David adjusted his grey suit jacket as he walked briskly down the long marble hallway.
The sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his family's sprawling estate.
He was supposed to be preparing for an important afternoon meeting with his estate lawyer.
His mind was entirely focused on the sudden disappearance of his seven-year-old daughter, Lily.
The house was quiet, far too quiet for a sunny Saturday afternoon.
He called out her name, but his voice echoed off the high plaster ceilings without a response.
David: Lily, where are you sweetie?
He stopped near the grand staircase and listened carefully for any sound.
His stepmother, Eleanor, walked down the stairs holding a silver teacup.
She smiled at him with the cold polish she had worn for twenty years.
Eleanor: She is probably just playing outside in the garden, David.
David: I checked the garden twice already, Eleanor.
Eleanor: Well, children at that age love to play hide and seek.
David narrowed his eyes because Eleanor seemed far too calm about the situation.
He knew Eleanor had always resented Lily after the reading of his father's will.
The family trust fund had left the bulk of the estate directly to Lily.
Eleanor stood to lose her monthly allowance if any major changes occurred in the custody agreement.
David took a deep breath and looked toward the large living room.
He noticed a heavy black leather suitcase sitting right beside the marble fireplace.
It was an unusual place for luggage to be left out in the open.
He took three fast steps toward the hearth as a strange noise caught his attention.
It sounded like a faint, muffled tapping coming from deep inside the leather bag.
David dropped his leather briefcase onto the floor and bent over the suitcase.
His heart raced rapidly against his ribs as he reached for the metal zipper.
Girl's Voice: Daddy, open it!
The voice was tiny, terrified, and undeniably belonged to his young daughter.
David gripped the brass zipper pull with shaking fingers and yanked it open forcefully.