Chapter 4 - The Hunt Begins
Grant’s reaction was instantaneous. He didn't argue. He didn't explain. He lunged across the corner of the table toward me, his hands grabbing for my coat, but the heavy oak door of the conference room burst open before he could touch me.
"State Police! Don't move!"
Two uniformed troopers rushed into the room with weapons drawn, accompanied by Deputy Marshal Fraser.
Grant stumbled back, slamming his spine against the glass window. His eyes darted wildly from the officers to the door, realizing in a split second that he was completely trapped.
"Grant Bennett, you are under arrest for attempted first-degree murder, criminal arson, and insurance fraud," Fraser announced, stepping forward with handcuffs in her hand.
"This is a setup!" Grant screamed, his voice cracking with panicked desperation as the officers grabbed his arms and forced him down onto the conference table. "She’s insane! She staged the whole thing! She’s trying to frame me so she can keep her trust money!"
"Save it for the judge, Mr. Bennett," Fraser said coolly, snapping the metal cuffs around his wrists. "We executed a search warrant on your Lake Norman property twenty minutes ago. We found the second burner phone, three matching RF relay switches in your workshop, and forty thousand dollars in undeclared cash."
As the officers hauled Grant toward the door, he turned his head toward me. The charade of the loving husband was completely dead; in his eyes was pure, unadulterated hatred.
"You won't win, Claire!" he shouted, his voice echoing down the marble hallway as he was dragged away. "Victoria will finish this! You won't get a penny! You hear me? You won't get a penny!"
I stood in the quiet conference room, my body shaking as the adrenaline finally began to drain from my veins. Dana entered moments later, wrapping her arms around me as I let out a long, ragged breath.
"It’s over, Claire," Dana whispered. "He’s in cuffs. It’s over."
"No," I said, wiping a tear from my cheek as I looked at the open folder on the table. "He mentioned Victoria. He said she would finish this. Where is she right now?"
Fraser walked back into the room, holding her secure radio. Her expression was grim.
"Mrs. Bennett, we have a situation," Fraser said softly. "When our local units raided the Lake Norman house, Victoria Vance was already gone. Her vehicle was abandoned two miles away near a private marina. And we just received an alert from your daughter’s school."
My blood went cold as ice. "What about Lily’s school?"
"Fifteen minutes ago, a woman presenting forged parental authorization papers and claiming to be a legal assistant from your family trust firm walked into the administrative office," Fraser said, her voice tight with urgency. "She pulled Lily out of her second-period class."
"No!" I screamed, the world spinning violently around me. "No, no, no!"
"We’ve put the entire district on lockdown and issued an immediate Amber Alert," Fraser said, grabbing my arm to steady me. "She took your daughter in a dark gray sedan heading north toward the state line. We are tracking the vehicle’s GPS through cellular towers right now."
I didn't think. I didn't cry. The fear that had kept me captive for the past four days instantly transmuted into a searing, blinding maternal fury.
Grant hadn't been acting alone, and his arrest hadn't stopped the plan. Victoria Vance was running, and she was taking my daughter as her ultimate bargaining chip to force me to drop the charges and release the trust funds.
"Dana, give me your keys," I said, my voice dead calm.
"Claire, you can't go after her yourself—" Dana started.
"She has my child!" I shouted, grabbing the keys from Dana’s hands. "Fraser, tell me where that GPS signal is pointing!"
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Fraser looked at me, seeing the absolute determination in my eyes, and didn't try to stop me. "The car is heading toward an abandoned industrial park near the old river docks off Route 9. I'm calling every state trooper within fifty miles, but you follow my lead. Do you understand me?"
"I'm getting my daughter back," I said. "Dead or alive."
