Chapter 8
Mason heard the voice.
He immediately signaled another officer to trace the call.
I kept the phone against my ear.
“Where is Daniel?”
“Alive.”
“Let me hear him.”
Silence.
Then I heard breathing.
A groan.
“Emily?”
Daniel.
My knees weakened.
“Daniel!”
“Don’t—”
A sound like a blow cut him off.
I shouted, “Stop!”
The man returned.
“Now you know.”
“What do you want?”
“The copy.”
“What copy?”
“Don’t play stupid.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Daniel took documents from the bank. Sarah made copies years ago.”
“I don’t have them.”
“You will.”
“How?”
“Ask the daughter.”
“Lily?”
“The adult one.”
Mason shook his head, warning me not to reveal anything.
I said, “I don’t know where she is.”
“You have two hours.”
“For what?”
“To bring the papers to the old Hayes property.”
My heart stopped.
“What property?”
“Your husband knows.”
“I don’t.”
A bitter laugh.
“Of course he never told you.”
“Give me an address.”
He did.
Then he said, “No police.”
The call ended.
Mason immediately said, “You’re not going alone.”
“I’m going.”
“With us controlling the scene.”
“He’ll kill Daniel.”
“He may kill Daniel whether you go or not.”
“I can’t do nothing.”
“We’re not doing nothing.”
I called adult Lily.
She didn’t answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then a text appeared.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
I know what happened to Daniel. Don’t trust the police.
I showed Mason.
“Could be her?”
“Could be anyone.”
Another text.
The envelope from the bank wasn’t the only copy.
I typed:
WHERE ARE YOU?
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then:
Ask Rachel what happened after Sarah escaped the basement.
I turned toward Rachel.
She had stayed at the station during the search.
Her face changed when she saw mine.
“What?”
“What happened after Sarah escaped the basement?”
“I told you.”
“No. You told me she was supposed to meet you at the bus station.”
“That’s what happened.”
“Lily says you know more.”
Rachel’s face drained.
Mason stepped toward her.
“What haven’t you told us?”
Rachel sat down slowly.
“I promised Sarah.”
“She may be alive.”
Rachel began crying.
“I know.”
“You know?”
“I suspected.”
“Since when?”
“Since three years ago.”
I stared at her.
“What happened three years ago?”
“I got a birthday card.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a worn envelope.
Inside was a card with no signature.
Happy birthday, Rach.
You were right about the red dress.
I’m sorry.
Rachel handed it to me.
“Only Sarah would know what that meant.”
“What did it mean?”
“The night she disappeared, we argued over a dress. I told her she looked terrible in red. It was stupid.”
Mason asked, “Did you trace the card?”
“No return address. Postmark from another state.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Because if Sarah stayed hidden for more than twenty years, I assumed she had a reason.”
I wanted to scream.
Everyone had secrets.
Everyone thought their silence was justified.
“What happened that night?”
Rachel wiped her eyes.
“She called me before midnight.”
“You said that.”
“I didn’t tell you the rest.”
My jaw clenched.
“She called again around one.”
“What did she say?”
“She said Jason had Lily and was gone.”
“And Sarah?”
“She was still at the house.”
“Why?”
“She went back for Daniel.”
My heart twisted.
“She went back for her brother?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Robert knew Daniel had helped her unlock the basement door.”
I closed my eyes.
Eleven-year-old Daniel.
Terrified.
Helping his sister.
“What happened?”
“Sarah said Robert was furious. She thought he would hurt Daniel.”
“Did he?”
“I don’t know. The call cut off.”
“Then?”
“About an hour later, Reverend Caldwell came to my house.”
Mason stiffened.
“What?”
“He was a young associate pastor then.”
“What did he want?”
“He told my parents Sarah had run away and was unstable. He told me not to contact her.”
“Did you tell him Sarah called?”
Rachel shook her head.
“I was scared.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew exactly what she had said.”
My skin prickled.
“What?”
“He said, ‘Daniel is safe.’ I had never told anyone she went back for Daniel.”
Mason’s face hardened.
“So Caldwell was at the house.”
“He had to be.”
“What else?”
“He told me Sarah had caused enough pain.”
I thought about the crossed-out names.
“What do you think happened?”
Rachel’s voice fell.
“I think Robert and Caldwell were working together.”
“In the theft?”
“Everything.”
Mason began making calls.
I looked again at the address the kidnapper had given me.
“Whose property is this?”
An officer searched records.
“Old farmhouse. Purchased by Robert Hayes in 1987 through a holding company.”
“Who owns it now?”
“St. Matthew’s Community Trust.”
Of course.
Caldwell.
Adult Lily finally called.
“Emily?”
“Where are the copies?”
Silence.
“Caldwell has Daniel.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“I saw the truck.”
“You followed him?”
“For a while.”
“Where is Daniel now?”
“I think the farmhouse.”
“He wants documents.”
“I have them.”
“Give them to police.”
“No.”
I exploded.
“Enough! Everybody keeps hiding things and people keep getting hurt!”
“You don’t understand what’s on them.”
“Then explain.”
“My grandfather kept ledgers. Names. Payments. Bribes. Blackmail.”
“Caldwell?”
“Yes.”
“Who else?”
“A judge who’s still alive. A former police chief. Businessmen. Robert recorded everything.”
Mason was listening.
“Why?”
“Insurance. If anyone betrayed him, he could destroy them.”
“What does Sarah have to do with it?”
“She found the ledgers.”
“Then why not expose them years ago?”
“Because the originals disappeared.”
“Daniel found them?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“The safe-deposit box was supposed to contain a sworn statement from Sarah and copies of selected pages.”
“Why did Sarah make a statement?”
“Because she knew nobody would believe her.”
“Where are your copies?”
“Safe.”
“Lily, Daniel could die.”
“So could my mother.”
I froze.
“You know where Sarah is?”
Silence.
“Lily.”
“She contacted me after Dad died.”
My heart pounded.
“You’ve seen her?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Caldwell thinks she’s involved.”
“He’s been hunting her for years.”
“Then help us stop him.”
She breathed shakily.
“I’ll bring the documents.”
“Where?”
“The farmhouse.”
“No. Bring them to police.”
“If Caldwell sees police first, he’ll kill Daniel.”
Mason mouthed, Keep her talking.
“Then what are you planning?”
“I know another way in.”
“The utility tunnel?”
“Different property. Same idea. Robert built escape routes into everything.”
I stared at Mason.
He was already pulling up property plans.
“Meet us first,” I said.
“No.”
“You used my daughter once. Don’t do it again.”
Silence.
Then Lily whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“So help me.”
Another silence.
Finally:
“There’s an abandoned feed store two miles east of the farmhouse.”
She gave the address.
“Thirty minutes.”
The line went dead.
We met Lily Miller behind the feed store.
The first thing that hit me was the resemblance.
Not to my daughter exactly.
To Daniel.
To Sarah.
The Hayes family face.
She stepped out of a dusty sedan carrying a backpack.
Mason approached slowly.
“Lily Miller?”
“Yes.”
She looked at me.
“I’m sorry about your daughter.”
I wanted to hate her.
Part of me did.
But looking at her, I also saw another child whose life had been shaped by Margaret’s secrets.
“Show us the documents.”
She opened the backpack.
Photocopies.
Letters.
Photographs.
A small cassette tape.
Mason lifted it.
“What’s this?”
“Sarah recorded Robert and Caldwell arguing the night she escaped.”
My heart jumped.
“You have their voices?”
“Yes.”
“Does it prove what happened?”
“It proves they were holding her against her will. It proves Robert threatened Jason.”
“Anything about Daniel?”
Lily shook her head.
Then headlights appeared behind us.
Everyone turned.
A car stopped at the edge of the lot.
A woman stepped out.
Baseball cap.
Limp.
Sarah.
Rachel gasped.
Sarah looked at Lily first.
Her daughter.
Twenty-seven years apart collapsed into one look.
Lily began crying.
Sarah did too.
But Sarah didn’t move toward her.
She looked at me.
“Caldwell won’t trade Daniel for papers.”
I swallowed.
“How do you know?”
“Because he knows those aren’t the originals.”
“Where are the originals?”
Sarah’s expression broke.
“Daniel has known for years.”
“What?”
“He didn’t open the safe-deposit box to take evidence.”
“Then why?”
“He opened it to get the map.”
“What map?”
Sarah looked toward the distant farmhouse.
“The map showing where my father buried the original ledgers.”
Mason said, “Where?”
Sarah pointed toward the property.
“Under the basement floor.”
I almost laughed from horror.
Another basement.
Another buried secret.
Sarah continued.
“Caldwell doesn’t want the copies.”
She looked at me.
“He wants Daniel to show him where to dig.”
Then a gunshot echoed across the fields.
We all froze.
A second shot followed.
May you like
From the farmhouse.
I ran before anyone could stop me.
