{"id":6169,"date":"2026-08-24T13:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/?p=6169"},"modified":"2026-08-24T13:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:38:24","slug":"part5-five-minutes-after-our-divorce-was-finalized-my-ex-husband-looked-at-me-and-said-take-the-girls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/?p=6169","title":{"rendered":"PART5: Five minutes after our divorce was finalized, my ex-husband looked at me and said, \u201cTake the girls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PART 5: THE WARNING NAOMI COULDN\u2019T SAY<br \/>\nDON\u2019T TRUST VICTOR.<br \/>\nNaomi formed the words a second time.<br \/>\nVictor saw them.<br \/>\nHis face changed.<br \/>\n\u201cShe\u2019s trying to turn you against me.\u201d<br \/>\nI looked at the man standing in my grandmother\u2019s sitting room.<br \/>\nOnly hours earlier, he had told me he came to warn us.<br \/>\nHe had helped the police capture Pike.<br \/>\nHe had stood before his daughters and apologized.<br \/>\nBut the recording on the laptop proved that his betrayal had started years before Naomi entered our marriage.<br \/>\n\u201cGive me your phone,\u201d I said.<br \/>\nVictor frowned.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYour phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cPenelope, Claire has a gun against her head. We don\u2019t have time for this.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen handing it over should take only a second.\u201d<br \/>\nHe slid one hand into his pocket.<br \/>\nOwen immediately stepped between us.<br \/>\n\u201cRemove your hand slowly, Mr. Reynolds.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor stared at him.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m not armed.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen you have nothing to worry about.\u201d<br \/>\nTwo police officers entered the room.<br \/>\nThe older one introduced herself as Detective Inspector Helen Ward.<br \/>\nShe had arrived to supervise the response after the attack on our house.<br \/>\n\u201cPlace the phone on the table,\u201d she ordered.<br \/>\nVictor looked at me.<br \/>\n\u201cYou know me.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI thought I did.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI came all the way to London to protect the girls.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen prove it.\u201d<br \/>\nHis jaw tightened.<br \/>\nFinally, he placed his phone beside the laptop.<br \/>\nInspector Ward picked it up.<br \/>\n\u201cPasscode.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor hesitated.<br \/>\nOwen moved closer.<br \/>\n\u201cPasscode,\u201d the inspector repeated.<br \/>\n\u201c0417.\u201d<br \/>\nShe unlocked the phone.<br \/>\nThe screen opened to Victor\u2019s messages.<br \/>\nNothing appeared unusual until she checked the recently deleted folder.<br \/>\nOne conversation had been erased eleven minutes earlier.<br \/>\nThe contact name was WALTER.<br \/>\nInspector Ward restored it.<br \/>\nThe first message had been sent shortly after Victor reached our gate.<br \/>\nI\u2019M INSIDE. PENELOPE OPENED THE DRIVE.<br \/>\nWalter had replied:<br \/>\nGET THE KEY AND BRING ABIGAIL.<br \/>\nA second message from Victor followed.<br \/>\nTHE GIRLS ARE FRIGHTENED. CALL PIKE OFF.<br \/>\nWalter\u2019s answer contained only six words.<br \/>\nTHE GIRL OR CLAIRE DIES TONIGHT.<br \/>\nVictor had responded:<br \/>\nGIVE ME TWENTY MINUTES. I\u2019LL CONVINCE PENELOPE.<br \/>\nMy stomach turned.<br \/>\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t come to warn us,\u201d I said. \u201cYou came to deliver Abigail.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNo.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe messages are right there.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI was trying to stop my father from using Pike.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cBy handing him our daughter?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI thought I could bring her to the bank, let him see she was safe, and make him release Claire.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou were going to take a nine-year-old child to a man holding a gun.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t hurt Abigail.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHe sent armed men into her bedroom!\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know Pike had orders to shoot.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou knew your father wanted her.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI was buying time.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou were choosing for us again.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor reached toward me.<br \/>\nOwen blocked him.<br \/>\n\u201cPenelope, listen to me. My father said if I didn\u2019t bring Abigail, he would kill Claire and frame Daniel for it.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cSo you decided one innocent person was worth more than another.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI would never have let him keep her.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThat was not your decision to make.\u201d<br \/>\nA small voice came from the staircase.<br \/>\n\u201cWere you going to give me to Grandpa?\u201d<br \/>\nWe all turned.<br \/>\nAbigail stood on the bottom step.<br \/>\nMargaret was behind her, holding Charlotte\u2019s hand.<br \/>\nVictor\u2019s face collapsed.<br \/>\n\u201cAbby, no.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou told him you would bring me.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI was trying to save someone.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cBy letting him take me?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI would have stayed with you.\u201d<br \/>\nShe shook her head.<br \/>\n\u201cYou said you would stay with us before. You never did.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor moved forward.<br \/>\nAbigail backed against Margaret.<br \/>\nThat single movement stopped him.<br \/>\nHe stared at the daughter who had once run into his arms every evening.<br \/>\nNow she was afraid of him.<br \/>\n\u201cPlease,\u201d he whispered.<br \/>\nAbigail looked at me.<br \/>\n\u201cCan we go somewhere he can\u2019t see us?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Margaret led both girls upstairs.<br \/>\nVictor watched them disappear again.<br \/>\nThis time, I saw him understand something no court document could teach him.<br \/>\nA father does not lose his children in one dramatic moment.<br \/>\nHe loses them choice by choice.<br \/>\nPromise by broken promise.<br \/>\nSilence by silence.<br \/>\nInspector Ward handed Victor\u2019s phone to another officer.<br \/>\n\u201cVictor Reynolds, I am detaining you on suspicion of conspiracy to abduct a child, fraud, and assisting an armed offender.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor stepped backward.<br \/>\n\u201cI helped capture Pike.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThat may be considered later.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cMy daughter is being threatened.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYour messages suggest you intended to take her to the person threatening her.\u201d<br \/>\nVictor looked at me.<br \/>\n\u201cTell them I\u2019m not dangerous.\u201d<br \/>\nI held his gaze.<br \/>\n\u201cAn hour ago, I might have believed that.\u201d<br \/>\nThe officer secured his wrists.<br \/>\n\u201cYou can\u2019t let them take me,\u201d he said. \u201cI know how my father thinks.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cSo do I now.\u201d<br \/>\nAs the police led Victor from the room, he twisted around.<br \/>\n\u201cPenelope, don\u2019t go to that bank. It\u2019s what he wants.\u201d<br \/>\nFor once, Victor and I agreed.<br \/>\nUnfortunately, Walter still had Claire.<br \/>\nOn the laptop screen, the live video continued.<br \/>\nWalter stood behind her with the gun.<br \/>\nNaomi remained near the open metal evidence box.<br \/>\nHer face was pale, and one hand pressed against her stomach.<br \/>\nInspector Ward moved the computer away from the window.<br \/>\n\u201cCan they hear us?\u201d<br \/>\nJulian examined the connection.<br \/>\n\u201cIt appears to be one-way unless we activate the microphone.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cIs the location genuine?\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel leaned closer to the screen.<br \/>\n\u201cThat is the private vault beneath Westbridge Bank.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHow did Walter enter after hours?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHe has known the bank\u2019s chairman for thirty years.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cAnd the box?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe outer case is open, but the inner compartment requires the brass key.\u201d<br \/>\nI felt inside the envelope.<br \/>\nThe key was still there.<br \/>\nWalter did not have everything he needed.<br \/>\nInspector Ward activated the microphone.<br \/>\n\u201cWalter Reynolds, this is Detective Inspector Helen Ward of the Metropolitan Police. Release both women and leave the bank unarmed.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter smiled at the camera.<br \/>\n\u201cInspector, if your officers approach the building, Claire dies.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe area is already being secured.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen I suggest you remove them.\u201d<br \/>\nHe pressed the gun harder against Claire\u2019s temple.<br \/>\nDaniel leaned toward the microphone.<br \/>\n\u201cWalter, let her go.\u201d<br \/>\nClaire\u2019s eyes widened when she heard her husband.<br \/>\n\u201cDaniel?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<br \/>\nShe began crying.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou have nothing to apologize for.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYes, I do.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter\u2019s smile grew.<br \/>\n\u201cPerhaps this is a good time for Claire to tell you what happened in Zurich.\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel\u2019s expression darkened.<br \/>\n\u201cDon\u2019t listen to him.\u201d<br \/>\nClaire shook her head.<br \/>\n\u201cYou need to know.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cClaire, not now.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI gave Walter your access code.\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel went completely still.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cIn Zurich. He told me you were under investigation for stealing company money. He said the only way to protect you was to give him the code to your private files.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou didn\u2019t know.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI should have asked you.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou were frightened.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHe used me to erase your first copy of the evidence.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter looked delighted.<br \/>\n\u201cMarriage is useful that way. People will betray almost anyone if you convince them they are protecting the person they love.\u201d<br \/>\nHis eyes moved toward the camera.<br \/>\n\u201cVictor proved that tonight.\u201d<br \/>\nI stepped in front of the laptop.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<br \/>\nWalter\u2019s expression hardened.<br \/>\n\u201cAbigail.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou are not getting her.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen Claire dies.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou don\u2019t need Abigail to sign anything. You need me.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI need you both.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNo. You need my custodial authority. Abigail is leverage.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter said nothing.<br \/>\nThat told me I was right.<br \/>\nI removed the brass key from the envelope and held it where he could see it.<br \/>\n\u201cI have the key to box 317. I also have the original flash drive and a signed custodial proxy.\u201d<br \/>\nJulian looked at me sharply.<br \/>\nI did not have a signed proxy.<br \/>\nWalter could not know that.<br \/>\n\u201cBring them to the bank,\u201d he said.<br \/>\n\u201cYou release Claire first.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI release her after I verify the documents.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNaomi leaves with her.\u201d<br \/>\nNaomi lifted her eyes.<br \/>\nWalter laughed.<br \/>\n\u201cNaomi is carrying a Reynolds child.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNo,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cShe is carrying my child.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter glanced at him through the camera.<br \/>\n\u201cThe DNA may belong to you, but the child\u2019s future belongs to whoever controls the family.\u201d<br \/>\nNaomi\u2019s face filled with disgust.<br \/>\n\u201cMy child belongs to no one but himself.\u201d<br \/>\nWalter turned the gun toward her.<br \/>\nThat was the first time Naomi openly defied him.<br \/>\nIt was also the moment I realized she no longer believed he intended to let her leave alive.<br \/>\n\u201cI will come alone,\u201d I said quickly.<br \/>\nWalter looked back at the camera.<br \/>\n\u201cThirty minutes.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cIt will take longer to reach the bank.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen drive fast.\u201d<br \/>\nThe screen went black.<br \/>\nDaniel grabbed my wrist.<br \/>\n\u201cYou cannot go.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m not bringing Abigail.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cHe\u2019ll kill you when he realizes the proxy is false.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen we make one he won\u2019t immediately recognize as false.\u201d<br \/>\nJulian understood.<br \/>\n\u201cA conditional proxy.\u201d<br \/>\nInspector Ward looked between us.<br \/>\n\u201cExplain.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWe prepare a document that appears to transfer Penelope\u2019s voting authority,\u201d Julian said. \u201cBut the final clause makes it effective only after confirmation by the independent trustee.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWho is the independent trustee?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI am.\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel stared at him.<br \/>\n\u201cYou?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cVictor\u2019s grandfather appointed my firm eighteen years ago. Walter never knew which partner inherited the appointment.\u201d<br \/>\nFor the first time that night, we possessed something Walter did not understand.<br \/>\nInspector Ward did not like the plan.<br \/>\nNeither did Margaret.<br \/>\nShe came into the study after ensuring the girls were protected by two officers.<br \/>\n\u201cYou just survived armed men entering this house,\u201d she said. \u201cYou do not need to prove your courage by walking toward another one.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t about courage.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThen what is it about?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cEnding the threat before my daughters spend the rest of their childhood waiting for another window to break.\u201d<br \/>\nMargaret studied me.<br \/>\nThen she reached into her pocket and handed me my mother\u2019s old silver pendant.<br \/>\n\u201cYou wore this whenever you were frightened as a girl.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI thought it was lost.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYour grandmother kept it.\u201d<br \/>\nI fastened it around my neck.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019ll bring it back.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou had better.\u201d<br \/>\nJulian prepared the conditional proxy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<p>Police technicians made an exact copy of the flash drive containing only the files Walter already knew about.<br \/>\nThe real drive remained with Inspector Ward.<br \/>\nThe brass key could not be duplicated in time, so I carried the original.<br \/>\nA tactical team placed a listening device inside the clasp of my handbag.<br \/>\nInspector Ward gave me one instruction.<br \/>\n\u201cIf Walter raises the weapon, say, \u2018My daughters deserve the truth.\u2019 That will be our signal to enter.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhat if Claire or Naomi is in the line of fire?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cKeep him talking until they move.\u201d<br \/>\nAt 3:08 a.m., I entered Westbridge Bank.<br \/>\nThe main lobby was dark.<br \/>\nA single light illuminated the staircase leading to the private vault.<br \/>\nMy footsteps sounded unnaturally loud against the marble floor.<br \/>\nA security door stood open at the bottom.<br \/>\nWalter waited inside.<br \/>\nClaire knelt beside a row of metal boxes.<br \/>\nNaomi sat against the wall, breathing slowly.<br \/>\nWalter pointed the gun at me.<br \/>\n\u201cPut your handbag on the floor.\u201d<br \/>\nI obeyed.<br \/>\n\u201cThe key.\u201d<br \/>\nI held it up.<br \/>\n\u201cThe proxy first.\u201d<br \/>\nHe smiled without warmth.<br \/>\n\u201cYou are in no position to negotiate.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI control sixty-five percent of your company. That is the strongest position I have ever held.\u201d<br \/>\nAnger flashed across his face.<br \/>\n\u201cYou control nothing. You married into this family.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cAnd today I divorced out of it.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYet you still want what our name built.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI want what belongs to my daughters.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThose girls know nothing about running an engineering company.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNeither did you when your father handed it to you.\u201d<br \/>\nHis grip tightened around the gun.<br \/>\nI had found the wound beneath his pride.<br \/>\nWalter had spent his entire life insisting he earned something he inherited.<br \/>\n\u201cSlide the documents toward me,\u201d he ordered.<br \/>\nI placed the proxy on the floor and pushed it across the polished stone.<br \/>\nHe picked it up without lowering the gun.<br \/>\nAs he read, Naomi looked at me.<br \/>\nHer lips barely moved.<br \/>\nMIRIAM.<br \/>\nI frowned.<br \/>\nShe repeated the name.<br \/>\nMIRIAM.<br \/>\nWalter finished reading.<br \/>\n\u201cThis transfers the voting authority.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYes.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhere is Abigail\u2019s signature?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cShe is nine. Her signature has no legal effect.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI want it anyway.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou are not getting near my daughter.\u201d<br \/>\nHe aimed the gun at Claire.<br \/>\n\u201cYou are testing my patience.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cNo, Walter. I\u2019m testing whether you understand your own father\u2019s trust.\u201d<br \/>\nHis eyes narrowed.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe proxy requires confirmation from the independent trustee.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou\u2019re lying.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cRead the final clause.\u201d<br \/>\nHe looked down.<br \/>\nFor three seconds, the gun moved away from Claire.<br \/>\nNaomi acted.<br \/>\nShe threw the metal evidence box at Walter\u2019s arm.<br \/>\nThe gun fired.<br \/>\nClaire screamed.<br \/>\nThe bullet struck the wall.<br \/>\nI lunged forward and pulled Claire behind a stone column.<br \/>\nWalter struck Naomi across the face.<br \/>\nShe fell against the boxes, both hands clutching her stomach.<br \/>\n\u201cNow!\u201d I shouted.<br \/>\n\u201cMy daughters deserve the truth!\u201d<br \/>\nThe vault doors exploded inward.<br \/>\nArmed officers entered from both sides.<br \/>\nWalter spun toward them.<br \/>\n\u201cDrop the weapon!\u201d<br \/>\nInstead, he grabbed Naomi by the hair and pulled her in front of him.<br \/>\nShe cried out.<br \/>\n\u201cPut it down!\u201d Inspector Ward shouted.<br \/>\nWalter backed toward a narrow service corridor.<br \/>\n\u201cIf I leave this building in handcuffs, none of you will ever find the original trust.\u201d<br \/>\nI held up the brass key.<br \/>\n\u201cI already have it.\u201d<br \/>\nHe smiled.<br \/>\n\u201cThat key opens an empty box.\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel\u2019s warning flashed through my mind.<br \/>\nThe original document can remove him from the company permanently.<br \/>\n\u201cWhere is the amendment?\u201d I demanded.<br \/>\n\u201cAsk the woman who wrote the male-heir lie in the first place.\u201d<br \/>\nNaomi\u2019s frightened eyes met mine.<br \/>\n\u201cMiriam,\u201d she whispered.<br \/>\nWalter shoved Naomi aside and ran toward the corridor.<br \/>\nPolice tackled him before he reached the door.<br \/>\nThe gun slid across the floor.<br \/>\nInspector Ward secured it.<br \/>\nWalter\u2019s hands were pulled behind his back.<br \/>\nFor the first time in his life, no one cared that he was Walter Reynolds.<br \/>\nHe was simply an arrested man lying face down on a bank floor.<br \/>\nNaomi curled onto her side.<br \/>\n\u201cMy baby.\u201d<br \/>\nA medic rushed toward her.<br \/>\nShe was bleeding from a cut near her hairline, but the greater concern was the tightening pain across her stomach.<br \/>\n\u201cI think I\u2019m having contractions.\u201d<br \/>\nDaniel entered behind the officers.<br \/>\nWhen Naomi saw him, shame crossed her face.<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cSo am I.\u201d<br \/>\nHe knelt beside her and took her hand.<br \/>\nClaire stood several feet away.<br \/>\nFor one painful moment, all three of them looked at the life their choices had destroyed.<br \/>\nThen Claire stepped forward and placed her coat beneath Naomi\u2019s head.<br \/>\n\u201cThe baby didn\u2019t make these mistakes,\u201d she said. \u201cHelp her.\u201d<br \/>\nWhile paramedics prepared Naomi for transport, I walked toward box 317.<br \/>\nThe brass key opened it.<br \/>\nWalter had told the truth.<br \/>\nThe box was empty.<br \/>\nThere were no original amendments.<br \/>\nNo ledger.<br \/>\nNo confession from Victor\u2019s grandfather.<br \/>\nOnly a pale blue card resting inside.<br \/>\nThe same shade as the gift bag Miriam had carried to the ultrasound.<br \/>\nA handwritten message covered one side.<br \/>\nPENELOPE,<\/p>\n<p>MEN ARE EASY TO CONTROL WHEN YOU TEACH THEM THAT HAVING A SON MAKES THEM POWERFUL.<br \/>\nMIRIAM REYNOLDS<br \/>\nI read it twice.<br \/>\nWalter had built the shell companies.<br \/>\nVictor had signed the transfers.<br \/>\nNaomi had helped hide the dates.<br \/>\nBut the belief that daughters were worthless had started with Miriam.<br \/>\nShe had repeated it at hospital beds, birthday dinners, and family gatherings until every person around her treated it as truth.<br \/>\nInspector Ward approached.<br \/>\n\u201cWe found another document inside Walter\u2019s coat.\u201d<br \/>\nShe handed me a wire transfer receipt.<br \/>\nEighteen million dollars had been removed from the Reynolds family accounts less than an hour earlier.<br \/>\nThe destination was a private bank in Luxembourg.<br \/>\nThe authorization belonged to Miriam.<br \/>\nMy phone rang.<br \/>\nSamantha.<br \/>\nI answered.<br \/>\n\u201cPenelope, Mom is gone.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhere?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cShe left the hospital while everyone was at the clinic. Her passport is missing. So are the original trust documents from Dad\u2019s safe.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhen did she leave?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cBefore Dad took Naomi.\u201d<br \/>\nA cold feeling spread through me.<br \/>\nMiriam had never been a frightened wife watching her husband\u2019s crimes unfold.<br \/>\nShe had been preparing her escape while Walter took the blame.<br \/>\nSamantha began crying.<br \/>\n\u201cThere\u2019s something else. I found Mom\u2019s second phone.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhat was on it?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cMessages between her and Victor.\u201d<br \/>\nI looked toward the police officers leading Walter from the vault.<br \/>\nVictor had been detained at my house.<br \/>\nBut Miriam had been speaking to him long before tonight.<br \/>\n\u201cHow far back do they go?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThree years.\u201d<br \/>\nMy grip tightened around the phone.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<br \/>\nSamantha inhaled shakily.<br \/>\n\u201cMom knew Victor was going to divorce you before he met Naomi. She told him where to find the trust papers. She told him exactly which documents to sign.\u201d<br \/>\nThe bank seemed to tilt beneath my feet.<br \/>\n\u201cSo Victor did know.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYes.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhere is Miriam now?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI don\u2019t know. But her final message says, \u2018If Walter fails, I\u2019ll handle Penelope myself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<p>Another call appeared on my screen.<br \/>\nMargaret.<br \/>\nI switched lines.<br \/>\nHer voice was urgent.<br \/>\n\u201cPenelope, the police stationed outside have disappeared.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhat do you mean, disappeared?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cA senior officer ordered them to report to the bank. We\u2019re alone.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cLock every door. Take the girls into the safe room.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI already tried.\u201d<br \/>\nMy heart stopped.<br \/>\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cThe safe-room door is open.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cWhere are Abigail and Charlotte?\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI can\u2019t find them.\u201d<br \/>\nI ran toward the bank stairs.<br \/>\nThen Margaret whispered, \u201cWait. I hear someone in the kitchen.\u201d<br \/>\nA woman\u2019s voice sounded faintly behind her.<br \/>\n\u201cMargaret, put the phone down.\u201d<br \/>\nI recognized it immediately.<br \/>\nMiriam.<br \/>\nA photograph arrived from Abigail\u2019s phone.<br \/>\nMy daughters sat together at the kitchen table.<br \/>\nMiriam stood behind them holding the silver baby rattle she had brought to Naomi\u2019s ultrasound.<br \/>\nIn front of Abigail lay the original Reynolds trust amendment.<br \/>\nBeneath the photograph was a message.<br \/>\nYOUR DAUGHTER OWNS MY FAMILY\u2019S COMPANY.<br \/>\nCOME HOME ALONE, OR CHARLOTTE WILL BE THE FIRST GIRL WHO PAYS FOR IT\u2026<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"p1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/?p=6170\">Click Here to continue read next: PART6: Five minutes after our divorce was finalized, my ex-husband looked at me and said, \u201cTake the girls<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PART 5: THE WARNING NAOMI COULDN\u2019T SAY DON\u2019T TRUST VICTOR. Naomi formed the words a second time. Victor saw them. His face changed. \u201cShe\u2019s trying to turn you against me.\u201d &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6169"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6179,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6169\/revisions\/6179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmnews168.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}