Chapter 13 - THE HOUSE IN VERMONT
Snow began falling as Julian crossed into Vermont.
Noah sat in the rear of the vehicle with his wrists tied.
His wheelchair had been folded inside the trunk.
Julian believed the tracker was inside Noah’s phone, which he had destroyed.
He did not notice the small transmitter sewn into the cuff of Noah’s shirt.
The blue dot led Detective Ortiz’s team toward an isolated mountain road.
Evelyn rode in the lead vehicle.
Dr. Shah had treated the cut on her forehead and urged her to remain behind.
Evelyn refused.
The safe house stood among pine trees three miles from the nearest town.
It looked like an abandoned hunting lodge.
Beneath it, Julian had built a private medical facility.
Dr. Harlan waited inside.
He examined Noah as though he were still a patient.
“You’ve caused a great deal of trouble,” Harlan said.
“You drugged me.”
“I protected you from unrealistic expectations.”
“You protected yourself.”
Harlan injected Noah with a mild sedative.
Noah fought to remain alert.
Julian placed a new document in front of him.
This version transferred the voting trust directly to Julian in exchange for lifetime medical care.
“Sign properly,” Julian ordered.
“No.”
Julian leaned closer.
“Your maid cannot save you every time.”
“She saved me when my family ran away.”
“She is not your family.”
Noah looked at him.
“She is now.”
Julian struck the table.
The sound echoed through the underground room.
Harlan warned him that fear would invalidate the agreement.
Julian laughed.
“Only if anyone survives to describe it.”
Noah realized the doctor was also disposable.
Harlan realized it moments later.
The two men began arguing.
Noah tested the straps around his wrists.
Dr. Harlan had fastened them loosely because he believed Noah’s hands were weak.
Noah twisted one wrist free.
He waited.
Upstairs, a vehicle stopped outside the lodge.
Julian heard nothing beneath the concrete.
Detective Ortiz surrounded the house.
Evelyn entered through the kitchen with an officer.
They discovered monitors showing every room.
On one screen, Noah sat beneath bright medical lights.
A second screen displayed the underground corridor.
Graham Reed stood near the rear entrance.
He had escaped police custody during a hospital transfer with help from Eric Dalton.
Julian never worked alone.
Ortiz ordered the team to hold position.
Graham had wired the basement doors with explosives.
A direct assault could kill Noah.
Evelyn studied the building plans recovered from Daniel’s drive.
An old coal chute connected the kitchen pantry to the underground storage room.
It was barely wide enough for an adult.
She entered before Ortiz could stop her.
The chute dropped steeply.
Evelyn slid through darkness and landed on sacks of medical supplies.
She heard Noah speaking through the wall.
“Did Uncle Julian pay you after the crash?”
Harlan answered defensively.
“I saved your life.”
“You helped them hide what they did.”
“I followed medical judgment.”
“You followed money.”
Noah was keeping them distracted.
Evelyn found the storage-room door locked.
She used a surgical tray to remove the hinge pins.
In the treatment room, Noah slipped his second hand free.
He reached for the metal brace attached to the side of the examination table.
Julian turned toward the security camera.
He noticed movement in the storage room.
“Someone’s inside.”
Graham appeared in the hallway with his gun drawn.
Evelyn pushed the loose door outward.
It struck Graham’s arm.
His gun fired into the ceiling.
Noah swung the metal brace at Julian.
Harlan ran.
Ortiz’s team breached the upper floor.
Julian grabbed Noah and dragged him toward the emergency tunnel.
Evelyn followed.
The tunnel opened behind the lodge near a frozen lake.
Julian pulled Noah onto the ice.
“Stay back!” he shouted.
Evelyn stopped at the shoreline.
The ice cracked beneath Julian’s feet.
Noah looked down.
“Let me go, or we both fall.”
Julian tightened his arm around the boy.
Sirens approached.
The crack widened.
Julian pushed Noah away and ran.
Noah slid across the ice.
His body struck a weak section.
May you like
The frozen surface broke.
He disappeared into the black water.
