Ryan drove straight to Westchester Memorial Hospital.

He needed to see Sophie.

Not because she could answer every question.

Because she was the only thing in his life that no longer felt like a lie.

When he entered her room, she and Leo were sitting together on the bed.

Leo had brought a stack of comic books.

Sophie was wearing clean pajamas, her blond hair brushed back from her face.

She looked different.

Still thin.

Still cautious.

But no longer like the frightened child Ryan had pulled from the wall.

Leo held up a comic.

"Dad, Sophie thinks Spider-Man could beat Batman."

Ryan stopped.

"That's a dangerous opinion in this family."

Sophie smiled.

A real smile.

Ryan felt something twist inside his chest.

He had missed her first smile.

Her first word.

Her first day of school.

But maybe he didn't have to miss everything else.

Sophie looked at him.

"Are you sad?"

Ryan sat beside her.

"A little."

"Because of Mommy?"

He hesitated.

"Yes."

"She's not dead."

Ryan stared at her.

"You know that?"

Sophie nodded.

"Mrs. Whitmore said she was. But I didn't believe her."

"Why?"

"Because Mommy promised she'd find me."

Ryan reached for her hand.

"Tell me what happened before you came to my house."

Sophie concentrated.

"We were staying somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"An apartment?"

She nodded.

"Mommy said we had to be quiet."

"Was anyone else there?"

"No."

"Then what happened?"

Sophie looked down.

"Mommy went downstairs."

"Why?"

"She said somebody was coming to help us."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Sophie squeezed his fingers.

"Then the old lady came."

"Margaret?"

Sophie nodded.

"She said Mommy sent her."

Ryan's jaw tightened.

"Did you believe her?"

"At first."

"And then?"

"She put me in the car."

Sophie became quiet.

Ryan didn't push.

After a moment, she continued.

"The doctor was there."

"Carter?"

"He gave me something."

Ryan felt cold.

"What?"

"Juice."

"Did it make you sleepy?"

She nodded.

"I woke up in the dark room."

Ryan stood so quickly the chair scraped the floor.

Leo looked frightened.

Ryan forced himself to calm down.

"It's okay."

He kissed Sophie's forehead.

"I'll be right outside."

Michael was waiting in the hall.

Ryan told him everything.

"If Carter drugged her—"

"We let the police prove it."

Ryan slammed his palm against the wall.

"Everyone keeps telling me to wait."

"And everyone you're angry at is counting on you doing something reckless."

Ryan looked away.

Michael lowered his voice.

"I found something else."

"Of course you did."

"Emily worked for Harlan & Pierce Accounting before she disappeared."

Ryan remembered the firm.

"They audited Whitmore Development."

"Exactly."

Michael handed him several printed records.

"Seven years ago, about eighteen million dollars moved through three shell companies connected to a redevelopment project in Yonkers."

Ryan frowned.

"I don't remember this."

"You weren't running day-to-day operations then. Your father had just died."

Ryan studied the names.

"Who authorized it?"

"Several people."

Michael pointed to one.

Margaret Hayes.

Ryan looked up.

"She wasn't even an executive."

"She was advising the estate during the transition."

"Why would Emily care?"

"Because she was on the audit team."

Ryan slowly understood.

"She found something."

"Looks that way."

Michael leaned against the wall.

"Emily's disappearance happened six days after she requested supporting records for those transfers."

Ryan stared at the paperwork.

"So this wasn't just about Sophie."

"No."

Ryan remembered Claire's words.

Emily had come back.

Carter had followed her.

Margaret had taken Sophie.

Everything was connected.

That evening, Ryan returned to the police station.

Claire was still being questioned but had not been formally charged with kidnapping.

Her lawyer was present now.

Ryan didn't care.

"I know about the money."

Claire's face changed.

"What money?"

"The eighteen million."

Her lawyer immediately interrupted.

"Claire, don't answer."

Ryan ignored him.

"Did your mother tell you why Emily disappeared?"

Claire shook her head.

"No."

"Did she tell you why Sophie was brought to our house?"

Claire looked toward her lawyer.

Ryan laughed bitterly.

"A six-year-old girl was starving inside our wall and you're worried about legal strategy?"

Claire's eyes filled.

"My mother said Sophie couldn't be seen."

"Why?"

"Because Emily was making threats."

"What threats?"

"She had documents."

Ryan leaned closer.

"What documents?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"I'm not!"

Claire took a breath.

"My mother came to me two weeks ago. She said Emily was trying to destroy everything."

"And Sophie?"

"She said keeping Sophie at the estate for a few days would force Emily to cooperate."

Ryan stared at her.

"You knew they were using my daughter as leverage."

"I didn't know she was your daughter for certain."

"You knew enough."

Claire lowered her eyes.

Ryan felt disgusted.

"You could have opened that door at any moment."

"I know."

"You could have called me."

"I know."

"You could have called the police."

"I know!"

Claire broke down.

"I was terrified of my mother, Ryan! I've been terrified of her my entire life."

Ryan stood.

"Then you should've been the last person willing to let a child feel the same way."

Claire covered her face.

Ryan walked toward the door.

"Ryan."

He stopped.

"My mother said something."

"What?"

"She said Sophie wasn't the real problem."

Ryan turned.

Claire looked at him.

"She said Emily had something that could send people to prison."

Later that night, Michael met Ryan at the hospital cafeteria.

He dropped a folder onto the table.

"Claire was telling the truth about one thing."

Ryan opened it.

Inside were copies of old banking records.

Michael pointed to several transfers.

"Emily wasn't hidden because she had your baby."

Ryan looked up.

Michael's face was grave.

"She was hidden because she knew where the money came from."