Evelyn waited until Lily was seated beside Officer Brooks before asking Sarah about the black sedan.
"Did you happen to notice the license plate?"
Sarah shook her head.
"It was raining too hard. I only saw a man sitting behind the wheel."
"What did he look like?"
"Dark hair. Maybe forties. He was wearing a black coat."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
"That could have been Victor."
Sarah lowered her voice.
"Who is he?"
"Victor Langley. My late husband's business partner."
Evelyn explained that her husband, Andrew Whitmore, had founded a property development company fifteen years earlier. After Andrew died in a boating accident, Victor assumed temporary responsibility for several business operations.
At first, he had seemed helpful.
He arranged meetings, reassured investors, and told Evelyn not to worry about complicated financial matters while she grieved.
But after she began examining the company's accounts, his behavior changed.
"He wanted me to sign away control of several properties," Evelyn said. "When I refused, he started questioning whether I was emotionally capable of raising Lily."
Sarah felt her stomach tighten.
"Can he do that?"
"He can file claims. Whether they're true is another matter."
Evelyn explained that Victor had connections to people who worked with the company and access to private information about the family.
Recently, he had begun insisting that certain documents Andrew left behind belonged to the business rather than to Evelyn.
Three months earlier, Evelyn discovered discrepancies in property transfers approved shortly before Andrew's death.
She hired an independent attorney.
Victor responded by threatening litigation.
That morning, Evelyn had taken Lily to a downtown office building for a meeting with her lawyer.
During an unexpected evacuation alarm, mother and daughter became separated in the crowd.
Evelyn searched the building while security personnel checked the surrounding area.
By the time she learned Lily had left the premises, nearly forty minutes had passed.
"I've been terrified ever since," Evelyn whispered.
Sarah thought about the paper Lily carried.
"Why did you give her an attorney's contact information?"
Evelyn looked ashamed.
"Because I worried something like this might happen."
She paused.
"And because Andrew told me never to ignore a situation that seemed deliberately arranged."
Sarah stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn opened her handbag.
She removed a photograph of Victor standing beside a man Sarah recognized immediately.
It was Gregory Vance.