Chapter 10 - THE GIRL BY THE LAKE
The photograph of Sophie led investigators to a small town in Wisconsin.
A distinctive water tower matched one near a lakeside community.
The church in the background confirmed the location.
Authorities visited the property.
The house was empty.
But neighbors remembered a woman matching Sophie's description.
She had lived there under another name.
Quiet.
Private.
Rarely leaving.
One neighbor recalled that she'd moved away suddenly two months earlier.
Another remembered a blue car collecting her belongings.
Investigators traced the vehicle.
The trail led to a protected residence in Minnesota.
Sophie Lane was alive.
Nora received the news while sitting with Evelyn.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then she began crying.
Sophie had survived the warehouse fire investigation by going into hiding after receiving threats.
She had believed Nora was dead.
When she learned Nora might still be alive, she began sending clues through intermediaries she trusted.
The photograph.
The ledger page.
The warnings.
Nora covered her face.
“She was trying to find me.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes.”
A meeting was arranged through legal representatives and investigators.
Nora entered a quiet room.
Sophie stood near the window.
Older.
Thinner.
But alive.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Sophie whispered:
“Ellie?”
Nora began crying.
She crossed the room.
They embraced.
Three years of fear collapsed into one moment.
Sophie whispered:
“I thought you died.”
Nora held her tighter.
May you like
“I thought you did too.”
And for the first time in three years, both women knew they were no longer alone.
