Little Sophie Pointed at the Security Monitor After Her Backpack Vanished — Then Her Father Saw Who Had Taken It
Chapter 5 — The Man With the Red Tie
Ryan felt every muscle in his body tighten.
“Someone asked you about Mom?”
Sophie nodded.
“When?”
“Before art class.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sophie shrugged.
“I thought he knew her.”
Ryan looked at Karen.
“Was Thomas Holloway wearing a red tie?”
Karen shook her head.
“Thomas doesn’t wear ties.”
Jason suddenly stood.
“I know who she’s talking about.”
He opened another camera view.
Then searched footage from that morning.
A man appeared in the lobby at 9:42 AM.
Dark suit.
Red tie.
Gray hair.
He spoke to Thomas Holloway for several minutes.
Then Thomas pointed toward the children’s hallway.
Ryan leaned toward the screen.
“Who is he?”
Karen looked confused.
Jason zoomed the image.
The man seemed familiar to Ryan.
But Ryan couldn’t place him.
Then Sophie whispered.
“That’s him.”
The video showed the stranger walking toward Hook 12.
He stopped beside Sophie’s backpack.
He didn’t touch it.
Instead, he looked directly toward the camera.
Then he walked away.
Five minutes later, Thomas Holloway entered the same hallway.
Ryan pointed.
“Keep playing.”
Thomas approached Sophie’s backpack.
Then the recording jumped forward.
Forty-seven deleted seconds.
After the gap, both Thomas and the backpack were gone.
Ryan’s phone was already in his hand.
“I’m calling now.”
This time Karen didn’t stop him.
But before Ryan could finish dialing, Jason spoke.
“Ryan.”
He had zoomed farther into the stranger’s face.
“You might want to see this.”
Ryan looked.
And suddenly he recognized the man.
His name was Charles Whitmore.
Ryan hadn’t seen him in almost four years.
But Emily had known him very well.
Charles Whitmore had been Emily’s attorney.
