CHAPTER 4: THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTO
Detective Chen arrived with two other officers.
They took photos of everything.
They collected the documents.
They asked questions I couldn't answer.
By the time the sun came up, I had a name for the woman in the photo.
Miranda Vance.
According to the documents, she was Daniel's business partner in something called "Green Mountain Holdings."
There was also a mention of "Project Serenity."
I didn't know what any of it meant.
But I knew one thing.
Daniel had been planning this for a long time.
And I had been completely blind.
Detective Chen pulled me aside.
"Mrs. Harper, based on what we found, we're elevating this to a federal case. The FBI will be taking over the investigation."
"The FBI?"
"Your husband has been using at least three different identities. He's moved large amounts of money across borders. And there may be a connection to human trafficking."
The words hit me like a punch.
"No. He wouldn't. Not Emma."
"We don't know yet. But we need to be prepared for anything."
I sank into the chair.
Emma.
My daughter.
I thought about her smile. Her laugh. The way she always said "I love you" at least fifty times a day.
She had no idea her father had been planning to sell her.
Because that's what this was, wasn't it?
A transaction.
Emma was the product.
And Daniel was the seller.
I felt the nausea rise.
"I need to do something," I said.
"You need to let us handle this."
"I can't just sit here."
"Then help us. Tell us everything you know about Daniel. His habits. His contacts. Any strange behavior."
I started talking.
And I didn't stop for hours.
By the end, I had given them a detailed picture of a man who had been lying to me for years.
A man who had been pretending to be someone he wasn't.
May you like
A man who had stolen my daughter.
And I was going to make sure he paid for it.
