I got in, locked the doors, and pulled out my phone.

I dialed Julian Hayes, the Chief Operating Officer of Holloway Global Components.

“Mrs. Holloway,” Julian answered on the first ring. “Is something wrong?”

I stared through the windshield at the mansion where my daughter was suffocating.

“Julian,” I said, my voice eerily calm. “Cancel every open order with Vance Manufacturing. Call in every outstanding balance. No extensions. No grace periods.”

Julian hesitated. “Eleanor… they depend on us for seventy percent of their annual revenue. We’re their lifeline. If we pull their contracts today, they’ll face bankruptcy within two weeks.”