Chapter 14 - The BaitThe news of Mark’s confession shattered Evelyn’s legal defense. With her son turning state's evidence, an arrest warrant for Evelyn Vance for accomplice to domestic violence and felony child endangerment was signed by a judge late Thursday afternoon.
Evelyn knew her time was up. She withdrew her remaining liquid funds, packed a single suitcase, and prepared to flee the state before the sheriff’s department could execute the warrant.
But before she left, her toxic obsession demands a final triumph. She couldn't leave without taking the child she believed belonged to her bloodline.
At 8:00 PM, Clara received a text message from an untraceable burn-number:
I am outside your transitional home. I have the master key to the side entrance that your legal team didn't know about. Bring Toby to the garage in five minutes, or I set fire to the utility lines.
Clara stood near the window of the dark living room, watching the shadow of a figure moving near the detached garage.
Her heart beat fast, but there was no terror—only cold, sharp focus.
Clara pulled out her phone and dialed Detective Vance on a direct encrypted line. "She's here. She took the bait."
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This wasn't an unexpected breach. Clara and Sarah Stern had intentionally leaked the location of the transitional home through an unsecured legal filing two days prior, knowing Evelyn’s private investigator would intercept it. The "side entrance" key had been planted, and the entire perimeter of the house was monitored by four SWAT units waiting in blacked-out vans down the block.
Clara picked up a weighted baby doll wrapped in Toby’s yellow blanket, holding it snugly against her chest, and walked quietly down the back stairs toward the garage.
