Chapter 163 Hunting the Hunter

Chapter 163 Hunting the Hunter
Michael POV

The drive to Sunshine Children's Home gave me plenty of time to strategize. Noah had been Sarah's point of contact when Ashley first appeared in our lives, and now I needed to understand exactly how deep his involvement went in this elaborate deception.

"Mr. Johnson!" Noah leaped from behind his desk when his secretary announced my arrival. "This is such an honor. Please, have a seat."

Noah gestured to the chair across from his cluttered desk, his voice carrying that particular strain of forced politeness reserved for people who could make or break careers. "Coffee? Water? Anything at all?"

I settled into the chair. "That won't be necessary. I'm here on behalf of my wife."

Noah's posture straightened further. "Of course, yes. How is Mrs. Johnson? I hope everything worked out well with the reunion."

"Actually, that's why I'm here." I dialed back the emotion in my tone. "I wanted to thank you personally for your assistance. We've found Sarah's daughter."

"Ashley, right?" Noah's smile seemed genuine enough. "That's wonderful news."

I studied his face carefully. "Actually, no. Ashley isn't Sarah's child."

The shift in Noah's expression was subtle but unmistakable—a flicker of surprise that didn't quite ring true. "I'm sorry, what do you mean?"

"We conducted a DNA paternity test. The results were disappointing. No blood relation whatsoever."

Noah blinked rapidly. "But how is that possible? The records, the timeline—everything seemed to match."

"That's what we thought, too," I noted the way his shoulders tensed. "Tell me, have you had any other inquiries about Sarah's case recently?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Noah's response came too quickly. "I'm just... surprised, that's all." He paused, then ventured, "If you don't mind me asking, who did turn out to be Sarah's daughter?"

There it was—his eagerness to know details he had no business asking about. Time to apply some pressure.

"That's not something you need to concern yourself with." My voice carried the full weight of corporate authority now, the kind that could end careers with a phone call. "What you should be concerned about is how Ashley managed to cause so much trouble for my family. Rest assured, I'll be dealing with that situation thoroughly."

Noah visibly shrank in his chair, nodding frantically. "Of course, Mr. Johnson. I completely understand your frustration. If there's anything I can do—"

"There isn't." I stood abruptly, letting him scramble to his feet in response. "I trust this conversation will remain between us."

"Absolutely. Complete confidentiality, Mr. Johnson."

I left his office with deliberate ceremony. Back in my car, I put in my earpiece and settled in to wait. The small listening device I'd planted under his desk during our conversation was already activated. If Noah were innocent, he'd go back to his normal routine. But if he was involved...

After ten minutes of waiting, I finally heard Noah's voice, tense and hurried, dialing a number.

"Sir? It's Noah. I need to report something immediately."

Sir. Not a colleague, not a supervisor—someone he clearly answered to.

"I just talked to Sarah's husband, Michael. He says the paternity test came back negative—Ashley isn't her daughter. But he claims she's found her biological child."

The pause stretched as the other party responded. I strained to hear anything from the other end, but Noah wasn't using speakerphone.

"Yes, sir, in my office just now. You said you could guarantee the test results would go through, so I thought you should know it failed immediately."

Another pause.

"He didn't say who the real daughter is, sir. Just that they'd found her."

I found myself holding my breath, trying to piece together this mystery puppet master from Noah's half of the conversation.

"His demeanor? Cold as ice, sir. Angry, too. Made it very clear he wasn't happy about the Ashley situation."

One more pause, then: "Understood, sir... Yes, thank you."

The line went dead. The fact that Noah addressed someone as "sir" meant this wasn't Natalie's direct operation—someone else had arranged for Sarah to meet Ashley. But given that Ashley's paternity test had been tampered with, this mysterious "sir" had to be connected to Natalie somehow. Either they were working together, or this person was operating under Natalie's orders.

Could this be the same lawyer who'd arranged Carmen's early release? I needed more information.

I returned to the building, this time abandoning all pretense of courtesy. Noah looked up as I entered his office, the color draining from his face.

"Going to try to deny that phone call?" I asked quietly, closing the door behind me.

"I... I don't know what you mean, Mr. Johnson."

I placed the listening device on his desk between us. His eyes went wide with terror.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Noah. Who did you just call?"

"Please, Mr. Johnson, I—"

"Wrong answer. Try again."

Noah's hand darted toward his desk drawer, reaching for a small red button mounted under the edge—probably a panic alarm. I caught his wrist before he could press it.

"Bad idea," I said, applying just enough pressure to keep his hand away from the device.

He slumped back in his chair, the fight going out of him completely. Cold sweat had broken out across his forehead. "I don't know who he is," he whispered finally. "We've only ever spoken on the phone. He pays me to provide information about certain cases."

"How long has this been going on?"

"A month, maybe two. He knew about my gambling debts, offered to help if I'd just keep him informed about specific types of cases."

"Here's what's going to happen." I kept deadly calm. "You're going to continue acting as if nothing happened today. You won't contact your mystery employer to tell him I discovered your arrangement. When he calls next, you'll notify me immediately."

I pulled out a small device—a more sophisticated tracking and listening system that Tomas had procured for me. "You're going to wear this during all future communications. Are we clear?"

Noah nodded frantically. "Crystal clear, Mr. Johnson."

"Excellent. Because if you betray this arrangement, I promise you that losing your job will be the least of your problems."

I left him there and drove back to the hospital. Someone had been targeting vulnerable families through Noah's access to children's welfare cases. They'd identified Sarah as someone desperate enough to believe in a miraculous reunion with her missing daughter.

But who? And why target Sarah specifically?

I found Sarah and Linda in Lily's hospital room, just finishing what appeared to be an intense conversation with my mother. All three women looked up as I entered, their expressions serious but not distressed.

"Michael," Mother said, rising from her chair. "Sarah has just told me the most remarkable news about Lily. Is it true?"

"It is," I confirmed.

Mother's face lit up. "My granddaughter!" She reached for Lily's hand, tears forming in her eyes. "All this time, she was right here with us."

"How did things go with Anna?" I asked Sarah, settling into the chair beside her.

"She took Ashley back. It wasn't easy, but it's done." Sarah's voice carried a note of sadness, but also relief. "What about your investigation?"

I briefed them on what I'd discovered.

"But we still don't know who's behind this," Sarah said as I finished. "And this person, whoever they are, asked Noah about our 'real daughter.' They'd suspect Lily's identity now."

Damn it. I'd revealed too much to Noah—told him we'd found Sarah's real daughter. Now their handler knew exactly what to look for.

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

Sarah was quiet for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a determination that both impressed and worried me. "I have an idea. It's dangerous, but it might be our best chance to draw them out."

Both Mother and Linda leaned forward, alarm clear on their faces. "Sarah," Mother said carefully, "perhaps we should consider safer alternatives—"

"No," Sarah said firmly. "Right now, they have all the advantages. They know who we are, but we don't know them. They're choosing when and how to strike, while we're just reacting." She looked at each of us in turn. "But people make mistakes when they think they're winning. If we can make them overconfident, they might expose themselves."

Linda shook her head. "Sweetheart, you're pregnant. This isn't the time for taking risks."

"This is exactly the time," Sarah insisted. "They're escalating. First Ashley, then the kidnapping attempt. If we don't stop this now, it will only get worse."

"What exactly are you proposing?" I met her eyes.

"I'll tell you," she said, "but first I need to know—are you with me on this? Whatever the plan is, whatever risks it involves?"

Mother and Linda both started to protest, but I held up a hand to stop them. Sarah was asking for my trust, my partnership in facing down an enemy who'd already proven they were willing to hurt our family. And she deserved that trust.

"Yes," I said simply. "We do this together."

Sarah's smile was fierce and grateful. "Then here's what we're going to do."