Chapter 12 - Caleb Goes Missing
Police issued an alert.
Daniel ignored every call.
His GPS showed his car heading south before the signal disappeared.
Caroline stayed with Erin while officers searched.
Erin paced the living room.
“He said I’d never see Caleb again if I spoke.”
Caroline held her shoulders.
“He wants us terrified.”
“I am terrified.”
“So am I.”
They refused to let fear divide them.
Madison supplied a list of Daniel’s company properties.
One was an unfinished resort cabin near Hocking Hills.
Police surrounded it before midnight.
Daniel was inside with Caleb.
The boy was frightened but unharmed.
Daniel claimed it was a father-son trip.
Officers arrested him for custodial interference after Erin showed the threats.
At the station, Daniel demanded to speak with Caroline.
She agreed only through a recorded phone line.
“How could you involve police?” he shouted.
“You took a child without permission.”
“He’s my son.”
“So is Noah. You treated both of them like possessions.”
“I was trying to explain things to Caleb.”
“At an isolated cabin after threatening his mother?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“If this company collapses, both boys lose everything.”
“They are losing you because of your choices.”
He went silent.
Before ending the call, he said, “You don’t understand what happens if the investors discover the truth.”
Caroline replied, “They already have.”
The lead investor had requested an emergency audit.
May you like
Mercer Development’s accounts were frozen.
👉 Daniel’s desperate attempt to control Caleb led to his arrest—and the company audit uncovered money missing from dozens of families.
