Chapter 8 - THE NIGHT THE CHILDREN DISAPPEARED
The children vanished during a thunderstorm.
Elena had been helping Margaret prepare dinner.
Noah and Eli were supposed to be in the playroom.
When she checked, the room was empty.
Two toy dinosaurs lay beside the couch.
A window stood slightly open.
Elena's heart slammed.
“Eli?”
No answer.
She ran into the hallway.
“Noah?”
Silence.
Then she heard footsteps.
Cole appeared.
“What happened?”
“The boys are gone.”
His face drained of color.
Marcus arrived seconds later.
Security began searching the estate.
The gardens.
The garages.
The guesthouse.
Every room.
Every corridor.
Nothing.
Then Elena noticed something.
A small green dinosaur near the service entrance.
Eli's favorite.
She picked it up.
Its plastic tail had been broken.
Her hands began shaking.
Cole looked at it.
“Where did you find that?”
She pointed.
“By the door.”
Marcus checked the security records.
The service gate had opened twelve minutes earlier.
Using Daniel Cross's access code.
Cole went completely still.
Then his phone rang.
An unknown number.
He answered.
Daniel's voice came through.
“Cole.”
Silence.
May you like
Then Daniel said:
“If you want the boys back, bring me the silver bird.”
