Chapter 16 - WHO SENT THE FLOWERS?
"He was there," Daniel choked out, falling against the doorframe of Room 14. "He was at our house. Claire... he was watching us."
Claire stepped closer to the wall, her flashlight tracing the lines of Lily’s face. The charcoal was fresh; when she brought her fingertips close to the plaster, she could smell the burnt wood. But there was something else—an architectural precision in the background that Julian could not have known simply by stalking the perimeter of their property.
In the corner of the sketch, behind Lily’s shoulder, was the specific layout of the plumbing pipes beneath the kitchen sink. The shutoff valves. The copper compression fittings Daniel had replaced with his own hands six weeks ago after the CPS investigation concluded.
"He wasn't stalking the outside," Claire said, her voice dropping into an icy register. "He was in the crawlspace."
Daniel looked at her, his face contorting in disbelief and sheer horror. "The crawlspace hatch is inside the laundry room."
"The exterior vent on the north wall," Claire whispered, her mind racing backward through memory. "Three weeks ago, after the judge issued the order, I noticed the iron grate near the hydrangea bushes had fallen into the mulch. You said a raccoon must have dislodged it."
Daniel bolted down the corridor without another word, sprinting toward the exit. Claire followed, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
They threw themselves into the truck and tore down the gravel drive, tires screaming against the loose stones. Daniel drove like a madman, blowing through the mountain curves, his knuckles white, his phone wedged against his shoulder on speakerphone.
"Rachel!" Claire shouted into the dashboard receiver. "Rachel, answer me!"
*"Claire?"* Rachel’s voice came through, frayed with tension. *"Where are you guys? The deputies are still outside, but—"*
"Where is Lily?" Claire interrupted. "Is she still at preschool?"
*"Yes! Daniel’s aunt picked up—wait, no, Claire, Melissa called me twenty minutes ago. A delivery van dropped off a floral arrangement at the preschool front desk. The receptionist accepted it because the card had your signature on it."*
Claire’s blood went cold. "What kind of flowers, Rachel?"
*"White lilies,"* Rachel said, her voice trembling. *"Twenty-four white lilies. And Claire... the card didn't come from a florist. Mrs. Gable opened the envelope. Inside was a child's silver baby bracelet with the name Julian Vance engraved on the clasp."*
Daniel let out an animal roar of grief and slammed his fist into the steering wheel, veering the truck across the yellow centerline before jerking it back.
"Tell Mrs. Gable to lock the classroom doors!" Claire screamed into the phone. "Tell the deputies to move to the school right now! Do not let Lily leave that building! Do not let anyone near her!"
*"The school is already on lockdown, Claire,"* Rachel cried. *"The receptionist called the police the moment she saw the bracelet. But Claire... the delivery driver wasn't Julian."*
Claire gripped the dashboard. "What do you mean?"
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*"The school’s security camera caught the driver on video,"* Rachel whispered, her voice breaking into sobs. *"It was a woman in a beige trench coat. Claire... it was Margaret. She cut her ankle monitor two hours ago. The state police just issued a statewide warrant."*
***
