Chapter 12 - The Woman in Blue Returns.
The escape lasted twenty-seven minutes before the county issued an emergency alert.
By then, Eleanor had changed clothes, abandoned Shaw's car, and disappeared into morning traffic.
Martin Shaw was found unconscious behind a warehouse six miles away.
He had been struck in the head.
When he woke, he claimed Eleanor attacked him and stole his money.
No one believed the story completely.
Lily and Noah were moved to a protected location.
Ethan went with them.
Claire was placed under separate protection because Lily refused to share a safe house with her.
The decision hurt Claire.
Lily did not apologize.
"I need to know the person beside my child won't decide I'm acceptable collateral."
Claire accepted the words in silence.
At the safe house, Ethan checked every window twice.
Lily watched him become obsessed with locks.
"You're doing what she did."
He stopped.
"What?"
"Trying to control fear by controlling the room."
Ethan stepped away from the window.
For several seconds, he looked like the boy who had been left with Eleanor after Claire vanished.
"I don't know how to do this."
Lily took his hand.
"Then start by asking instead of deciding."
He nodded.
"Do you want the window locked?"
"Yes."
It was a small beginning.
At 6:10 p.m., Noah fell asleep.
At 6:14, the power went out.
The safe house dropped into darkness.
Ethan grabbed Lily's hand.
Outside, a car engine started.
One of the officers shouted.
Glass shattered downstairs.
Lily lifted Noah from the crib and moved toward the bathroom as instructed.
Ethan stayed between them and the door.
A flashlight beam swept beneath the hallway gap.
Someone knocked three times.
"Police."
Ethan did not move.
"Name."
No answer.
The handle turned.
Ethan raised the metal lamp he had grabbed from the nightstand.
The door opened two inches.
"Ethan, don't hit me."
Claire's voice.
He froze.
Claire pushed inside, breathing hard.
"We have to leave."
Lily stared at her.
"How did you find us?"
"Because this safe house isn't safe."
"Who told you where we were?"
Claire held up a phone.
On the screen was an internal police message listing the protected address.
It had been forwarded to an unknown number.
"Someone inside the department leaked it."
Footsteps pounded downstairs.
Claire grabbed Lily's arm.
"Move."
Lily pulled away.
"Don't touch me."
A gunshot cracked through the lower floor.
That ended the argument.
They escaped through a rear stairwell and climbed into an unmarked police SUV driven by Detective Voss.
Voss sped away before Lily could ask how Claire reached her.
"Who fired?"
"One of ours."
"At who?"
Voss looked in the mirror.
"A man wearing a police uniform who wasn't police."
Ethan's face hardened.
"Mercer?"
"No."
Voss accelerated.
"Martin Shaw."
Lily stared at her.
"I thought he was in the hospital."
"So did we."
Voss's phone buzzed.
A photograph appeared from an officer at the safe house.
The intruder had escaped, but he left a dark blue dress folded neatly on Noah's crib.
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Pinned to it was a note.
BRING CLAIRE HOME.
