Chapter 6: The Child in the Photograph
Nobody spoke after the message appeared.
Officer Ramirez immediately took my phone.
“Who sent this?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
She looked at the picture again.
“Where was Leo when this was taken?””
My heart stopped.
I looked toward the hallway.
His bedroom door was open.
Empty.
I ran.
“Leo!””
The room was dark.
The blanket was on the floor.
The window was slightly open.
But then I heard him.
“Daddy?””
I turned.
Leo was sitting behind the chair in the corner.
Crying.
I grabbed him.
“Are you okay?””
He nodded against my shoulder.
“I was hiding.””
“Why?””
He pointed toward the window.
“The lady told me to.””
My blood went cold.
“What lady?””
He looked confused.
“Grandma.””
I held him tighter.
“What did Grandma say?””
Leo whispered:
“She said I should sleep because she needed to talk to the boy.””
Everyone behind me went silent.
“The boy?””
Leo nodded.
“The boy in the wall.””
I looked at Ethan.
He looked terrified.
Officer Ramirez stepped closer.
“Leo, what boy?””
Leo pointed toward the living room.
“The sad boy.””
My breathing became shallow.
“Did you see him?””
Leo nodded.
“He was crying.””
Ethan walked closer slowly.
“Leo…”
My son looked at him.
“You’re the boy from the picture.””
Ethan stopped.
“What?””
Leo pointed toward the old photograph on the table.
“The boy Grandma said was gone.””
Nobody moved.
Because Leo had never seen that photograph.
Nobody had shown it to him.
I looked at Claire.
She looked just as confused.
Officer Ramirez picked up the photograph.
“Who is this?””
Ethan stared at it.
Then he answered.
“That’s Noah.””
The name felt heavier this time.
Not just a name.
A missing person.
A secret.
A child erased from history.
Elina had disappeared.
And now she had taken something with her.
The question was what.
The police searched the house again.
This time, they searched every inch.
Behind walls.
Under floors.
Inside cabinets.
At midnight, Officer Ramirez found something hidden behind an old kitchen cabinet.
A small metal box.
Inside were documents.
Birth records.
Photos.
Letters.
I watched her read through them.
Then her expression changed.
“What?””
She looked at Ethan.
“These records say Noah Miller died twenty-eight years ago.””
Ethan shook his head.
“No.””
“They have a death certificate.””
“It’s fake.””
“How do you know?””
“Because I saw him.””
Nobody spoke.
“When?””
Ethan looked toward the floor.
“The last time I saw Noah was the night I disappeared.””
Claire stepped closer.
“What happened?””
Ethan closed his eyes.
“My father came home angry.””
The words came slowly.
“He said one of us had to leave.””
My stomach tightened.
“One of you?””
Ethan nodded.
“He picked Noah.””
Claire covered her mouth.
“No…”
“But Noah ran.””
Ethan looked at the photograph.
“He escaped through the back door.””
“Then why did everyone think he died?””
“Because someone wanted them to.””
Before anyone could answer, a noise came from upstairs.
A floorboard creaking.
Everyone looked up.
I grabbed Leo.
Officer Ramirez drew her flashlight.
“Stay here.””
The footsteps continued.
Slow.
Careful.
Someone was walking across the second floor.
But everyone in the house was standing downstairs.
Then a voice came from above.
A voice I recognized.
Elina.
“David…”
My blood froze.
She called my name softly.
Almost like she was crying.
“Come upstairs.””
Officer Ramirez raised her hand.
“Don’t move.””
But Elina spoke again.
This time louder.
“I know where your son really came from.””
I looked at Claire.
Then at Ethan.
And finally at the staircase.
Because lying at the top step was something that made Ethan whisper in horror.
A small child’s photograph.
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And written on the back were two words:
*NOAH’S SON.*
