Chapter 7
The words hung in the frigid air like shards of ice. A second bassinet. Clara staggered back, her knees hitting the sofa cushion as she sank down hard, pulling the infant in the green reindeer onesie up against her collarbone. Her breath hitched, her mind desperately trying to process the horrifying logistical nightmare Elena had constructed.
"A second one?" Marcus repeated, stepping toward the police officer with wide, bloodshot eyes. "Are you saying there was another baby in her car?"
Officer Miller pulled a notebook from his pocket, flipping it open with gloved fingers. "The registration for the vehicle traces back to a private perinatal clinic across state lines. According to the emergency dispatch we just received from that facility, an infant was reported missing from their neonatal unit approximately three hours ago."
Arthur gripped the back of the sofa, his knuckles turning white. "Good Lord in heaven," he murmured, his voice cracking. "She’s running a trafficking ring. Our own flesh and blood has been operating a child-smuggling operation right beneath our roof."
"Dad, don't," Martha sobbed, burying her face in her hands as the sheer magnitude of the disgrace crashed down upon them. "How could we not see this? How did we raise a monster?"
"We didn't see it because Elena was brilliant at hiding in plain sight," Marcus said bitterly, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He turned his attention back to the officer. "Officer Miller, where is she heading? If her car is still running down the lane, she can't have gotten far on foot in this blizzard."
Miller shook his head slowly. "She didn't run on foot, Mr. Vance. We found fresh tracks leading toward the old railway bridge at the edge of the property. The county closed that bridge years ago due to structural damage, but a snowmobile was stashed in the maintenance shed."
Clara looked down at the infant sleeping peacefully in her arms. A wave of profound, protective instinct surged through her veins, overriding her shock. This baby was innocent. Whatever twisted game Elena was playing, this child deserved safety, warmth, and a real family.
"Marcus," Clara said, her voice steadying with a cold, fierce resolve. "Put your coat on."
Marcus blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in his wife's demeanor. "Clara, what are you doing?"
"We are going after her," Clara declared, standing up straight and adjusting the baby securely against her chest. "She took my child. I am not sitting in this warm living room waiting for a miracle. If she went to the railway bridge, that's where we're going."
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Officer Miller stepped forward, blocking their path with an outstretched hand. "I can't let you do that, ma'am. That bridge is a structural hazard in normal weather. In a blizzard, it's a death trap."
"Try stopping me," Clara replied, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, motherly fury that made even the seasoned police officer step aside.
