Chapter 8 - The Stranger Who Was Never Supposed to Return
Michael landed shortly after dawn.
Two detectives met him before he even entered the terminal.
"Your family is safe," Bennett assured him.
"For now."
The words "for now" stayed with him during the entire drive.
Instead of taking him to the hospital, they first brought him to police headquarters.
"We've identified Daniel Cross," Bennett explained.
She slid an old photograph across the table.
Michael stared.
Daniel looked younger.
Late twenties.
Smiling.
Standing beside Emily.
She looked barely eighteen.
"They really were cousins?"
"No."
"Friends?"
"No."
Bennett opened another file.
"We found Emily's original birth certificate."
Michael looked confused.
"So?"
"The names don't match."
"What do you mean?"
"The parents listed on this document are different from those on every legal record Emily has ever shown."
Michael slowly looked up.
"Are you saying my wife has a false identity?"
"We believe she has lived under another name for nearly twenty years."
His mind refused to accept it.
Emily...
His wife.
The woman he loved.
The mother of his child.
Someone he thought he knew completely.
"Why?"
"We're still investigating."
Another detective entered carrying several newly printed photographs.
"We found Daniel."
Michael stood immediately.
"Where is he?"
The detective placed the pictures on the table.
A wooded area.
An abandoned warehouse.
Police tape.
Blood.
"No..."
"There was evidence of a struggle."
"Is he dead?"
"We don't know."
"But he left this."
The detective unfolded a stained piece of paper.
Only one sentence had been written.
Michael Turner is the only person who can save Emily.
Before Michael could ask another question, Bennett's phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed instantly.
"What happened?"
The room fell silent.
She ended the call and looked directly at Michael.
"The hospital has a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
May you like
"Emily disappeared."
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