Chapter 10 - The Threat
I knew exactly when that photo had been taken.
Six months earlier, I had met with a family-law attorney.
Not to take Mia away from Daniel.
To ask what I should do about Vanessa.
I had started documenting things.
Comments.
Texts.
Strange things Mia repeated after family visits.
Nothing felt big enough by itself.
Together, they scared me.
“I went for legal advice,” I told Daniel.
“About custody?”
“About protecting Mia.”
“From me?”
“From your sister.”
He looked away.
That hurt him.
I didn’t care.
“She knew,” I said.
“What?”
“She knew I was documenting her.”
Daniel stared at the photo again.
“Then this started before tonight.”
“Yes.”
A cold feeling moved through my body.
Vanessa hadn’t snapped in the hallway.
She had prepared.
The fake messages.
The missing phone.
Ava recording Mia.
The comments to Daniel.
She had been building a story.
A story where I was unstable.
Mia was troubled.
And Vanessa was the responsible aunt trying to help.
I called Officer Ramirez.
He answered on the third ring.
I explained the photo and the text.
“Send both to me,” he said.
“Do you think she followed me?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“She had a picture of me leaving my attorney’s office.”
“That matters.”
“What do I do tonight?”
“Keep your doors locked. Don’t engage with her.”
My stomach tightened.
“You think she’ll come here?”
“I think emotions are high, and I don’t want you taking chances.”
After I hung up, Daniel stayed by the door.
“I’m sleeping on the couch.”
“No.”
“Claire.”
“No.”
“If Vanessa comes here—”
“I’ll call the police.”
“I’m Mia’s father.”
“Then start acting like it tomorrow.”
His face fell.
I almost softened.
Almost.
Then Mia screamed from her bedroom.
I ran.
She was sitting upright, breathing hard.
“What happened?”
She pointed at the window.
“There was someone outside.”
Daniel rushed to the blinds.
I pulled Mia against me.
“Did you see who?”
“A woman.”
Daniel opened the curtain a fraction.
The street looked empty.
Then headlights turned on at the corner.
A dark SUV pulled away.
Daniel grabbed his keys.
“Stay here.”
“Daniel, don’t.”
But he was already out the door.
I called Ramirez again.
Thirty seconds later, Daniel called me.
“Claire.”
“What?”
His breathing was fast.
“I found something in the driveway.”
“What?”
“A bag.”
My skin prickled.
“What kind of bag?”
“The school bag.”
I stopped breathing.
The plastic bag that had held Mia’s torn princess dress was no longer on my kitchen table.
I ran back.
Gone.
Daniel spoke again.
“Claire, the dress is inside.”
I closed my eyes.
Then he said, “There’s something pinned to it.”
“What?”
“A note.”
He went silent.
“Daniel?”
May you like
His voice came out low.
“It says, ‘Next time, I won’t stop at the dress.’”
