Chapter 9 - THE DAY SOPHIE DISAPPEARED
The first sign that something was wrong was the silence.
At 4:12 on a Tuesday afternoon, Anna walked into the blue room and found it empty.
The replacement bed was neatly made.
Sophie's stuffed rabbit lay on the pillow.
Her yellow cardigan hung from the wardrobe.
But Sophie was gone.
Anna checked the bathroom.
The playroom.
The upstairs hallway.
Then she hurried downstairs.
“Henry?”
The butler emerged from the dining room.
“Yes, Miss Miller?”
“Have you seen Sophie?”
Henry frowned.
“Not since lunch.”
Anna felt her stomach tighten.
“She was playing in the garden.”
Henry immediately called the groundskeeper.
Nobody had seen her.
Anna ran outside.
“Sophie!”
The garden stretched beneath a gray afternoon sky.
Leaves scattered across the stone paths.
“Sophie!”
No answer.
She hurried toward the greenhouse.
Empty.
The garden shed.
Empty.
Then she saw something near the back gate.
A small gold star sticker.
Pressed against the iron.
She stopped.
Her hands began shaking.
She opened the gate.
Beyond it lay a narrow service road.
A second gold star had been placed on a tree.
Then a third.
Anna followed them.
At the edge of the property, she found Sophie's pink hair ribbon lying in the mud.
Anna screamed.
Dante was in a meeting when Henry called.
He listened for three seconds.
Then stood so abruptly that his chair struck the wall.
“Lock down the property.”
The men around the table fell silent.
“Call the police. Preserve every security recording. Nobody touches anything.”
He ended the call.
One attorney stood.
“Dante?”
“My family needs me.”
He walked out.
By the time Dante reached the estate, Anna was sitting on the front steps.
Her face was pale.
Her hands were covered in mud.
She held Sophie's ribbon.
Dante approached.
“Anna.”
She looked up.
“They took her.”
He knelt.
“We don't know that yet.”
She shook her head.
“I found her stars.”
Dante looked at the ribbon.
His chest tightened.
Anna grabbed his jacket.
“Please.”
Her voice broke.
“Please bring my baby home.”
Dante held her hands.
“We're going to find her.”
Security footage showed Sophie walking toward the garden at 3:47 p.m.
At 3:52, a woman wearing a dark coat approached the rear gate.
The camera angle didn't show her face.
But Sophie appeared to recognize her.
She waved.
Then followed her beyond the gate.
At 3:55, a black SUV left the service road.
Its license plate had been obscured.
Dante watched the recording three times.
Anna stood beside him.
“Who is she?”
Dante paused the image.
The woman wore a cream-colored scarf.
A familiar scarf.
Isabella Russo owned one exactly like it.
Dante felt cold.
He called Rachel.
“Isabella may be involved.”
Rachel contacted the investigators already working on the financial case.
Dante handed over the footage.
He would not gamble with Sophie's life by attempting a private rescue.
At 6:03 p.m., Dante's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice spoke.
“Good evening, Dante.”
Marcus.
Dante went still.
“Where is she?”
Marcus laughed.
“Straight to business.”
“Where's Sophie?”
“Safe.”
“Let me hear her.”
A pause.
Then a small voice.
“Mr. D?”
Dante's chest tightened.
“Sophie?”
“I'm scared.”
He gripped the phone.
“I know, princess.”
“Can I come home?”
“Yes.”
Marcus returned.
“Touching.”
Dante's voice became cold.
“What do you want?”
“The notebook. The recording. Every copy.”
“You know investigators already have the evidence.”
“Then you'll have to persuade them.”
Dante looked toward Anna.
She was watching him.
Terrified.
Marcus continued.
“You have until midnight.”
The call ended.
Dante lowered the phone.
Anna stood.
“Was that her?”
He nodded.
She covered her mouth.
“She's alive.”
“Yes.”
Anna began crying.
Dante approached.
“We have time.”
She grabbed his arm.
“Don't let them hurt her.”
He looked into her eyes.
“I won't stop trying.”
At 8:20 p.m., investigators identified the SUV.
It belonged to a private security company connected to Marcus.
The vehicle had traveled north toward an abandoned coastal property.
A former children's summer camp.
Rachel coordinated with law enforcement.
Dante and Anna remained at the estate.
Every minute felt unbearable.
At 10:41 p.m., Marcus called again.
“You're running out of time.”
Dante kept his voice steady.
“Let Sophie go.”
“Bring me the evidence.”
“Where?”
Marcus gave an address.
The abandoned camp.
Then added, “Come alone.”
Dante looked toward Rachel.
She shook her head.
Dante answered, “I need proof she's still alive.”
Marcus sighed.
Then Sophie's voice came through.
“Mr. D?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“I made a star.”
Dante swallowed.
“That's good.”
“For you.”
His eyes filled.
“Thank you.”
She whispered, “It's the home one.”
Then the line went dead.
At 11:56 p.m., police surrounded the abandoned camp.
Inside, Sophie sat on a small bed in a locked office.
She held a crooked yellow paper star.
Marcus stood near the window.
Isabella paced.
“This has gone too far.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You helped bring her here.”
“I thought you were going to frighten Dante.”
“That's what we're doing.”
“She is three years old!”
Marcus's expression hardened.
“Then perhaps you should have considered that earlier.”
Isabella stepped backward.
Then she heard a voice outside.
“Marcus Vale, this is the police. Come out with your hands visible.”
Marcus cursed.
He grabbed Sophie's arm.
She screamed.
Isabella moved between them.
“Let her go!”
Marcus shoved her aside.
Officers entered.
Marcus raised his weapon.
An officer shouted.
“Drop it!”
For one terrible second, nobody moved.
Then Sophie began crying.
“Mr. D!”
Marcus glanced toward her.
Officers used the distraction to disarm and restrain him.
Sophie fell to the floor.
A female officer immediately approached.
“Hi, sweetheart. My name is Emily.”
Sophie sobbed.
“I want Mama.”
Emily knelt.
“We're going to take you to her.”
Sophie held up the yellow star.
“And Mr. D.”
Emily smiled gently.
“Him too.”
At 12:34 a.m., Anna saw her daughter.
Sophie emerged from a police vehicle wrapped in a blanket.
Anna ran toward her.
“Sophie!”
The little girl stretched out her arms.
“Mama!”
Anna lifted her.
She held her so tightly that Sophie squeaked.
“Too tight, Mama.”
Anna laughed through her tears.
“I'm sorry, baby.”
Dante stood several feet away.
He didn't approach.
He watched mother and daughter embrace.
Then Sophie spotted him.
“Mr. D!”
He stepped forward.
She reached for him.
Anna nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Dante lifted Sophie carefully.
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I made you something.”
He swallowed.
“What?”
She opened her hand.
A crooked yellow paper star.
One point was shorter than the others.
The edges were uneven.
But to Dante, it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He took it.
“Thank you, princess.”
Sophie touched his cheek.
“Don't be sad.”
Dante's eyes filled.
“I'm trying.”
She smiled.
“You found me.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
She pressed her forehead against his.
“See?”
May you like
Dante closed his eyes.
“The stars worked.”
