Daniel looked toward the corridor where Bennett had disappeared.
The case was far from over.
A few minutes later, a forensic officer entered the room.
"Captain, we found something in Bennett's briefcase."
Hayes stood.
"What?"
The officer placed a small envelope on the desk.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Michael Reed sitting inside a dark room.
He looked frightened and exhausted.
On the back, someone had written:
TRADE THE CHIEF FOR YOUR BROTHER.
Daniel stared at the photograph.
His brother was alive.
But someone was holding him.
Then another item fell from the envelope.
A small piece of paper with an address.
Daniel recognized the location.
It was an abandoned warehouse outside the city.
Claire entered the office at that moment.
She looked at the photograph.
"Is that your brother?"
Daniel nodded.
Claire studied the address.
"Then we know where to look."
Hayes immediately shook his head.
"No. This could be a trap."
Claire turned toward him.
"Every step we've taken has been a trap. Every person we've trusted has lied to us. But my sister is still out there, and Daniel's brother may be the only person who can help us find her."
Daniel picked up the photograph.
He looked at Michael's face.
Five years of silence.
Five years of unanswered questions.
Five years of believing his brother had abandoned him.
Now he finally had a chance to bring him home.
He turned toward Hayes.
"I'm going."
The captain looked at him.
"Then you're going to need more than courage."
Daniel placed the photograph inside his jacket.
"I've spent five years wondering why my brother disappeared. I'm not spending another five years wondering whether I could have saved him."
Claire nodded.
"Neither am I."
Outside, the sun was beginning to rise.
But somewhere beyond the city, inside an abandoned building, a man was waiting.
And he knew that Daniel Reed was coming.
The abandoned warehouse stood at the edge of the industrial district, surrounded by empty factories and rusted shipping containers. Most of the buildings in the area had been closed for years. Their broken windows reflected the pale moonlight, and the wind moved through the narrow streets with a low, unsettling whistle.
Daniel Reed parked the car several hundred yards from the warehouse.
He turned off the engine.
For several seconds, neither he nor Claire Morgan spoke.
The photograph of Michael Reed was still displayed on Daniel's phone. His older brother sat in a dark room, his face bruised, his eyes exhausted. The message beneath the photograph contained only one sentence.
TRADE THE CHIEF FOR YOUR BROTHER.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"He's alive," he whispered.
Claire looked at him. "We're going to bring him home."
Daniel nodded, but the expression on his face suggested that he was trying very hard not to imagine what might have happened to Michael during the years he had been missing.
"You should stay in the car," he said.
Claire immediately shook her head.
"Don't start."
"This isn't your brother."
"No," Claire replied. "But whoever is holding him may know where my sister is. If Michael has information about Emily, I need to hear it myself."
Daniel looked toward the warehouse.
"Then we stay together."
They checked their weapons and moved toward the building.
A side entrance stood slightly open. Daniel approached it carefully, listening for movement inside. He heard a faint metallic sound, followed by what sounded like someone dragging a chair across a concrete floor.
He raised his hand, signaling Claire to stop.
Then he pushed the door open.
The warehouse was almost completely dark. A few weak lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating rows of abandoned machinery and piles of wooden crates. Somewhere in the distance, a generator hummed.
"Michael?" Daniel called quietly.
No answer.
They moved deeper into the building.
At the far end, they discovered a small office separated from the warehouse by a metal wall. The door was locked, but Daniel noticed that the electronic keypad had been damaged.
He examined it.
"Someone forced this open recently."
Claire pointed toward the floor.
There were drops of blood leading from the office toward a staircase.
Daniel's expression changed.
"Michael!"
He ran toward the stairs.
Claire followed.
At the bottom, they found a narrow corridor with several doors. One of them had a small observation window. Daniel looked through it and froze.
A man was sitting inside.
His hands were tied behind a chair. His face was swollen, and a dark bruise covered his left cheek. His shirt was torn, and his hair had grown much longer than Daniel remembered.
But there was no mistaking him.
"Michael."
The man slowly raised his head.
For a moment, he seemed unable to believe what he was seeing.
Then his eyes widened.
"Daniel?"
Daniel unlocked the door and rushed inside.
He cut the ropes around his brother's wrists. Michael nearly collapsed, but Daniel caught him.
"You're alive," Daniel said, his voice breaking. "God, you're alive."
Michael tried to smile.
"You're getting taller."
Daniel let out a short, emotional laugh.
Then he pulled his brother into a tight embrace.
Claire stood near the doorway, allowing them a moment. She knew what it meant to lose someone without ever knowing whether they were dead or alive.
Michael eventually stepped back.
"Daniel, you shouldn't have come here."
"Nice to see you too."
"I'm serious. This place is a trap."
Claire moved closer.
"Who brought you here?"
Michael looked at her.
"Claire Morgan."
She nodded.
"Where is Emily?"
Michael's face changed immediately.
"She's alive."
Claire stopped breathing for a moment.
"What?"
"I saw her. Not long ago. She was being held somewhere outside the city, but they moved her after the warehouse operation started."
Claire grabbed the edge of the table.
"Where did they take her?"
"I don't know the exact address. But I know who has been protecting her location."
"Who?"
Michael looked toward the corridor.
"Marcus Cole."
Daniel frowned.
"Marcus is missing."
Michael gave a bitter laugh.
"That's what he wanted everyone to believe."
Before anyone could respond, a sound came from the upper floor.
Footsteps.
Slow, deliberate footsteps.
Daniel raised his weapon.
Claire moved beside Michael.
A voice echoed through the corridor.
"Well, this is an unexpected reunion."
A figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
Detective Marcus Cole.