"Because Samuel threatened Anna."
Mason closed his eyes.
The old man had been trapped between his own crimes and the people he wanted to protect.
He had tried to save his son.
He had tried to help Anna.
He had failed.
And he had disappeared.
Mason folded the note.
"Why did you keep this?"
Vale looked at him.
"Because I knew one day somebody would ask what happened."
The investigators recorded Vale's statement.
His account provided the strongest evidence yet that Samuel Price had arranged William Cole's disappearance and that William had survived at least until he reached North Lake.
It also confirmed that Anna had possessed the original ledger.
The search for Anna became the highest priority.
The investigators reviewed travel records, medical records, charity databases, and property transfers from 1992 onward.
They searched for women who had used the names Anna Bell, Anna Price, or possible variations.
Several leads proved false.
One led to a woman in another state who had died in 2006.
Another led to a person who had never lived in the region.
Then a hospital archive produced a record.
A woman had been admitted under the name Anna Bell in 1993.
She had been treated for injuries after a road accident.
The hospital record stated that she had been transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
No family contact was listed.
The facility had closed in 2001.
Its patient records had been transferred to a regional archive.
The investigators requested access.
The file arrived two days later.
It contained a photograph.
Mason recognized her immediately.
Anna.
She was older than in the photograph from the orchard, and her hair had been cut short. There was a scar near her left eyebrow.
But it was her.
The file stated that she had suffered memory loss after the accident.
She had been unable to provide a reliable address.
A social worker had helped her obtain temporary accommodation.
She had later been transferred to a supported living facility under the name Anna Bell.
The last documented entry was dated 2005.
She had left voluntarily.
There was no further information.
Mason read the file twice.
"She's alive," he said.
Arthur looked at the photograph.
"At least she was in 2005."
"Then we find her."
The search led to a small coastal town.
A woman named Anna Bell had lived there from 2006 to 2014.
She worked part-time at a charity shop and rented a room above a bakery.
Neighbors remembered her as quiet and polite.
She rarely spoke about her past.
She had moved away after the bakery changed owners.
The current shopkeeper remembered her.
"She used to leave little notes for people," he said. "Encouraging things. She was kind."
"Did she have family?"
"Not that I knew."
"Did anyone visit her?"
The shopkeeper thought.
"An older man came once. He waited outside. She saw him through the window and looked frightened."
"Did she go outside?"
"No. She called someone, I think. The man left."
Mason showed him a photograph of Samuel Price.
The shopkeeper looked at it carefully.
"That's him."
Mason felt a chill.
"You're certain?"
"Yes. He was wearing a gray coat. He stood across the street for almost an hour."
"When?"
"Maybe 2010."
The investigators searched the town's records.
Anna had moved to a neighboring district in 2014.
She had lived in a small apartment building and received assistance from a community support organization.
The organization still existed.
A social worker named Rachel Dunn remembered her.
"Anna was very independent," Rachel said. "She had some difficulty with her memory, but she was capable of managing most things."
"Did she speak about her family?"
"Sometimes. She mentioned a son."
"Did she give his name?"
"Daniel."
Mason felt his chest tighten.
"Did she ever try to contact him?"
Rachel nodded.
"She wrote letters. I helped her send one."
"To Daniel Mercer?"
"I don't know his full name. She said he was her son."
"Did she receive a reply?"
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
"Yes."
"From him?"
"No. From someone else."
"Who?"
"A man claiming to be a legal representative. He said Anna was not to contact the family again."
Mason's jaw tightened.
"Do you have the letter?"
Rachel nodded.
She retrieved a copy from the organization's archive.
The letter was brief.
It stated that Daniel had no desire to communicate with Anna and that further contact would be considered harassment.
The signature was not Daniel's.
It belonged to a law firm that had once represented Samuel Price.
Mason stared at the page.
Samuel had found her.
He had continued to control the relationship even after she had escaped.
"Did Anna believe Daniel had rejected her?"
Rachel nodded.
"She was devastated. She stopped writing after that."
"Did she say anything else?"
Rachel hesitated.
"She said she had made one mistake that she could never repair."
"What mistake?"
"She said she had left her son with a man who knew how to turn fear into loyalty."
Mason looked down.
"Where did she go after 2014?"
Rachel checked the records.
"She moved to a supported living community in Eastbridge. I believe she's still there."
Mason felt a surge of hope.
"Can you confirm?"
Rachel made a call.
After several minutes, she returned.
"She's there."
Mason did not go alone.
He asked Leah to come with him.
Arthur wanted to accompany them, but Mason told him to remain in Blackwater and coordinate with the investigators.
The supported living community was a quiet place near a park.
It had a small garden, a dining room, and several sitting areas.
A staff member met them at the entrance.
"Anna knows you're coming," she said. "She was nervous, but she agreed to meet."
Mason nodded.
"Thank you."
They were led to a room overlooking the garden.
An elderly woman sat beside the window.
Her hair was silver.
Her hands rested on a blanket.
She looked toward the door when they entered.
For a moment, Mason could not speak.
He had seen her in photographs, in old records, and on a recording that had survived more than thirty years.
But seeing her alive was different.
"Anna?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Yes."
"My name is Mason Cole."
Her expression changed.
"William's grandson."
Mason sat down.
"Yes."
Anna looked at Leah.
"Who is she?"
"Leah. She's a friend."
Anna nodded.
Then she looked back at Mason.
"Did he send you?"
"Who?"
"Samuel."
"No."
Anna's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Then why are you here?"
Mason placed the photograph on the table.
It showed Anna holding Daniel's hand beneath the apple tree.
She stared at it.
For a long time, she did not touch it.
Then she reached out.
"My boy."
Mason nodded.
"Daniel is alive."
Anna closed her eyes.
A tear moved down her cheek.
"Is he safe?"
"He is in custody."