Chapter 10
The police arrived within fifteen minutes. Detective Miller remembered Ryan immediately. He listened carefully as Ryan explained the letters, the photos, and the text message. Two patrol cars circled the neighborhood. They found nothing. Arthur had vanished like smoke. "We'll put a stationary unit at the end of the street," Miller promised, writing down the details of the alias Marcus had provided. "We're pulling the motel records now." "If he goes back there, we'll have him." Ryan nodded, but he didn't feel relieved. A police car on the corner wouldn't stop a man who had nothing to lose. The next morning, the routine changed entirely. Ryan refused to let the children take the bus. He drove them to school himself, watching the rearview mirror the entire time. He walked Oliver and Olivia directly to their classrooms. He spoke to the principal, showing her the picture of Arthur. "Under no circumstances is this man allowed near my children." The principal looked alarmed but nodded firmly. "We will alert all the staff, Mr. Cole." "No one picks them up except you or Emily." Ryan felt a slight fraction of control return. But it didn't last. That afternoon, Emily went to pick up Ethan from the hospital after his routine blood test. The waiting room was crowded. Ethan was sitting in a chair, reading a comic book. Emily smiled as she walked toward him. "Ready to go, sweetie?" Ethan looked up and smiled. "Yeah." "The doctor said my numbers look good." "That's amazing news," Emily said, kissing the top of his head. She helped him put on his jacket. As Ethan stood up, a small toy fell from his lap onto the floor. It was a plastic dinosaur. A T-Rex. Emily bent down to pick it up. "I didn't know you brought a toy today." Ethan looked at it, confused. "I didn't." Emily froze. "Where did you get this, Ethan?" Ethan shrugged. "A nice man gave it to me while you were talking to the receptionist." "He said he knew Oliver." Emily's heart stopped beating for a full second. "What did he look like, Ethan?" "Think carefully." "He was tall." "He wore a dark coat." "And he had really sad eyes." Emily felt the room start to spin. She grabbed Ethan's hand tightly, almost too tightly. "Mom?" "You're hurting me." "I'm sorry, baby." She immediately loosened her grip, but she didn't let go. She looked frantically around the waiting room. Dozens of faces blurred together. Nurses, doctors, patients. None of them was Arthur. He had slipped in, handed her son a toy, and slipped out. He wanted them to know he could reach them anywhere. Emily pulled out her phone and called Ryan. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped the device. "Ryan." "He was here." "He was right next to Ethan." Ryan's voice was tight with panic. "Are you okay?" "Is Ethan safe?" "We're fine." "We're leaving right now." "I'm getting a security escort to the car." "Do it." "Come straight home." Emily hung up. She flagged down a hospital security guard, explaining the situation quickly. The guard walked them to their car, checking the parking garage carefully. When they finally reached the safety of their vehicle, Emily locked the doors immediately. She looked at the plastic dinosaur sitting in the cup holder. It was meant to be a message. He knew about Oliver's favorite things. He knew their routines. As she drove home, she glanced at Ethan in the rearview mirror. He was looking out the window, blissfully unaware of how close danger had come. Emily made a silent promise to herself. She had spent years being a victim. She had let Victoria dictate her life. She was not going to let this man do the same. If Arthur wanted a war, she would give him one.
