed in after her, and Claire hit the gas before I even closed the door.
The car sped through the back streets, leaving the flashing police lights far behind.
"How did you find us?" I asked, my voice shaking as I locked the doors.
"I've been watching his house for weeks," Claire said, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.
"I saw the whole thing happen."
I stared at the back of her head, trying to process this impossible situation.
Ryan had always told me his first marriage ended mutually because they couldn't have children.
He painted Claire as a career-obsessed woman who eventually moved to Europe.
"He told me you lived in France," I blurted out.
Claire let out a bitter, hollow laugh.
"France? That's a new one."
She took a sharp turn, heading toward the industrial district on the edge of town.
"He tells everyone a different story to explain why I vanished."
"Why did you vanish?" I asked, pulling Lily onto my lap.
"Because if I hadn't, I'd be dead," Claire replied coldly.
The absolute certainty in her voice made my blood run cold.
"He's a sociopath, Sarah," she continued, finally glancing at me in the mirror.
"He finds vulnerable women, isolates them, and takes over their lives."
"But Lily..." I started, unable to finish the horrific thought.
"He doesn't want Lily," Claire interrupted, her tone softening slightly.
"He uses children as leverage to break the mothers."
She pulled the car into an abandoned parking lot behind an old textile factory and killed the engine.
"He tried the same thing with my little sister when she stayed with us," Claire whispered.
"I didn't believe her at first, and it's the biggest regret of my life."
She turned around in her seat to face us.
"We don't have much time."
"He has the police in his pocket, he's frozen all your bank accounts, and he's probably tracking your phone."
"I don't have my phone," I said. "He smashed it."
"Good," she nodded. "That gives us an advantage."
She reached into her glove compartment and pulled out a thick manila envelope.
"This is everything I've gathered on him over the last five years."
"Financial records, fake identities, restraining orders from two other states."
"Why haven't you gone to the police with this?" I demanded.
"Because it's all circumstantial," she sighed in frustration.
"He covers his tracks perfectly."
She handed the envelope to me.
"But inside, there is a flash drive."
"It has a hidden camera recording from my house, proving what he did to my sister."
Hope blossomed in my chest for the first time tonight.
"This is it," I said, holding the envelope tightly. "This will put him away."
"There's a catch," Claire warned, looking nervously out the window.
"The drive is heavily encrypted."
"The only way to unlock it is with his personal laptop."
I stared at her in disbelief.
"His laptop is sitting on the kitchen counter in our house," I said.
May you like
"I know," Claire replied grimly.
"Which means we have to go back."
