Chapter 7 - THE CHILD IN THE BACK SEATLily was not crying.
That frightened Owen more than crying would have.
She sat in the back seat of the SUV with both hands around her blue crayon.
The man driving had stopped at a gas station somewhere north of Boston.
Owen sat beside her.
“You hungry?”
Lily shook her head.
“Thirsty?”
No.
“Do you need the bathroom?”
No.
“You can talk.”
She looked at him.
“Mommy says don’t talk to kidnappers.”
Owen almost laughed.
“I’m not a kidnapper.”
“You took me without Mommy.”
Fair.
“I’m your friend.”
“No.”
“Your mother works for my family.”
“You’re Mr. Dominic’s brother.”
“Yes.”
“He doesn’t like you now.”
Owen’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t know anything about that.”
“He looked mad.”
“When?”
“On the dock.”
Children noticed.
Damn them.
Owen looked out the window.
This was not supposed to happen.
The original plan was cleaner.
Dominic dead.
Mother dead.
Guests dead.
Owen survives because of an “urgent business call.”
Sympathy.
Leadership crisis.
Transition.
Then Elias lost control because Lily appeared.
Everything unravelled.
Now Owen had a child.
A liability.
He hated children in plans.
They made adults irrational.
“You’re going to see your father,” he said.
Lily frowned.
“My daddy is dead.”
“No.”
She stared.
“Your mother lied.”
Lily’s face changed.
Owen watched.
There.
Pain.
Confusion.
Useful.
“Your father is alive.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Mommy doesn’t lie.”
“All adults lie.”
Lily gripped her crayon.
“Mr. Dominic doesn’t.”
Owen laughed.
“You barely know him.”
“He said when he didn’t know.”
That sentence bothered Owen.
Because Lily had identified something Dominic did that most powerful men did not.
Admit uncertainty.
Owen looked away.
Meanwhile Dominic coordinated from state police command.
Grace sat beside him.
Elias across the room in handcuffs.
When told Owen had Lily, Elias became something else.
Not calm.
Not strategic.
A father.
“Take these off.”
“No,” Detective Ross said.
“That’s my daughter.”
“And you planted a bomb.”
“I’ll cooperate.”
“You already are.”
“Not enough.”
Dominic watched him.
“What would you do?”
Elias looked at him.
“Anything.”
“That answer is why Grace ran.”
Elias flinched.
Dominic continued.
“Anything includes things other people never consented to.”
“My daughter—”
“Is not yours.”
Elias’s eyes hardened.
Dominic clarified.
“She is herself.”
Grace looked at him.
Elias looked away.
Then Owen called.
He demanded Elias.
No police.
Location sent later.
Dominic said, “Let me speak to Lily.”
“No.”
“Then no exchange.”
“You don’t dictate.”
“I do if I have what you want.”
Silence.
Owen put Lily on.
“Mr. Dominic?”
Grace covered her mouth.
Dominic’s voice softened.
“Hi, Lily.”
“Mommy there?”
“Yes.”
“Can I talk?”
Grace took phone.
“Baby.”
“Mommy.”
Now tears.
Grace closed her eyes.
“I’m here.”
“Owen says Daddy’s alive.”
Silence.
Grace looked at Elias.
Then answered.
“Yes.”
Lily began crying harder.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to.”
“When?”
“I didn’t know until yesterday for sure.”
That was truth.
“Is Daddy bad?”
Grace’s face broke.
“No simple answer.”
Lily sniffed.
“Did he put the black box?”
Grace looked at Dominic.
“Yes.”
Silence.
“He wanted Mr. Dominic to explode?”
Grace hated the sentence.
“He made a terrible choice.”
Lily whispered, “I don’t want Daddy.”
Elias closed his eyes.
Grace said, “You don’t have to decide anything now.”
That mattered.
No forced forgiveness.
No forced relationship.
Lily asked, “Are you coming?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
Grace swallowed.
“I am trying with everyone here.”
Better.
Owen took phone back.
“Enough.”
Dominic’s voice hardened.
“Location.”
“Two hours.”
Call ended.
They traced partial route.
Cell towers.
North toward New Hampshire.
Police set highway coverage discreetly.
But Owen switched phones.
Elias spoke.
“He’ll use Lake Winnipesaukee.”
Everyone looked.
“Why?”
“Marino safe property.”
“Where?”
“Old boathouse east side.”
Peter Marino confirmed.
Yes.
Elias’s father once kept property there.
Owen likely learned through Elias.
They moved.
Winter night.
Roads icy.
Grace came.
Dominic objected once.
She looked at him.
He stopped.
The boathouse appeared abandoned.
Police remained back.
Dominic, Grace and Elias approached.
Elias wore a tracker.
No weapon.
Owen stood inside beside Lily.
Gun in hand.
Lily sat on a bench.
Alive.
“Daddy?”
She saw Elias.
He stopped.
Lily stared at him.
Recognition from photograph.
Her face became afraid.
Elias did not move closer.
“Hi, Lily.”
She pressed into the wall.
That destroyed him more than any bullet.
Owen smiled.
“Beautiful reunion.”
Dominic looked.
“Let her go.”
“Elias first.”
“You have him.”
Owen gestured.
“Come here.”
Elias moved.
Grace said, “Stop.”
Elias stopped instantly.
She looked at him.
“If you go to Owen, what happens?”
“He lets Lily go.”
“Do you believe him?”
Elias looked at Owen.
No.
Not really.
Grace continued.
“This is what got us here. Men making deals about me and Lily without us.”
Owen rolled his eyes.
“Spare me.”
Grace looked at him.
“You planned to murder your mother.”
“Mother betrayed me first.”
“She refused to help you kill your brother.”
“Same thing.”
Grace stared.
“You’re broken.”
Owen’s face changed.
He raised the gun slightly.
Dominic stepped forward.
“Easy.”
“Don’t.”
Lily looked at the gun.
Then at the floor.
Her blue crayon had fallen.
It rolled.
Slowly.
Toward Owen’s foot.
He glanced down.
Three seconds.
Again.
Dominic moved.
Elias moved.
Grace dropped.
Owen fired.
The bullet hit the wooden beam.
Dominic slammed Owen’s arm.
Gun fell.
Elias tackled him.
Police rushed.
Lily screamed.
Grace crawled to her.
“I’m here!”
Dominic pinned Owen until officers took over.
Owen fought.
Then stopped.
He looked at Dominic.
“You always win.”
Dominic stared at him.
“No.”
“What?”
Dominic looked toward Grace holding Lily.
“Tonight she did.”
Police took Owen.
Elias remained on his knees.
Lily looked at him from across the room.
He did not approach.
Good.
Maybe he was learning something.
“Lily.”
She held Grace’s neck.
“No.”
Elias’s face crumpled.
Grace did not correct her daughter.
Dominic respected that.
Elias whispered, “Okay.”
That one word mattered.
He accepted no.
For the first time.
He was taken back into custody.
Outside, snow fell across the lake.
Grace carried Lily toward the car.
Dominic walked beside them.
Lily looked at him.
“My crayon fell again.”
Dominic almost laughed.
“Seems dangerous.”
She smiled weakly.
Then asked, “Is the boat okay?”
“Yes.”
“Can boats be fixed?”
“Yes.”
“What about families?”
Dominic looked toward Owen’s police vehicle.
Then Elias.
Then Grace.
He answered honestly.
“Some can.”
Lily thought.
“Will yours?”
“I don’t know.”
She nodded.
May you like
That answer satisfied her.
Because Dominic had once taught her without realizing it that saying I don’t know could be more trustworthy than pretending everything would be fine.
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