Emily's words seemed to remain suspended in the room.
It was me.
The detective looked from Emily to the folder.
“Are you saying you were one of the children listed at that facility?”
Emily shook her head.
“No. I mean I was there.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“When?”
“After the clinic.”
“Which time?”
Emily pressed her palms against her temples.
“I don't know.”
Dr. Harris lowered himself beside her bed.
“Don't force yourself.”
She looked at him.
“But I remember the room.”
“What room?”
“The one with the blue wall.”
The detective opened the file.
“There is no room listed.”
Emily shook her head.
“It's not on the papers.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“Because it was below the facility.”
The detective looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“I found references to a lower level in Mercer's notes.”
“You never told us.”
“I didn't know whether it was real.”
Emily whispered, “It was real.”
The detective glanced toward the clock.
“We have a location. We have evidence. We have a potential victim who can identify the facility. But we're not taking a child into an unknown building without a plan.”
Emily looked at her.
“They'll move them.”
The detective's expression hardened.
“Who?”
“The children.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that's what happened before.”
Daniel took a step back.
“Emily, you were there?”
She nodded.
“I woke up in a room.”
“When?”
“I was eight.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
“I thought Mercer said you were discharged.”
“He lied.”
I looked at Daniel.
“You believed him?”
“I didn't know.”
“You left our daughter there.”
“I thought she was safe.”
Emily looked at him.
“I wasn't.”
He closed his eyes.
The detective asked, “What happened when you woke up?”
Emily took a slow breath.
“There was a woman sitting beside me.”
“What did she look like?”
“Dark hair. Glasses.”
Dr. Harris suddenly stiffened.
“Rachel?”
Daniel looked at him.
“You know her?”
“I've seen her.”
“The nurse?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Anna's mother.”
The name made the room feel smaller.
Rachel Cole.
The woman who had first warned Daniel about Mercer.
The woman whose daughter had died.
The woman whose complaint had supposedly disappeared.
Emily continued.
“She told me not to speak.”
“Why?”
“She said the walls could hear.”
The detective looked at the recording device on the table.
“Did you see cameras?”
Emily nodded.
“Every room.”
“Did you see other children?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Six.”
Daniel looked at her.
“But you said seven.”
“I was the seventh.”
I reached for her hand.
“You were counted separately?”
Emily nodded.
“They called us numbers.”
“What was yours?”
She hesitated.
“Seven.”
My throat tightened.
“What happened to the other children?”
“They were moved.”
“To where?”
“I don't know.”
“Did they come back?”
Emily shook her head.
“Not while I was there.”
Daniel looked toward the floor.
“How long were you there?”
“I don't know.”
“Days?”
“Maybe.”
“Weeks?”
Emily closed her eyes.
“Three nights.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Three nights?”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“You told me she was with you.”
“I thought she was.”
“You said she was at her grandmother's.”
“I was told she had been discharged.”
Emily's eyes filled.
“Dad.”
He looked at her.
“You came once.”
Daniel went completely still.
“When?”
“The second night.”
“What did I do?”
“You argued with Mercer.”
“Why don't I remember?”
“He gave you something.”
Daniel's face drained of color.
“What?”
“I don't know.”
Dr. Harris looked at him.
“That could explain the memory gaps.”
The detective immediately wrote it down.
“Did Mercer give you medication, Mr. Bennett?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“He said I was having a panic attack.”
I stared at him.
“You never told me.”
“I didn't remember.”
The detective looked at Dr. Harris.
“Could that compound affect memory?”
“Depending on the substance, yes.”
Emily suddenly sat straighter.
“He took Dad away.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Where?”
“Another room.”
“Did you see him afterward?”
“No.”
“How did you get out?”
Emily looked at me.
“You came.”
My heart stopped.
“I did?”
She nodded.
“You were shouting.”
I couldn't remember.
I had no memory of ever entering that building.
“You found me?”
Emily shook her head.
“Someone else took me.”
“Who?”
She looked toward Dr. Harris.
He didn't move.
“Doctor?”
Emily whispered, “You.”
Dr. Harris stared at her.
I felt my heart pounding.
“You rescued her?”
He nodded slowly.
“I didn't know it was her.”
“What does that mean?”
“I was called there because I had become suspicious.”
“Then you knew.”
“I knew Mercer was hiding patients.”
“But not Emily?”
“No.”
Emily looked at him.
“You carried me.”
He swallowed.
“I remember.”
The detective stepped closer.
“What happened after?”
Dr. Harris looked at Daniel.
“I took her to another facility.”
“Why wasn't that in her records?”
“Because Mercer controlled the records.”
“Why didn't you report it?”
“I tried.”
“The complaint disappeared.”
“Yes.”
The detective looked at the evidence folder.
“Then this may finally connect everything.”
A police officer entered.
“Detective, we've confirmed activity at the rural facility.”
“How recent?”
“Within the last hour.”
Emily's face went pale.
“They're moving them.”
The detective stood.
“We leave now.”
I looked at my daughter.
“Can you stay here?”
Emily shook her head.
“I know the way.”
“You're not going inside.”
“I know.”
Daniel knelt beside her.
“Then tell us everything you remember.”
Emily looked toward the window.
“There is a gate.”
“Where?”
“Behind the building.”
“What else?”
“A generator.”
“Anything else?”
“A red light.”
Daniel frowned.
“A red light?”
“It blinks when they move someone.”
The detective looked at her officers.
“Then we know what to look for.”
As they prepared to leave, Emily caught my hand.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“There is something else.”
“What?”
She looked frightened.
“Mercer wasn't the one who started it.”
I stared at her.
“Who was?”
Emily looked at Daniel.
“Someone Dad knows.”
Click here to continue reading: PART 10: The Person Emily Identified Was Not a Stranger at All, and His Connection to Daniel Explained Why the Investigation Had Been Buried
The Moment My Daughter Stopped Crying, She Looked Past Me and Whispered Something That Made the Emergency Room Go Quiet
Part 9 of 12
