Chapter 9: The Web Tightens
The cold hum of the security console seemed to amplify the mounting tension in the room. David stared at the paused image on the monitor, his gaze locked onto the gold ring with the ivy leaf engraving. The pieces of the nightmare were starting to lock together into a horrifying pattern, but the core motivation remained an impenetrable wall of madness.
"Why?" Chloe’s voice broke the silence, thin and fragile as glass. Tears spilled over her lower eyelids, tracking hot paths down her pale cheeks. "Why would Robert do something like this? He helped us through the entire pregnancy. He recommended this hospital."
Dr. Harrison crossed his arms tightly over his chest, his jaw clenched so hard muscles twitched along his jawline. "Dr. Vance hasn't been seen since his shift ended at six this morning. His office is locked, and his personal phone goes straight to voicemail."
"We need to find him," Sarah said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, steely register. She looked at David, then at the security technician. "Where is he living? Does the hospital have a residential address on file?"
The technician rapidly tapped his keyboard, pulling up the personnel file. "Personnel records list a private estate on the outskirts of the city, near the old lake district. But wait—there's an internal access log here that's more interesting."
All eyes fixed on the monitor as the technician brought up a secondary surveillance feed from the hospital’s underground loading dock. The timestamp read 02:45 AM.
On the screen, Dr. Robert Vance could be clearly seen wheeling a standard medical transport crate out of the service elevator and directly toward the rear exit reserved for authorized personnel and supply trucks. A dark gray SUV was backed up to the loading bay, its engine idling, exhaust plumes visible in the cold night air.
"That's his vehicle," Nurse Marcus confirmed quietly, pointing at the license plate displayed faintly in the low-resolution infrared capture.
David felt a cold rage building deep inside his chest. He took a step toward the door. "I'm going to that house. I'm getting my daughter back."
"Mr. Miller, you cannot take the law into your own hands," Dr. Harrison warned, stepping into David's path. "If Dr. Vance is unstable, confronting him directly could endanger the infants. We have to coordinate with local law enforcement."
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"Law enforcement takes hours to mobilize, and every minute we stand here arguing gives him more time to disappear," David shot back, his voice echoing off the concrete walls of the security office. He looked at Chloe, whose expression had hardened from shock into a matching fury. "You coming?"
Chloe wiped her face with her sleeve, her chin lifting with a fierce, unbreakable resolve. "Try stopping me."
