Clara: Sir, the clinic is on 4th Street, near the old harbor district. That's where she met me.
Marcus: Toby, get your coat. You're coming with me and Clara.
Vanessa: You are not taking that child to a police investigation or a cemetery in the middle of the night!
Marcus: Stay out of my way, Vanessa. Richard! Call my head of security immediately. Tell him to meet us at Oakridge Cemetery with a court order for exhumation.
Richard: Right away, Mr. Sterling. I'm calling the precinct chief now.
Vanessa: Richard, don't you dare! You work for the Sterling estate, and I control the family trust until Marcus turns thirty-five!
Marcus: The trust agreement states that if Sarah is alive, her signature overrides yours completely. Is that why you look so terrified, Vanessa?
Vanessa's face turned as red as a brick, her lips trembling as she clutched her gold evening bag.
Vanessa: This is a wild conspiracy! You're letting grief destroy your mind!
Marcus: We'll find out in one hour. Clara, lead the way to my car.
Twenty minutes later, Marcus's black SUV pulled up to the heavy iron gates of Oakridge Cemetery. Flashlights cut through the thick darkness as four security guards and two police officers stepped up to the Sterling family mausoleum.
Officer Miller: Mr. Sterling, we have the emergency order signed by Judge Hayes, but are you sure you want to proceed with this? It's very irregular.
Marcus: Open the vault, Officer. I need to see what is inside that casket.
Toby: Is Mommy in there, Uncle Marcus?
Marcus: I don't know, Toby. But we are going to get the truth right now.
The heavy stone door of the mausoleum creaked open with a loud, metallic scrape. The air inside was cold and damp, smelling of old marble and stale flowers. The officers approached the polished mahogany coffin sitting on the center altar.
Officer Miller: Stand back, everyone. We are breaking the seal.
The officers used heavy crowbars to pop the bronze latches. The metal shrieked against the stone walls as the lid was lifted back.
Marcus stepped forward, his heart pounding in his ears, his flashlights casting a bright white beam into the interior of the casket.
Clara covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a horrified scream.
The casket was completely empty. There was no body, no ashes, and no jewelry—only two heavy bags of industrial concrete used to weight the coffin down.
Marcus: It's empty... My God, it's completely empty!
Officer Miller: What in the world...? This is a crime scene!
Toby: See, Uncle Marcus? I told you! Mommy isn't dead!
Marcus: She's alive... Sarah is alive!
Marcus grabbed Officer Miller by his uniform lapels, his eyes burning with intense determination.
Marcus: My stepmother faked my wife's death while I was in a coma! I want a warrant for Vanessa Sterling's arrest right now!
Officer Miller: We need to find your wife first, Mr. Sterling. Where could she be hiding?
Clara: The clinic... She told me she was staying at a women's shelter near the docks because she was hiding from someone powerful!
Marcus: She was hiding from Vanessa. Let's go!