Chapter 2 - The Ghost of BurlingtonBy dawn, the Burlington local news channel was already broadcasting the mystery that had the entire town gripped in a frenzy.
“...Authorities are searching for answers this Christmas morning after a routine patrol near Main Street discovered an abandoned stroller and signs of a campsite behind the old Mercer building,” the anchor’s voice blared from the television in the estate’s kitchen. “Police suspect two young sisters, aged seven and ten months, are missing in the bitter cold. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Burlington Police Department immediately...”
Mrs. Gable switched off the television with a sharp click of the remote, her face pale. She turned to find Nathan standing in the doorway, a mug of black coffee in his hand.
"Chief Miller is already getting calls," Mrs. Gable whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to wake the girls in the guest room. "The whole town is looking for them, Mr. Cole. If the police trace that cab you called last night..."
"They won't," Nathan interrupted flatly. "I used a private corporate account. It's encrypted."
"You can't hide them forever," she pleaded, stepping closer. "If the authorities find out you're harboring missing children without notifying them, you could lose everything. Not just your company, Nathan—your freedom."
"Let them come," Nathan said, his voice dangerously calm. "For five years, the law, the courts, and this town watched me drown in my own grief and did nothing. When I lost Ivy, where was Chief Miller? Where was the town's concern? Now, when I finally find two children who actually need saving, I'm supposed to hand them over to a broken system that will tear them apart?"
Before Mrs. Gable could reply, a soft knock echoed from the guest room door down the hall.
Nathan strode down the corridor, pushing the door open a crack. Ella was sitting upright on the edge of the plush queen-sized bed, looking bewildered and frightened. The pink blanket was draped over her shoulders, and little Grace was sleeping soundly in a temporary bassinet Mrs. Gable had rigged up from a laundry basket lined with silk pillows.
"Ella?" Nathan said softly, stepping inside. "Did we wake you?"
The little girl shook her head, her big eyes fixed on him. "Where are we? Is this a hotel?"
"No, Ella. This is my home," Nathan said, sitting down carefully in a chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling? How's Grace?"
"Grace is warm. Her breathing doesn't sound rattly anymore," Ella whispered, her fingers nervously picking at the blanket. Then, her expression darkened with sudden panic. "The police... did they find us?"
Nathan’s heart clenched. He hated lying to children, but he couldn't let panic seize her again. "No one found us, Ella. And no one is going to take you away. I want to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me. What happened to your mother?"
Ella’s lower lip quivered. She looked down at her hands. "Mommy... she got sick after Grace was born. She stayed in bed all day. Then, two days ago, she didn't wake up. Not the normal way. She was cold. And her phone was dead."
Nathan felt the air leave his lungs. Dead. Their mother was dead in that freezing apartment, and these two babies had been left alone until Ella, in sheer desperation, packed what little she could carry and wandered into the Burlington snow.
"Who else is in your family, Ella? An aunt? An uncle? Grandparents?"
Ella shook her head slowly. "Nobody. It was just Mommy, me, and Grace. Mommy said our daddy left before Grace was born. She said men always leave."
Nathan closed his eyes for a brief second, feeling a searing wave of fury mixed with profound sorrow. He opened them, looking straight into the terrified eyes of a seven-year-old who had been forced to become a mother before she even knew how to read.
"Well, Ella," Nathan said, his voice steady and resolute, "I'm not leaving. And neither are you."
Just then, a sharp, heavy pounding echoed through the grand foyer upstairs.
May you like
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Mrs. Gable hurried down the hallway, her eyes wide with terror. "Mr. Cole! It’s the police! Chief Miller is at the front door, and he brought social services!"
