Chapter 169
Lena's POV
Emily was waiting in the lobby when I stepped out of the elevator at eight-thirty, her expression already halfway between concern and resignation. She wore dark jeans and a cream sweater, her hair pulled back in a practical ponytail, and she was holding two travel mugs of coffee.
"Ready for a wild goose chase?" she asked, handing me one of the mugs.
"It's not a wild goose chase," I said, though my confidence wavered slightly as I took the first sip. "We're following a lead."
"A lead that involves a three-hour drive to a school where the kid probably doesn't even go anymore," Emily pointed out as we headed toward the parking garage. "But sure, let's call it that."
I didn't argue. She wasn't wrong—the trail had gone cold almost immediately. Yesterday afternoon, I'd called Maplewood Preparatory and confirmed that Emma Walsh had withdrawn over a year ago, with no forwarding information on file. The receptionist had been apologetic but firm: school policy prevented her from sharing any details about the family's departure.
Which meant we needed a different approach.
Last night, I'd asked Alexander to pull everything he could find on Derek Walsh—Maria's ex-husband, the man I'd sent to prison five years ago for running an elaborate investment fraud scheme. The records showed he'd been released eighteen months ago for good behavior, and he'd listed an address in a small suburb about forty minutes northwest of Maplewood.
From there, it was a matter of mapping out the elementary schools in the area and cross-referencing enrollment patterns. There were three possibilities, all within a reasonable distance of Derek's apartment. If Emma—or whatever name she was going by now—was still living with him, odds were good she'd be attending one of them.
"So we're just going to stake out random schools until we get lucky?" Emily asked as we climbed into her car.
"That's the plan," I admitted. "Unless you have a better idea."
She sighed. "No. But for the record, I think this is insane."
"Noted."
The drive out of the city was quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I stared out the window as the urban sprawl gave way to suburbs and then to stretches of farmland, my mind turning over the fragments of information I'd pieced together. Maria's desperate poverty. The timeline that aligned too perfectly with Katya's surgery. The child's voice Diana had mentioned—so faint it was barely credible, yet impossible to ignore.
If I was right about this, if Emma had been the one who needed that kidney...
I forced myself to breathe, to focus on the here and now instead of spiraling into speculation. We'd know soon enough.
The first school was a bust. We sat in the parking lot through the entire lunch period and dismissal, watching dozens of children stream out, none of them matching Emma's description. The second was the same—too many blonde heads, not enough dark-haired girls, and no sign of Derek's beat-up Honda Civic.
By the time we pulled up to the third school—a squat brick building with a faded playground and a hand-painted sign that read Riverside Elementary—it was nearly three o'clock, and my patience was wearing thin.
"Last one," Emily said, cutting the engine. "If she's not here, we regroup."
"Agreed."
We parked near the back of the lot, far enough away to avoid drawing attention but close enough to have a clear view of the pickup area. The minutes crawled by with agonizing slowness, each one stretching longer than the last, until finally the doors opened and children began pouring out in chaotic clusters of backpacks and laughter.
I scanned the crowd methodically, cataloging faces and features, looking for anything that resembled the school photo I'd memorized. And then I saw him.
Derek Walsh climbed out of a Honda Civic that had seen better days, his posture tense and wary as he joined the line of waiting parents. He looked older than his mugshot—grayer, thinner, the hard edges of his face worn down by time and circumstances I could only guess at.
My pulse quickened. "That's him."
Emily followed my gaze. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." I watched as Derek scanned the crowd of children, his expression guarded. "Now we just need to see if—"
A small girl emerged from the building, her dark hair pulled into a ponytail, her movements subdued in a way that made my chest tight. She walked toward Derek with her head down, her backpack bouncing against her shoulders.
And Derek called out to her.
"Lily! Over here, sweetheart!"
Lily.
The name hit me like a punch. Emma Walsh had become Lily Walsh, a fresh start and a clean slate, as if changing her name could erase whatever had come before.
"That's her," I breathed.
Emily's hand tightened on my arm. "Lena, wait. Think about this. He's going to recognize you."
"I know." I was already opening the car door. "But we're out of options."
I crossed the parking lot with my heart hammering against my ribs, my heels clicking against the asphalt in a rhythm that felt too loud, too obvious. Derek was crouched down next to Lily, adjusting her backpack strap, when I stopped a few feet away.
"Mr. Walsh?"
He looked up sharply, and I watched recognition slam into him like a freight train. His face went white, then red, his entire body going rigid.
"You," he spat, surging to his feet. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Lily shrank back, her eyes wide with fear, and something in me fractured at the sight.
"I'm not here to cause trouble," I said, keeping my voice calm and level despite the adrenaline flooding my system. "I just need to talk to you about—"
"About what?" Derek cut me off, his voice rising. "About how you changed my life?"
He took a step toward me, and I held my ground even as my instincts screamed at me to retreat. Behind him, other parents were starting to notice, heads turning in our direction.
"Mr. Walsh, please—"
He grabbed my arm, his grip tight enough to bruise, and for a split second I thought he might actually strike me.
And then a body materialized between us—solid, immovable, moving with the kind of controlled precision that spoke of professional training.
David.