Chapter 7: Someone Was Watching My Daughter
“Daniel, tell me you called the police.””
Rachel's voice trembled as she held out her phone. The photograph of Lily sleeping beside her stuffed rabbit filled the screen. Through the bedroom window, I could see the reflection of a streetlight and the dark outline of a person standing outside.
I grabbed my keys.
“Where is Lily?””
“Upstairs. I checked on her after I got the message. She's safe.””
“Lock the doors. Don't go near the windows.””
Rachel caught my arm before I could leave the room.
“Don't do anything stupid. Whoever took that picture knows where we live.””
“I know.””
“Then why do you look like you're about to hunt someone down?””
Because someone had threatened my daughter.
Because a woman I trusted had apparently helped conceal a secret about my dead wife.
And because, somewhere in the middle of all this, someone had begun treating Lily as if she were an object to be transferred between adults.
But Rachel was right. Anger would not protect Lily. Evidence and immediate action might.
I called the police and reported the threatening message and the photograph taken outside Rachel's house. I provided the phone number, the image, and the details of the earlier messages. An officer advised us to preserve the original messages, avoid contacting the sender, and keep Lily in a secure location while the report was assessed.
A patrol car arrived twenty minutes later.
Two officers examined the exterior of the house and checked the side yard, the gate, and the narrow strip of grass beneath Lily's window. They found a muddy footprint near the fence but couldn't establish who had made it.
One officer spoke with Rachel while the other asked me about the custody dispute.
“Has anyone made threats against you or your daughter before tonight?”” he asked.
I showed him the messages about the original will.
He read them carefully.
“Don't assume the same person sent every message,” he said.
“We'll document the similarities, but we need evidence connecting them.””
I nodded.
Then a small voice came from the stairs.
“Daddy?””
Lily stood on the landing in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.
I hurried to her.
“Hey, sweetheart. Why are you awake?””
“I heard people talking.””
I lifted her into my arms.
“Everything's okay. The police are here to help us make sure everyone stays safe.””
She wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Is somebody coming to take me away?””
“No one is taking you anywhere tonight.””
She pulled back to look at me.
“Promise?””
I wanted to promise her that nothing bad would ever happen again. But I knew better than to offer a guarantee I couldn't control.
“I promise I'm doing everything I can to protect you, and I won't leave you to face this alone.””
She rested her head against my shoulder.
That was when Rachel appeared behind us with another phone in her hand.
“Daniel, Vanessa's calling.””
I looked at the screen.
Five missed calls.
One voicemail.
I played it on speaker.
“Daniel, please answer me. I know about the photograph. I know what Marianne is doing. You have to listen to me before she—”
The message ended abruptly.
I called her back.
She answered immediately.
“Is Lily safe?”” Vanessa asked.
“Yes. Why?””
“Because Marianne knows where Rachel lives.””
I looked at the police officer standing near the front door.
“How do you know that?””
“I received a photograph too.””
“From whom?””
“An unknown number.””
“Send it to me and the police.””
“I will. Daniel, there's something else. Marianne called me an hour ago. She said you had contacted Marcus.””
My stomach tightened.
“How does she know that?””
“Because Marcus contacted her afterward.””
I stepped into the hallway.
“What did he tell her?””
“I don't know. But she was furious. She said the original will would never reach you.””
“Vanessa, who took Emily's first child?””
She stopped speaking.
I heard traffic in the background, followed by the sound of a car door closing.
“Where are you?”” I asked.
“I'm at my sister's.””
“Answer the question.””
“I don't know for certain.””
“Then tell me what you suspect.””
Vanessa began crying.
“I think Marianne took the baby.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why?””
“Because Emily wanted to raise that child, and Marianne believed Emily had made a terrible mistake. She said the baby would destroy Emily's marriage.””
“Emily was already married to me.””
“Not when the baby was conceived.””
I opened my eyes.
“Are you saying Lily isn't the first child Emily had?””
“Yes.””
“And you knew this all along?””
“I knew there had been a pregnancy before Lily. I didn't know what happened to the baby until Marianne started threatening me.””
My hands tightened around the phone.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of Marianne?””
“Of what the truth would do to you. To Lily. To everything.””
I looked at my daughter, who was now sitting beside Rachel on the stairs, holding her stuffed rabbit.
“You let Lily suffer because you were afraid of a secret.””
“I know.””
“No, Vanessa. I don't think you do.””
She fell silent.
Then she said, “Daniel, there's a reason Marianne wants Lily out of your home. She believes that if Lily disappears from your custody, she can settle Emily's estate without anyone questioning the original will.””
I turned toward the officer and signaled that the call might contain important information.
“Explain that.””
“Emily left money in trust for her children. Marianne has been trying to gain control of it for years. If Lily is declared ineligible to inherit, Marianne stands to benefit.””
“Who told you that?””
“Marianne did.””
“Do you have proof?””
“Yes. I have emails, financial records, and a copy of a letter Emily sent me shortly before she died.””
“Where are they?””
“In a safe deposit box.””
“Which bank?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she gave me the name of a bank in downtown Columbus and an account reference.
I passed the information to Robert, who advised me not to attempt to access the box without establishing my legal authority and the bank's requirements.
Before I could ask another question, Vanessa whispered, “Daniel, I need to tell you something about the hospital.””
“What?””
“The night Emily died, Marianne wasn't there to say goodbye.””
I waited.
“Marianne arrived three hours earlier,” Vanessa continued.
“She went into Emily's room while I was in the hallway. When she came out, she was carrying a sealed envelope.””
“What was in it?””
“I don't know.””
“Did Emily give it to her?””
Vanessa began breathing unevenly.
“No.””
“Then who did?””
“I saw Marianne take it from the bedside drawer.””
The call ended.
I stood in the hallway, staring at my phone.
The police officer approached me.
“Sir, we need you to come outside and show us where the photograph was taken from.””
I nodded and followed him.
As we reached the front door, my phone vibrated again.
A new message.
No photograph this time.
Just a sentence.
Ask Vanessa why she was at the hospital when Emily's first child was born.
I stopped on the porch.
May you like
Because Vanessa had never told me she knew Emily when Lily was born.
And if she had been at the hospital years earlier, she might know exactly what happened to the child everyone had spent years pretending never existed.
