“She is alive.”
The room exploded emotionally without anyone moving.
Victoria grabbed the table.
Taylor whispered:
“Again.”
Dana replayed.
She is alive.
Gregory continued.
“At least she was the last time I saw her.”
Taylor’s hope became rage.
“Where?”
Video Gregory continued:
“She was smarter than your father.”
“Smarter than me too, for a while.”
“She understood that disappearing was the only way to make Sophie irrelevant to us.”
Taylor covered his mouth.
“Megan gave me what looked like the evidence.”
“It was useless.”
“She kept the real archive somewhere else.”
“I spent seven years looking for it.”
He smiled.
“That is why Taylor worked for Hawthorne.”
“I hoped eventually he would lead me to it.”
Taylor stared.
Gregory continued.
“He never did.”
“Which means Megan never trusted him with the location.”
That hurt.
Then Gregory added:
“Or she hid it where he would find it only after learning the truth.”
Taylor looked toward Dana.
Her expression changed.
Gregory continued.
“Victoria, resign.”
“Transfer control of the company.”
“End Meridian cooperation.”
“If you do, I will tell Taylor where Megan went.”
Video ended.
Taylor stood.
“No.”
Victoria looked at him.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were considering it.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Taylor.”
“No.”
“She might be alive.”
“And if you give Gregory control, how many other people does he bury?”
Victoria stared.
“This is my wife.”
“I know.”
Taylor almost shouted.
Then stopped.
He looked toward Sophie’s photograph on his phone.
Megan had disappeared to protect a child.
What would she tell him now?
Trade everyone else for me?
No.
He knew her better than that.
Taylor sat.
“We find the archive.”
Dana nodded.
“Then Gregory loses leverage.”
Victoria asked:
“Where?”
Taylor thought.
Seven years.
What would Megan hide?
Not with him, Gregory said.
But maybe around him.
Somewhere ordinary.
Safe because nobody knew it mattered.
Then Sophie came home from school that afternoon carrying her old stuffed rabbit.
The rabbit.
Taylor stared.
Gray.
One ear bent.
Megan had bought it before Sophie was born.
Sophie carried it everywhere until she was six.
Mrs. Alvarez had gone back to the townhouse and retrieved belongings, including the rabbit Sophie complained about leaving behind.
Taylor’s eyes narrowed.
“Sophie.”
“Yes?”
“Where did Mom buy that?”
She shrugged.
“You told me hospital gift shop.”
Had he?
Maybe.
He took the rabbit gently.
Sophie frowned.
“Dad.”
“Just checking something.”
There was a zipper along the back.
Normal.
Stuffing.
Taylor felt deeper.
Something hard.
His hands began shaking.
He opened the seam farther.
Pulled out a tiny plastic capsule.
Inside:
A microSD card.
Sophie stared.
“What is that?”
Taylor sat on the floor.
He could not speak.
Megan had hidden the archive inside their daughter’s stuffed rabbit.
A toy Gregory would never think to steal because taking it would have revealed exactly what Megan feared he might target.
Megan had trusted Taylor after all.
Not with a location.
With Sophie.