Chapter 4

But Grant's words suddenly made the twenty million viewers realize that something didn't add up.

The tone of the live chat began to shift.

[Holy crap. The more you think about it, the weirder it gets. The richest man's son goes missing, and his first instinct isn't to call the police?]

[Exactly! He'd rather spend five hundred million dollars on a psychic than trust the police?]

[Is something shady going on here?]

Grant's eye twitched as he read the comments.

He hurried to explain himself to the camera.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I love my son too much to sit around waiting for the police process to play out!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to save him!"

His explanation sounded reasonable enough, and the viewers were once again moved by his devotion to his son.

Half an hour later, heavy, synchronized footsteps suddenly echoed down the hallway of the run-down motel.

Dozens of heavily armed SWAT officers quickly sealed off the area.

A square-jawed middle-aged man with piercing eyes strode in.

The insignia on his uniform gleamed in the dim hallway light.

Everett Shaw, Commissioner of the Alderidge State Police.

Nolan and Valerie had never seen a show of force like this before. Terrified, they dropped to their knees.

Grant's video call was still connected. He greeted Commissioner Shaw politely through the screen.

"Commissioner Shaw, sorry to trouble you. She's the one who says she knows where my son is."

Commissioner Shaw gave Grant a nod, then walked over to me with a grave expression.

"Ms. Ellison, I'm Everett Shaw."

"The whole state is worried about Mr. Halston's son. I need you to cooperate and tell us where the boy is right now."

I looked at Commissioner Shaw and took a deep breath.

More than twenty million people were watching.

I didn't look at Nolan or Valerie.

I didn't even look at Grant's smug face on my phone screen.

I walked straight over to Commissioner Shaw, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a single sentence that only he could hear.

Commissioner Shaw went rigid.

He'd spent thirty years in law enforcement and handled countless major cases. He immediately understood what my words meant.

The next second, he drew his sidearm.

"All teams, listen up!"

"Team One, surround Grant Halston's mansion immediately!"

"Team Two, take Grant Halston into custody. Cuff Nolan Pierce and Valerie Keene here, now!"

The hallway went dead silent.

On the other end of the video call, Grant's cigar slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. His face went deathly pale.

Nolan and Valerie went limp with shock.

The livestream exploded as twenty million viewers flooded the chat.

[What the hell just happened?]