Chapter 7 - THE DOCTOR WHO DISAPPEARED
Dr. Rebecca Sloan was found in a small town in Connecticut.
She had been hiding with relatives.
When investigators approached, she initially refused to speak.
Then they showed her Elena's notebook.
Rebecca began crying.
She agreed to cooperate.
Rebecca had worked with Elena on a program providing medical care to underserved families.
The program was funded through the charitable foundation.
But Elena discovered that much of the money was disappearing.
When she confronted Vincent, he threatened to destroy her reputation.
Then he threatened her family.
Rebecca had helped Elena collect evidence.
They planned to bring the information to authorities.
But Vincent discovered their plan.
Three days before Elena vanished, Rebecca received a message.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
Two days later, Elena disappeared.
Rebecca fled.
Detective Bennett asked whether Rebecca knew where Elena had been taken.
She shook her head.
“No.”
Then hesitated.
“But Elena told me something.”
The detective leaned forward.
“What?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“She said if anything happened, her daughter would know where to look.”
The investigators exchanged glances.
Rebecca continued.
“Elena taught Sophia a color game.”
I sat upright when Dante told me.
“A color game?”
He nodded.
“Rebecca says Elena used colors to help Sophia remember important places.”
Suddenly, everything made sense.
Purple door.
Blue star.
Purple flower.
Sophia hadn't been randomly drawing.
She had been remembering.
Dante looked at me.
“Elena knew Sophia might be the only witness.”
I swallowed.
“She gave her a way to communicate.”
That evening, Sophia and I sat on the sunroom floor.
I brought colored paper.
Purple.
Blue.
Green.
Yellow.
Red.
I placed them in a circle.
“Want to play a game?”
Sophia nodded.
I pointed at purple.
“Purple means?”
She whispered:
“Door.”
I pointed at blue.
“Blue means?”
“Star.”
Green?
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Garden.”
Yellow?
“Light.”
Red?
Her face changed.
She looked frightened.
I stopped.
“It's okay.”
But she shook her head.
Then whispered:
“Red means bad man.”
Dante stood near the doorway.
His face hardened.
I looked at Sophia.
“Do you know the bad man's name?”
She stared at the red paper.
Then whispered:
“Vincent.”
Dante closed his eyes.
May you like
The truth was no longer a suspicion.
It was a child's memory.
