Leaving after a fight could be impulsive.
Canceling an international ticket twelve hours before departure was preparation.
Julian had not simply left me in Thailand.
He had made sure following him would be difficult.
For several minutes, I sat staring at both notes.
Then a strange calm replaced the panic.
I am a senior corporate auditor.
My career is built on anticipating failure, tracing irregularities, and preparing for situations other people assume will never happen.
I had spent years advising executives through data breaches, financial crises, and international compliance problems.
And suddenly I remembered something I had once considered ridiculous.
A seven-digit number.
Years earlier, my former director, Martin Shaw, had required every senior consultant to memorize one international emergency contact number.
I had teased him.
“No one memorizes numbers anymore.”
Martin had answered without smiling.
“Exactly.”
Standing alone in Phuket without my phone, I finally understood why.
I still remembered the number.
I put on linen trousers and hurried back downstairs.
“Can I use a hotel phone for an international call?”
The receptionist pushed a handset toward me.
I dialed.
Martin answered on the fourth ring.
“Hello?”
“Martin. It’s Nora Vance.”
A pause.
“Nora?”
I looked at Evelyn’s note in my hand.
Then I said the phrase I had hoped never to need.
“Blue Lantern.”
Everything about Martin’s voice changed.
The sleepiness disappeared.
“Do not explain the full story yet. First, tell me exactly where you are.”
“The Regent Bay Resort in Phuket. Suite 412.”
I heard rapid typing.
“Are you in immediate danger?”
“No.”
“Who is with you?”
“No one. Julian left with his mother and Maya four hours ago. He took my phone and passport. My return flight was canceled yesterday.”
Martin stopped typing for a moment.
“Did you authorize Maya to leave without you?”
“No.”
“Did you give Julian permission to take your passport or phone?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Then his voice became steady.
“Understood. Stay at the hotel. Do not contact Julian if you find another way to reach him. Do not tell anyone connected to him that you have reached us.”
“What about Maya?”
“We’re dealing with that now.”
I swallowed.
