Chapter 7 - The Midnight RevelationBy 11:00 PM, a massive snowstorm had descended upon the state, turning Route 40 into a treacherous whiteout.
Grant’s Mercedes crawled through the blizzard, its four-wheel drive gripping the slush-covered asphalt. Ellie was fast asleep in the passenger seat, exhausted from the trauma of the morning. Every few minutes, she would whimper in her sleep, her tiny fingers twitching as if still holding onto that red envelope.
The car’s Bluetooth suddenly chimed loudly.
"Grant!" Vance’s voice cut through the cabin speakers.
"Talk to me, Vance," Grant said, keeping his eyes glued to the white lines on the road.
"We got a hit. State trooper traffic camera near mile marker 112 spotted the truck thirty minutes ago. It didn't take the highway exit toward the city, Grant. It turned off onto the old logging road leading up to Raven’s Cliff."
Grant’s blood ran cold. Raven’s Cliff was an abandoned quarry at the edge of the county—a sheer drop of three hundred feet overlooking a frozen reservoir. It was notoriously known as a place people went when they wanted to vanish forever.
"Did they intercept?" Grant demanded, pressing the accelerator down, the Mercedes surging forward through the snow.
"Troopers are five minutes out, but the storm is blocking the access road. You’re closer, Grant. You’re about two miles out from the base of the cliff trail."
"I'm on it."
Grant glanced over at Ellie. She was stirring, her eyelids fluttering open as the car bounced violently over a patch of ice.
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"Mr. Grant? Where are we?" she asked, her voice small and scared.
"We’re going to find your dad, Ellie," Grant said, his voice steady and resolute. "Hold on to something."
