It showed his daughter, Lily, standing outside her school.
The same photograph he had received years earlier.
"If you touch my daughter—"
"Then bring us the folder."
The call ended.
Marcus rested his head against the steering wheel.
He had spent twenty years trying to protect his family.
Now he was being forced to betray the only person who could expose the truth.
Daniel emerged from the house carrying the folder.
Marcus was waiting outside.
"Did you find something?" Marcus asked.
Daniel looked at him.
"Yes."
Marcus extended his hand.
"Let me see."
Daniel hesitated.
Then he handed him the diary.
Marcus opened it.
He read the page containing his name.
His expression changed.
"Daniel, I can explain."
"I know."
Marcus looked surprised.
"You do?"
"I know about your daughter. I know what they did to you."
Marcus lowered his head.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Marcus began to cry.
"They threatened her when she was seven years old. They showed me photographs. They told me that if I ever spoke, she would disappear."
Daniel stepped closer.
"Who?"
Marcus looked up.
"Hayes."
Suddenly, a car screeched around the corner.
Two men jumped out.
One pointed a weapon at Daniel.
"Give us the folder!"
Marcus pushed Daniel aside.
The first shot rang out.
Daniel hit the ground.
Marcus returned fire.
The two attackers ran toward their vehicle.
One of them dropped a phone.
Daniel picked it up.
The screen displayed a photograph.
It was Lily.
Underneath was a message.
Midnight. The old railway station. Bring the documents. Come alone.
Daniel looked at Marcus.
"We're getting your daughter back."
Marcus nodded.
But before they could move, Daniel's phone rang.
It was Rebecca.
"Daniel, I found Helen Brooks."
"Where is she?"
Rebecca's voice trembled.
"She's at the coastal hospital."
"Is she safe?"
There was a pause.
Then Rebecca whispered:
"She's not alone."
"Who is with her?"
Rebecca took a breath.
"David Mitchell."
Daniel looked at the diary.
For twenty years, they had searched for a missing child.
And now they had finally found him.
But the person they were looking for had been hiding the truth for a reason.
The coastal hospital was nearly deserted when Daniel and Rebecca arrived.
It stood beside an old highway, surrounded by trees and abandoned buildings.
The sign above the entrance had faded.
Only a few letters remained visible.
Helen Brooks was waiting in a room on the second floor.
She was seventy years old, with white hair and a small scar across her forehead.
When Daniel entered, she looked at him for a long time.
Then she began to cry.
"You look exactly like your father."
Daniel approached her.
"You knew him?"
Helen nodded.
"I was the nurse who helped deliver you and your brother."
Daniel sat down.
"Why did you help transfer Michael?"
Helen shook her head.
"I didn't. I tried to stop them."
She explained that Saint Mary's had been under financial pressure. Several senior administrators had accepted money from wealthy families to arrange illegal adoptions.
At first, she believed the transfers were legitimate.
Then she discovered that some parents had never consented.
She tried to report it.
But before she could, Hayes threatened her.
"They told me my husband would be arrested. They said my children would be taken away."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Did you know where Michael went?"
Helen nodded.
"He was taken to a private residence. I was supposed to sign a document declaring him deceased."
"Did you sign it?"
"No."
Helen opened a drawer and removed a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph of a young boy.
"This was taken three months after the transfer."
Daniel stared at it.
The boy was Michael.
He looked healthy.
Alive.
Helen continued.
"Your father found me after that. He begged me to tell him where the boy had been taken. I gave him the information."
"Why didn't he find Michael?"
"Because by the time he arrived, the family had disappeared."
Daniel looked at the photograph.
"Who was the family?"
Helen hesitated.
Then she said:
"The Miller family."
James.
The pieces were finally coming together.
But Daniel had one more question.
"Where is David Mitchell?"
Helen looked toward the door.
"He came here yesterday."
Rebecca stood up.
"Where is he now?"
Helen lowered her eyes.
"He left after receiving a phone call."
Rebecca's face turned pale.
"What did the caller say?"
Helen looked at her.
"That Arthur was going to be killed unless David came home."
Rebecca immediately reached for her phone.
"That's impossible. My father is in custody."
Daniel stood up.
"Who told him that?"
Helen whispered:
"Richard Hayes."
At that moment, Daniel received a call from Marcus.
"Where are you?" Marcus asked.
"At the coastal hospital."
"We have a problem."
"What happened?"
"Lily is gone."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Did they take her?"
Marcus's voice broke.
"I don't know. Her school says someone came to pick her up. They had official documents."
Daniel immediately understood.
The people behind the conspiracy had access to everything.
Police records.
School records.
Medical documents.
Even the identities of the people they were supposed to protect.
"Listen to me," Daniel said. "Don't do anything stupid. We'll find her."
Marcus was silent.
Then he spoke.
"Daniel, there's something else."
"What?"
"I found the original prison transfer order for Arthur."
Daniel frowned.
"Why?"
"Because he's not at the detention center anymore."
Daniel froze.
"What do you mean?"
"His transfer was approved two hours ago."
"Where?"
Marcus looked at the document.
"An undisclosed medical facility."
Daniel felt his heart pounding.
"That's not a legal transfer."
"I know."
Daniel turned toward Rebecca.
"Arthur's being moved."
Before anyone could respond, the hospital lights went out.
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Daniel drew his weapon.
"Stay behind me!"