Chapter 4 - THE FIRST LIE
Officer Ramirez separated us.
I stayed with Noah.
Vanessa went into another room.
My mother tried to follow her.
The officer stopped her.
“Family members wait here.”
Mom looked offended.
“She’s my daughter-in-law.”
“She can answer questions herself.”
I watched Vanessa disappear down the hallway.
Noah leaned against me.
His energy was fading.
The paramedics checked him.
Mild dehydration.
Elevated temperature.
No immediate emergency.
Still, hearing the medic say, “He was lucky,” made my stomach twist.
Lucky.
My son had been locked in a car and approached by a man trying to break in.
And somehow we were calling it luck.
Officer Ramirez sat across from me.
“Mr. Carter, do you know the man in the video?”
“No.”
“Does your wife?”
“I think she does.”
“Why?”
“Noah said he’s been at our house.”
The officer looked at Noah, then back at me.
“Do you have security cameras at home?”
“Yes.”
My pulse jumped.
I had installed two exterior cameras a year earlier.
Front door.
Driveway.
I barely checked them.
Vanessa managed the app most of the time.
“I can access them.”
“Do it.”
I opened my phone.
The security app asked me to log in.
Password incorrect.
I tried again.
Same thing.
I looked up.
“She changed the password.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
Officer Ramirez wrote something down.
“Can you reset it?”
I tried.
The recovery email went to Vanessa.
Of course.
Then Lauren came over.
“Ethan.”
“What?”
She looked toward Mom.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Say it.”
She shook her head.
“Not here.”
We walked ten feet away.
Lauren’s hands were shaking.
“I think I’ve seen that guy.”
My stomach dropped.
“Where?”
“At your house.”
“When?”
“A month ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought he was doing work.”
“What kind of work?”
“I don’t know. Vanessa said he was helping with something in the garage.”
I closed my eyes.
“What did he look like?”
“Same tattoo.”
“Did Mom know?”
Lauren looked away.
That was my answer.
“Lauren.”
“She told me not to get involved.”
I turned toward my mother.
She immediately looked down.
Rage shot through me.
I walked over.
“What do you know?”
“Ethan, not now.”
“What do you know?”
Mom lowered her voice.
“Vanessa had some financial trouble.”
“What kind?”
“She borrowed money.”
“From who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Bull.”
Mom’s mouth tightened.
“She said you would overreact.”
“My wife was bringing strange men into my house around my son, and you helped hide it?”
“She made mistakes.”
“Mistakes?”
Noah suddenly shouted.
“Daddy!”
I spun around.
He was pointing through the restaurant window.
Outside, across the parking lot, a silver sedan had slowed near the entrance.
Same color.
Same shape.
Officer Ramirez ran toward the door.
The car sped away.
Police rushed outside.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
One message.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.
A second message arrived before I could speak.
YOU GOT YOUR BOY BACK.
BE HAPPY WITH THAT.
I showed the officer.
His face changed.
“This just became a lot more serious.”
Then a third text appeared.
And this one included a picture.
May you like
It was a photo of Noah.
Sleeping in his bedroom.
