Chapter 13: The Last Person I Expected
The voice on the phone made my entire body go still.
Not because of what she said.
Because of who said it.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it at family dinners.
I had heard it laughing in my kitchen.
I had heard it telling me everything was going to be okay.
“Who is this?”” I asked, even though I already knew.
A pause.
Then:
“Dad…”
My heart dropped.
It was Lauren.
But Lauren wasn’t holding a phone.
She was standing three feet away from me.
Her face was filled with confusion.
The call was coming from somewhere else.
I slowly pulled the phone away from my ear.
“What is happening?””
The voice continued.
“Dad, please listen to me.””
I looked at Lauren.
She shook her head.
“I didn’t call you.””
The phone screen showed an unknown number.
My stomach tightened.
Someone was using her voice.
A recording.
Or something worse.
Thomas stepped closer.
“Hang up.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because whoever is calling wants you confused.””
I ended the call.
Nobody spoke.
Then Lauren whispered:
“Dad…”
I looked at her.
“I know.””
She looked hurt.
“No, you don’t.””
And she was right.
I didn’t know anything anymore.
That was the most terrifying part.
The person who betrayed me was not just a stranger.
They were someone close.
Someone who knew my habits.
My fears.
My weaknesses.
Deputy Collins arrived twenty minutes later.
After hearing everything, his expression became serious.
“This changes things.””
“What do you mean?”” I asked.
“The voice recording.””
He looked at Lauren.
“Someone is trying to make you believe she’s responsible.””
Lauren swallowed.
“Why?””
“Because if you stop trusting her, you become isolated.””
I thought about it.
Someone wanted me alone.
Someone wanted me doubting everyone.
“Marilyn?”” I asked.
Deputy Collins shook his head.
“We’re not ruling anyone out.””
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“What?”” I asked.
He looked at Lauren.
“Your mother found another person involved.””
My heart sank.
“Who?””
Thomas hesitated.
“She never told me the name.””
“Why not?””
“Because she was afraid.””
“Afraid of who?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Someone inside your home.””
The room became silent.
I looked around.
The walls.
The pictures.
The memories.
Everything that once felt safe suddenly felt like a place full of secrets.
That night, Lauren and I searched through Evelyn’s old belongings.
Not because we wanted to invade her privacy.
Because we needed answers.
Inside a small box behind her closet, we found a notebook.
Her handwriting covered every page.
Dates.
Names.
Observations.
And then one sentence caught my eye.
*“I don’t think Jason is the person controlling this.””*
I turned the page quickly.
There was another name.
A name I never expected.
*Thomas.*
I looked up.
Lauren saw my face.
“What?””
I couldn’t speak.
Thomas had been helping us.
Thomas had been warning us.
But now his name was in Evelyn’s notes.
The next morning, I called him.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Then a message arrived.
From Thomas.
*Meet me alone. I can explain everything.*
I showed Lauren.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
“He might know something.””
“Or he might be part of it.””
I looked at her.
The old me would have ignored her warning.
The old me would have trusted someone because they had been in my life for decades.
But I had learned something.
Love and history did not guarantee honesty.
I met Thomas in the same coffee shop where I met Rachel.
He arrived ten minutes late.
And he looked like he hadn’t slept.
“Mr. Harrison.””
I sat across from him.
“You were in Evelyn’s notes.””
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“She wrote about me?””
“Yes.””
Thomas looked down.
“I knew this day would come.””
“What day?””
“The day you found out I failed her.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
He took a deep breath.
“I helped Evelyn investigate Jason.””
“Then why is your name there?””
“Because I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
Thomas looked at me.
“I trusted the wrong person.””
The words felt familiar.
Everyone had trusted the wrong person.
“Who?””
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
And his face went pale.
“What?””
He stood suddenly.
“I have to go.””
I grabbed his arm.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Mr. Harrison, you need to understand something.””
“What?””
“The person behind this…”
He looked terrified.
“…is someone who has been waiting for your surgery date since before Evelyn died.””
Then he walked away.
Leaving me with one horrifying thought.
May you like
This wasn’t a desperate mistake.
It was a plan that had been years in the making.
