Chapter 7 - The Paper Trail to Thessaloniki
In an office rented near the city center, David and his investigators spread out maps, flight manifests, and the addresses gleaned from Clara’s most recent dispatches. The latest letters originated from a coastal clinic outside Thessaloniki, Greece, run by an independent refugee medical collective.
Lily sat in the corner of the office at a low table, quietly drawing on a pad of paper David had bought her. With bright crayons, she sketched a large house with a locked door, then deliberately scribbled heavy black lines over the lock until the paper nearly tore.
"She hasn't spoken about Eleanor all day," Arthur noted, standing beside David as they reviewed flight routes.
"Trauma manifests as silence in children," David replied quietly, his heart breaking as he watched his daughter work through her grief. "Eleanor taught her that her feelings were dangerous. It will take years to undo what was done to her in that manor."
The head investigator, a retired federal officer named Marcus, hung up his satellite phone and turned to the desk. "We made contact with the administrative head of the clinic in Thessaloniki. Clara Sterling is registered there under her maiden name, Clara Vance. She works twelve-hour rotations in pediatric triage."
Hearing her mother's name, Lily looked up, the yellow crayon suspended above her page. "Mommy is at the doctor?"
David walked over and knelt beside her, meeting her wide hazel eyes. "Mommy is helping people who are sick, Lily. Just like she always dreamed of doing. And tomorrow morning, you and I are getting on an airplane to go see her."
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Lily’s lower lip trembled, not with fear, but with an emotion too vast for her six years to process. "Does she have a key to our new house?"
"She doesn't need a key," David whispered, pulling her into an embrace. "The door will never be locked again."
