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The silence in the living room was so absolute that the hum of the refrigerator sounded like a roaring engine. Detective Miller, a seasoned veteran with tired eyes and a jaw carved from granite, stepped slowly toward the coffee table where the officer had placed the evidence bag. / Chapter 5 / 10

Chapter 5 - The Rescue OperationWhile the detectives immediately placed Dennis and Trisha under formal arrest for kidnapping, child abuse, and financial fraud, I walked out of the precinct into the warm Portland afternoon air.

My phone rang. It was Detective Miller.

"Elmer," Miller said urgently. "We got Dennis's personal laptop from his rental car at the airport. We decrypted his private cloud storage. You need to get to Vancouver, Washington, immediately. Address is 442 North Ridge Road."

"What's at that address, Detective?"

"It's a private, unlicensed psychiatric nursing home operating under a shell corporation funded by your son's business account. We have reason to believe... well, Mr. Stanley, the records show patient #104 was admitted six years ago under an alias. Her emergency contact was listed as Dennis Stanley."

My knees buckled. I gripped the railing of the precinct steps.

"Patient #104," I choked out. "What is her real name?"

"Maya Bennett."

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