Chapter 4 - The Vanishing Child
While Julian was being evaluated at the hospital, Marcus returned to the library to secure the crime scene.
However, when he stepped into the dimly lit room, Chloe was nowhere to be found.
The cream cardigan she had been wearing was resting neatly on a leather armchair beside the classic bookshelf.
On the floor near the framed US flag sat the brown teddy bear she had cradled so tightly.
Marcus picked up the teddy bear, noticing a heavy, solid object concealed within its plush interior.
He unzipped the small hidden seam on the back of the bear, pulling out an encrypted thumb drive and a handwritten note.
The note contained a single sentence written in elegant, refined handwriting: "They spiked the drink, Julian."
Marcus immediately called Julian's secure line at the hospital, reporting the strange disappearance.
"Check the library security footage right now, Marcus!" Julian ordered, stepping out of his hospital bed despite medical warnings.
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Someone had brought Chloe into that library specifically to save Julian's life—or to deliver a fatal message.
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