Emily:
There was only one good thing that had come from the terrible news of Vincent's escape, and that was Cora spending more time with her godfather. In the last week, Martin and Amy joined us for breakfast every morning, and one of them was sure to pick Cora up from school every afternoon.
She spent an hour with them down at the police station, eating snacks and joking around with the entire force. All of the police men and women knew and adored Cora, and they each swore to protect her and keep her....father....a secret from her.
"Someday I'm gonna be a police officer," Cora said, sticking her fork into her scrambled eggs. "I'm gonna help people, just like you, Daddy Martin."
Martin smiled. "If you become a police officer, there won't be any crime left in the world."
"Hmm, then I wouldn't get paid."
"Touché."
Amy took a bite of her toast. "Not to mention, we would be out of the job. We can't let Cora have all the fun, you know."
They both laughed, along with James. There had been a lot of false laughter in the last few days.
It was worth it to keep the smile on Cora's face.
Martin shoveled his last bit of scrambled eggs and wiped his mouth with a paper towel. "I'm going to come eat lunch with you today, Squirt." He said, ruffling her hair. "What do you want? I can bring a broccoli sandwich, or perhaps some raw fish."
"Eeew!" Cora wailed, "That sounds gross!"
"Fine. How about a junior cheeseburger with no lettuce and tomato, just like you like it."
"Yay!"
Cora's smile faded for a moment, and she asked the question I knew would come soon. "How come you have been spending so much time with me lately?"
My breath hitched in my throat.
Martin, however, was unfazed. "Because I love you, you little hoodlum. Why? Are you getting tired of me already? Because I was planning on taking you to the park to get some ice cream after school."
"Yay!!" She bolted up from her chair and threw her arms around him. "Of course I'm not tired of you, Daddy Martin! I love you so much!"
James smiled at me, then glanced at his watch. "I'd better hit the road." He kissed Cora's forehead and shook both officers' hands. "See you tonight."
"Bye, Daddy!"
"Go get your backpack, sweetie." I said, picking up her plate. "You don't want to be late."
"Yes, ma'am!"
She hummed a tune as she darted up the stairs.
Amy helped me clear the rest of the plates off of the table. Seeing the pistol holstered to her slacks gave me a huge sense of relief, knowing that Cora was always around someone who was armed.
My cellphone vibrated on the counter.
"Awfully early for a phone call." Martin said, eyeing me as I picked up the phone.
The number on the screen was unfamiliar.
I answered anyway. "Hello?"
The call immediately disconnected.
"Who was that?" Amy asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know."
The phone vibrated in my hand.
Emily, it's Hope. Are you there?
"That's weird."
"What is?" Martin asked.
"This message. It says it's from Hope, but this isn't her number."
"Maybe she changed it."
"Yeah, maybe."
I texted back.
Did you change your number?
Yeah. Send me a picture of Cora.
My stomach immediately knotted. Something didn't feel right. Hope didn't text this way.
And why would she want a picture of Cora?
She had plenty.
My fingers trembled as I typed the next message.
Who is this?
There was no immediate answer.
"Emily, what's wrong?" Amy asked, noticing the worry in my eyes.
Before I could answer, an image was sent to me.
My knees nearly gave out from under me when I saw it. Martin had to catch me before I collapsed to the floor. "What is it, Emily?" He asked, keeping his strong hands wrapped around my arms.
"It's....it's.....oh, God!"
Martin took the phone from my hand. "Son of a bitch." He said, showing Amy the image on the screen, the image of my best friend, somewhere in a wooded area, bound, gagged, and blindfolded with duct tape, her face bruised and bloodied.
There was a small message that came with it.
I have her, Emily. You won't see her again unless you bring our daughter to me. No cops or I'll kill her. Do you understand?
Amy examined the picture closely, maintaining her professionalism. "There are only a few wooded around here, Martin. He can't be too far."
"How the hell did he manage to kidnap her? We've been patrolling her neighborhood for days."
"Graves is smart. The bastard knows how to get to his victims."
"No, please....." I wailed.
Martin's grasp on me tightened. "He's not going to get to you, Emily. We'll have someone guarding you twenty four seven."
"What about Cora?"
"I'll notify the school officer. No one will get near her. You have my word."
"He's....He's going to kill Hope."
"No, he's not. We will find her."
"How!?"
"Trust us, Emily. I'll have the captain send out an APB as soon as possible. Every officer in the state will be looking for them."
"But if he finds out the police know-"
"He won't find out."
My phone vibrated in Martin's hand.
Are you there?
Martin texted back.
Yes. I want to talk to Hope. I need to know that she is alive.
You don't trust me, Emily?
Please. Let me talk to her.
Have you contacted the police?
No. I swear I haven't.
You've become awfully chummy with them.
I will not call them, Vincent.
Alright, I'll let you talk to her. But we are going to keep it brief. Don't ask her where she is. Don't make her say anything stupid.
I won't. I just want to hear her voice.
My heart pounded as I read the texts. Martin was so convincing posing as me. I don't think Vincent suspected he was speaking to someone else.
"I'll go upstairs with Cora," Amy said, "See if you can keep him talking. Maybe he'll be stupid enough to give his location away."
The phone vibrated seconds later. Martin nodded at me before handing it over. I answered. "Vincent."
"It's so good to hear your voice, Emily."
"Where's Hope?"
"That's typical of you, Emily," I could hear the frustration in his voice. "You always put other people before me. Aren't you even the least bit curious about what I went through the last seven years, what hell I had to endure?"
Martin nodded again.
"Of course I am, Vincent. I just need to make sure that Hope is alright."
"Fine. I'll let you talk to her, but remember not to make her say anything stupid."
"I won't."
The line went silent for a moment, like he had put himself on mute. He was probably giving her a stern warning before putting her on the phone.
"Emily?"
"Hope! Hope, are you okay?"
"I've been better."
"Did he hurt you?"
"A little, but I'll be okay."
"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault you-"
"He wants you to trade Cora for me, Emily."
"I know."
"Don't do it! Don't let him talk you into-"
Her voice was muzzled, and Vincent came back on the line. "See, she's fine."
"Let her go, Vincent."
"You know what I want."
"Where are you?"
"I'm nearby."
"How can I bring Cora if I don't know where you are? You have to tell me."
Martin shook his head.
I ignored him. "Please, Vincent."
"I'll be in touch. Remember, no cops."
With that, he ended the call. I threw my hand over my eyes and paced around the room. "Damn it! I can't believe this! I should've kept him on the phone longer. Maybe then he would have-"
"You did fine, Emily. He wasn't going to tell you where he is during the first phone call."
"What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Wait until he calls back. I'll have a team come and see if we can trace the calls."
"But he's watching the house."
"You let me worry about that."
"Oh, Martin." I threw my arms around him and sobbed into his chest. "I'll die if anything happens to her because of me!"
Martin hugged me and whispered, "None of this is your fault. Graves is a sick fuck. But you have to keep it together, for Cora's sake. If she sees you crying, she'll know something's wrong."
"I know, but-"
"Pretend everything is okay. Go to work, come home and play with Cora, and allow the police to handle this. We will get Hope back. I promise."
I wanted to believe him.
But Vincent was smart.
He wasn't going to stay in one spot while the police looked for him. And he wasn't going to buy that I didn't tell them. I had to do something drastic, before he killed my best friend.
I had to find him myself.