“How did you escape?” I whispered.
Owen looked toward the door.
“Caleb helped me.”
My heart quickened.
“He did?”
Owen nodded.
“He told me the evidence Dad hid was still at the cabin.”
My stomach tightened.
“How did he know?”
“Because Dad told us before they took him away.”
Owen swallowed.
“Caleb said the only way to bring everyone home was to find it.”
I looked toward the damaged phone and notebook we’d recovered.
Then I asked the question I’d been avoiding.
“Owen, what happened to Dad?”
My son’s face collapsed.
For several seconds, he couldn’t answer.
Then he whispered:
“I don’t know.”
***
The next morning, Detective Ellis began reviewing Ben’s records.
The notebook contained dates, vehicle numbers, and payments.
The photographs showed Aaron with men linked to a private transportation company.
But the most disturbing documents concerned shipments made through a network of warehouses.
Equipment.
Medication.
High-value medical supplies.
