Alicia waited until the mansion had gone quiet before she dialed the number Gerald had left beneath his message. His voice, when he answered, sounded cautious, almost relieved.
"I wondered if you'd call," he said. "There's a park near the old district. Tomorrow, noon. Come alone."
She agreed, her heart hammering with a mixture of dread and hope. Answers, finally, after months of silence about her mother's past.
The following morning, Henry noticed it first. A black SUV, parked two streets from the mansion, engine idling despite the empty road. He watched it for several minutes before mentioning it to Alexander, who studied the security footage with narrowed eyes.
"Same model followed her car twice this week," Henry said. "I thought it was coincidence."
"There's no such thing," Alexand
