Walter Halloway sat on my sofa, his eyes closed, clutching a mug of tea. The ledger lay open on the coffee table beside the crumpled codicil.
“She tried to have me committed,” he’d repeated, his voice raspy. “They found me on the side of the highway, confused, they said.”
I paced the living room, the weight of his story pressing down on me. Eleanor’s pattern was clear. The forgery, the social isolation, the medical claims – it was all a well-worn path for her.
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. 11:40 PM. Unknown number.
It buzzed again. A text message. Then another.
I picked up the phone. The messages were poorly spelled, riddled with typos.
*It’s Toby. From Eleanor’s. I used a burner. She thinks I’m sleeping.*
My heart leaped into my throat.
*Two men. They’re here. For me. From Utah. Some academy. At 5 AM.*
A cold dread seeped into my bones. Utah. An unaccredited military academy. Toby had always hated rigidity, conformity.
*Please Grandpa. They say no drawing. No writing. Just… rules. I can’t.*
Another text followed, more desperate.
*I’ll run. I’ll go into the woods. I don’t care. Please come get me. Please.*
I looked at the clock. 11:43 PM. Five hours until 5:00 AM. Five hours until they took him away, buried him in a place designed to erase who he was.
Walter’s eyes fluttered open. “What is it?”
“It’s Toby,” I said, my voice tight. “They’re shipping him out. To Utah. At 5:00 AM.”
Walter pushed himself up, his frail body trembling. “No. No, Arthur, you can’t go there. Not now. She’ll have the place guarded. She’ll expect you. You walk onto her grounds tonight, it’s exactly what she wants.”
“What else can I do? He’s begging me. He’s going to run into the woods.” I grabbed my car keys, the jingle loud in the quiet room.
Walter reached for my arm. “Think, Arthur! This is how she works! She sets the trap, then springs it. You have to fight her legally. We have the evidence now. You can’t just rush in.”
I pulled my arm free. “Legally? How long would that take? Days? Weeks? He’ll be gone by then. He’ll be broken.”
I grabbed Walter’s ledger, tucking it inside my coat. “I’m not letting her take another child from this family.”
Walter stumbled back, his face pale. “Arthur, please. You don’t understand her power. You’ll just be walking into a cage.”
I ignored him, my mind fixed on Toby’s frantic texts, on the image of my grandson, trapped and desperate. I was going to Blackwood Bay. Tonight.
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