Delivery Driver Ryan Saw a Terrified Boy Hiding Behind Packages — Then an Older Woman Looked at the Child and Screamed His Name
Chapter 3 — The Stairwell
Derek shoved Ryan sideways and sprinted toward the emergency stairs.
Ryan stumbled into the wall.
Margaret shouted.
Ryan dropped his scanner and followed.
Derek was already two floors down.
Ryan heard doors banging below.
“Stop!”
Derek kept running.
Ryan followed until they reached the fifth-floor landing.
Derek suddenly turned.
He swung the duffel bag.
It struck Ryan’s shoulder.
Ryan hit the railing.
Derek ran again.
Then another stairwell door opened.
A maintenance worker stepped through carrying a toolbox.
Derek collided with him.
Both men fell.
Ryan reached them seconds later.
The maintenance worker grabbed Derek’s jacket.
“What the hell?”
“Don’t let him go!”
Derek struggled.
Then sirens became audible outside.
He stopped fighting.
By the time police entered the building, Derek was sitting against the wall.
Handcuffed.
Silent.
But the story was far from over.
Because when officers opened his duffel bag, they didn’t find clothes.
They found six prepaid phones.
Three fake identification cards.
Thousands of dollars in cash.
And a photograph.
A photograph of Noah.
Taken weeks before he disappeared.
