Chapter 10: The Secret Emily Was Forced to Carry
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Emily’s words hung in the hospital room.
He was afraid Victor would expose me.
I felt a chill move through my entire body.
Not because I understood.
Because I didn’t.
And that terrified me.
“Emily,” I said carefully, “what do you mean?””
She stared at the floor.
“I don’t know how to explain it.””
“You don’t have to do it perfectly.””
“I remember something.””
Detective Grant pulled her chair closer.
“What do you remember?””
Emily took a deep breath.
“The night at the lake house… before everything happened… Daniel told me something.””
“What?””
“He said Victor had something on me.””
My heart tightened.
“What kind of something?””
“I didn’t know.””
Emily looked frustrated with herself.
“I was scared. I was confused. I wasn’t thinking clearly.””
“You were seventeen.””
“I know.””
She looked at me.
“But Daniel kept saying I had to be careful.””
“Careful about what?””
“He said if Victor got angry, he would release something.””
Detective Grant’s expression changed.
“Did he say what?””
Emily shook her head.
“No.””
“Did you ever see Victor with anything belonging to you?””
Emily went silent.
Then slowly nodded.
“My backpack.””
I froze.
“What?””
“The night before everything happened, Victor had my backpack.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“When did you notice?””
“The next morning.””
Emily’s fingers tightened around the blanket.
“My backpack was on the kitchen counter.””
Detective Grant wrote something down.
“Was anything missing?””
“I thought my notebook was gone.””
“What notebook?””
“A journal.””
My stomach dropped.
“What was in it?””
Emily looked embarrassed.
“Just things.””
“Emily.””
She looked away.
“Things I wrote when I was upset.””
“About what?””
“About school. About Dad. About everything.””
The room became silent.
Daniel had always respected privacy.
At least, that was what I believed.
He never went through my things.
He never opened my mail.
He never checked my phone.
But now I wondered.
How much of that was real?
“And Daniel knew about the journal?””
Emily nodded.
“He found it once.””
“When?””
“Months before the lake house.””
Detective Grant looked up.
“Did he threaten you with it?””
Emily swallowed.
“He said some things shouldn’t be shared with people who don’t understand.””
I felt anger rise.
He had been training her to stay silent long before that weekend.
Not with one threat.
With hundreds of small ones.
“You said he wanted to buy time,” I said.
Emily nodded.
“I think he wanted to find the journal.””
“Why?””
“Because he thought Victor had it.””
Detective Grant looked at Vanessa.
“Does this connect with what you know?””
Vanessa slowly nodded.
“Victor collects information.””
“Information for what?””
“Control.””
She looked at me.
“People who owe him don’t just owe money.””
The meaning hit me.
They owed secrets.
The kind of secrets that could destroy lives.
Detective Grant stood.
“I need to make some calls.””
She stepped away.
I stayed with Emily.
For the first time in days, there was no fear in her eyes.
Only exhaustion.
“I’m sorry.””
I shook my head immediately.
“No.””
“I should have told you.””
“No.””
“I was scared.””
I held her hand.
“You were protecting yourself.””
“I was protecting you.””
My heart broke.
“You are my child. You never have to protect me from the truth.””
She cried quietly.
“I thought you would look at me differently.””
I leaned forward.
“Emily, listen to me.””
She looked at me.
“There is nothing you could tell me that would make me love you less.””
For the first time since this nightmare began, she smiled.
Only slightly.
But it was there.
Then Detective Grant returned.
Her expression told me something had happened.
“What?””
“We located Daniel.””
My stomach tightened.
“Where?””
“At the airport.””
“Is he leaving?””
“He tried.””
“Tried?””
Detective Grant nodded.
“He was stopped.””
“Why?””
She looked at the folder.
“Because Vanessa’s documents raised enough questions for investigators to request additional review.””
I breathed out.
“Good.””
But Detective Grant didn’t look relieved.
“What?””
“He wasn’t alone.””
My body went cold.
“Who was with him?””
May you like
She paused.
“Victor Lang.””
