"They weren't keeping me there."
"Then what were they doing?"
"Waiting."
"For what?"
He swallowed.
"For Marcus."
Emily froze.
"Why?"
Christopher's eyes moved toward the door.
"Because they needed the dog to find him."
Emily stepped back.
"What?"
Christopher reached weakly for her hand.
"Rex wasn't transferred to Marcus by accident."
Emily stared.
"Who arranged it?"
Christopher's voice dropped.
"Someone wanted Marcus to come here."
"Who?"
Christopher tried to answer.
But the monitor began beeping.
Emily called for assistance.
"He's deteriorating!"
A nurse hurried into the room.
Christopher closed his eyes.
Before losing consciousness, he whispered one last sentence.
"Tell Marcus... the second tag..."
Emily leaned closer.
"What second tag?"
But he was already unconscious.
The second tag
Outside, Marcus was examining the metal plate.
He turned it over several times.
C.C.
The date.
The identification number.
He remembered something Christopher had told him when they were children.
A story about a small metal tag hidden inside the collar of their family dog.
Their father had called it a good-luck charm.
Marcus looked at Rex.
"Come here, boy."
Rex approached.
Marcus carefully examined the dog's collar.
The leather was old and worn.
He removed it.
Something small shifted inside the lining.
Marcus ran his fingers along the underside.
Then he felt a hard object.
He pulled at a loose stitch.
A second metal tag slipped out.
This one was smaller.
It had three engraved words.
NOT THE FIRST ONE.
Marcus stared.
General Brooks stepped closer.
"What is that?"
Marcus showed him.
The general's expression became serious.
"Where did you find it?"
"Inside Rex's collar."
Brooks turned the tag over.
On the reverse side was a sequence of numbers.
09-17-0417.
Marcus looked at the general.
"What does it mean?"
Brooks didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
"September seventeenth. Room 417."
Marcus frowned.
"That's the date Christopher disappeared."
Brooks looked at him.
"Are you certain?"
"I've memorized that date for six years."
The general slowly nodded.
"Then we need to find the original records."
Marcus looked toward the intensive care room.
"How?"
Brooks pointed toward the hospital's old medical wing.
"There's a basement archive beneath this building."
Marcus's expression changed.
"Why didn't you mention that before?"
"Because I didn't know whether it still existed."
"Who does?"
Brooks glanced toward the administrative corridor.
"Dr. Lawson."
At that moment, a nurse hurried toward them.
"General Brooks?"
He turned.
"Yes?"
"Dr. Carter asked me to find you."
"Why?"
The nurse looked frightened.
"Someone entered the intensive care room."
Marcus immediately turned.
"Who?"
The nurse swallowed.
"Dr. Lawson."
Marcus started running.
Rex followed.
The empty bed
When Marcus reached the intensive care room, Emily was standing beside the bed.
The blanket was folded.
The medical monitor was still running.
But Christopher was gone.
Marcus stopped.
"No."
Emily turned.
"Marcus—"
"Where is he?"
"I stepped out for less than a minute. When I came back..."
Marcus looked around.
The window was closed.
The door was open.
A medical cart stood near the wall.
He grabbed the edge of the bed.
"Where is my brother?"
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know."
Marcus turned toward the corridor.
"LOCK DOWN THE HOSPITAL!"
General Brooks immediately reached for his radio.
"Security control, this is General Brooks. Initiate an internal lockdown. Secure all exits. Nobody leaves without identification."
A voice responded.
"Understood, General."
Marcus looked down at Rex.
The dog's nose was close to the floor.
He began sniffing the bed.
Then he moved toward the door.
He stopped.
His ears lifted.
Marcus recognized the behavior.
"He's tracking him."
General Brooks nodded.
"Let him work."
Rex moved down the corridor.
Past the nurses' station.
Past the elevators.
Then toward a stairwell marked:
AUTHORIZED STAFF ONLY.
Marcus followed.
At the bottom of the stairs was a heavy metal door.