Chapter 881
881:
And that wasn’t the only red flag. Linsey would never abandon her child like this. Ignoring Zander’s calls was not her style. If she had chosen to disappear, she would have left clues—a note or a message. But what made the whole situation even stranger was the silence from Zenia’s end. Zander hadn’t been able to reach his sister either. Surely Linsey wouldn’t be so upset with her son that she would isolate him from his sister, too. That didn’t add up.
With tension rising fast, Dustin grabbed his phone and placed a call to Dolores.
The line connected almost instantly. “Why are you calling this late?” she asked, her voice edged with confusion.
Shooting a look at Collin, Dustin lowered his voice and got to the point. “Did Linsey get in touch with you today?”
There was a brief pause on the other end, telling but subtle. Dolores returned with a question of her own, feigning confusion. “Why are you suddenly asking about her?”
Dustin had expected resistance. He braced himself and responded with deliberate emphasis, “Dolores, we already know. Linsey had two kids. They’re Collin’s. You don’t have to keep covering for her anymore.”
For several seconds, there was only silence. Then came a stunned whisper. “You found out? But… how?”
“That’s not important right now,” Dustin replied, urgency threading through his words. “The important thing is Linsey is missing. And no one can reach her daughter either. Do you have Caylee’s number? Call her. She might still be with Linsey and Zenia.”
“Alright. I’ll check.” Dolores hung up without another word.
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Just ten minutes later, her name lit up on Dustin’s screen again. Urgency laced every word when Dolores spoke. “Is Collin with you right now? Send me your location. I’ll be there soon.”
Without hesitation, Dustin replied, “Got it. Be careful on the road.” Quiet tension settled over Collin as he clenched his fists, saying nothing. Dolores’s involvement could be the breakthrough they needed. Still, something else was gnawing at the edges of Collin’s mind.
In all of Grester, there was only one man with the reach, audacity, and motive to pull off something like this. Everything pointed to Gorman.
“M-mommy… Mommy!”
Linsey could hear her children’s voices echoing through the haze of her dream. Zander’s panicked cries mixed with Zenia’s desperate call for her. They were both looking for her.
“Mommy, where are you?” “Are you going to leave us behind?”
Linsey’s face turned pale, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as she lay there, her eyes squeezed shut.
“No, I wouldn’t… Zenia… Zander…” she whispered in a strained, breathless voice. “Mommy’s right here…”
A sudden warmth touched her cheek, jarring her from the dream entirely.
Linsey snapped awake as her eyes shot open. Hovering just inches above her was Gorman—his gaze soft, his expression almost too gentle.
Revulsion washed over Linsey like ice. Every moment leading up to her blackout surged back all at once, hitting her like a tidal wave.
.
.
.