Chapter 7 - The Voice Behind The Phone Call
For several seconds after the call ended, nobody moved.
The room felt frozen.
I stared at my phone screen.
The number was gone.
No record.
No name.
Nothing.
Like the call had never happened.
But I heard it.
I heard Lily crying.
I heard a man’s voice.
And I heard the fear in my daughter’s voice before the line went silent.
I turned toward Daniel.
“What do you mean that wasn’t Richard?”
My voice was shaking.
Daniel didn’t answer.
“Daniel.”
He looked at me.
His face was pale.
“That voice…”
He stopped.
Like saying the name would make everything worse.
“Who was it?”
Daniel looked at the police officer standing nearby.
Then at Lily’s empty room.
Finally, he whispered:
“Michael.”
My heart dropped.
“Your brother?”
Daniel nodded.
“But you said he was gone.”
“He was supposed to be.”
“Supposed to be?”
I felt anger rising.
“How many things are you going to tell me after they happen?”
Daniel looked away.
And that silence told me everything.
There were still secrets.
The officer stepped closer.
“Mr. Carter, I need you to explain.”
Daniel took a deep breath.
“My brother was arrested six years ago.”
“Then why is he calling?”
“Because he never went to prison.”
The officer frowned.
“What?”
Daniel looked exhausted.
“The charges disappeared.”
“Someone helped him.”
I felt sick.
Again.
Always someone helping.
Always someone powerful enough to erase the truth.
“Who?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
“Who helped him?”
He looked at me.
“The same person who helped him before.”
The name came out slowly.
“Richard Hale.”
The officer immediately wrote it down.
“So Richard helped Michael escape consequences.”
“Yes.”
“And now both men are connected to your missing daughter.”
Daniel nodded.
But then he added something that made the room colder.
“Not just them.”
Everyone looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel stared at the letter.
“The person behind this has been watching us for years.”
My stomach tightened.
“Watching us?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
Daniel walked toward the kitchen.
He opened a drawer.
Inside were several envelopes.
All unopened.
I stared.
“What are those?”
Daniel looked ashamed.
“Letters.”
“From who?”
“Unknown.”
I picked one up.
The front had no name.
No address.
Only one sentence written across it.
YOU FAILED TO PROTECT HER.
My hands went cold.
“How long have you been receiving these?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
“Daniel.”
“Three years.”
I stared at him.
“Three years?”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me?”
“I thought it would stop.”
My anger exploded.
“You thought hiding threats from me was protecting me?”
“I thought if I stayed quiet…”
He stopped.
“Maybe they would leave you alone.”
I looked at Lily’s empty room.
“They didn’t leave us alone.”
“No.”
“They took our daughter.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
That sentence hurt him.
But it was true.
The police began organizing a search.
They needed everything.
Photos.
Documents.
Names.
Connections.
Then the officer asked a question.
“Mr. Carter, where would your brother take her?”
Daniel immediately answered.
“The old house.”
My body froze.
“The foster home?”
He nodded.
“No.”
“Another place.”
I looked at him.
“What other place?”
Daniel hesitated.
“The basement.”
I felt a wave of fear.
“What basement?”
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“The place where Michael kept records.”
The officer grabbed his notebook.
“Where?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
Because suddenly…
He looked uncertain.
Like he didn’t know if he should say.
“Daniel.”
He looked at me.
“There’s something you need to understand.”
“What?”
“I didn’t find Lily by accident.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel took a deep breath.
“Six years ago, when I entered Michael’s house…”
“You weren’t supposed to find her.”
My heart pounded.
“Then why did you?”
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
“Because someone wanted me to.”
Silence.
“What?”
Daniel nodded.
“I received an anonymous message.”
“Someone told me where to look.”
“Someone wanted me to discover what Michael was doing.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if that person wanted something else.”
“What?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Someone wanted me involved.”
“Why?”
“Because they knew I would never stop.”
The officer interrupted.
“Who sent the message?”
Daniel looked down.
“I don’t know.”
“Can you find out?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
Daniel’s voice became quiet.
“The number belonged to a dead person.”
Everyone froze.
“What?”
“Yes.”
“The message came from a phone registered under the name of Lily’s biological mother.”
I felt the room spinning.
“That’s impossible.”
Daniel nodded.
“I know.”
The officer looked serious.
“Are you saying someone used a dead woman’s identity?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel looked at me.
“To send a warning.”
I swallowed.
“What warning?”
He didn’t answer.
Then his phone rang.
Everyone looked at it.
Unknown number.
Again.
The officer motioned.
“Put it on speaker.”
Daniel answered.
No one spoke.
For five seconds…
Nothing.
Then a child’s voice.
Soft.
Broken.
“Mom?”
My heart stopped.
“Lily!”
I grabbed the phone.
But the voice disappeared.
Then a man spoke.
Calm.
Cold.
“You want your daughter back?”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Yes.”
“Then stop looking for answers.”
I grabbed the phone.
“Who are you?”
A small laugh came through the speaker.
“You still don’t understand.”
The man paused.
“Your husband spent six years searching for the wrong enemy.”
I looked at Daniel.
The man continued.
“The person who destroyed Lily’s life…”
“Is the person standing closest to her.”
The call ended.
Everyone looked at Daniel.
The officer slowly reached toward his weapon.
I stared at my husband.
Because for the first time…
A terrifying thought entered my mind.
What if the person hunting Lily…
May you like
Wasn’t outside our family?
What if the person was already inside?
