Chapter 12: The Room Behind The Wall
My mother’s house looked exactly the same.
That was the worst part.
The white curtains.
The flower pots on the porch.
The wind chime hanging near the door.
Everything looked normal.
Like a place where nothing terrible had ever happened.
But I knew better now.
The house was full of secrets.
Detective Harris followed behind me.
Maya was still at the hospital under observation, and I hated leaving her.
But Daniel’s voice had sounded terrified.
And I knew something was wrong.
The front door was unlocked.
“Daniel?”” I called.
No answer.
I stepped inside.
The smell hit me first.
Old photographs.
Coffee.
The same scent from my childhood.
Except now it felt like a trap.
“Daniel!””
A sound came from upstairs.
We rushed toward it.
The door at the end of the hallway was open.
My father’s old office.
A room my mother always said she couldn’t enter because it was too painful.
But inside, everything had been disturbed.
Drawers were open.
Papers scattered.
A bookshelf had been moved.
Harris looked around.
“This room was searched.””
I walked closer.
On the floor was a broken picture frame.
My father’s picture.
Beside it was a small notebook.
I picked it up.
The first page had my mother’s handwriting.
*Things Caleb can never know.*
My heart pounded.
I flipped through it.
Dates.
Names.
Notes.
Then one sentence stopped me.
*Daniel saw what happened.*
I looked at Harris.
“What does that mean?””
Before he answered, we heard a noise.
A faint movement.
From behind the wall.
I turned.
“There’s someone there.””
Harris pulled me back.
“Stay behind me.””
He examined the bookshelf.
Then pushed it aside.
Behind it was a hidden door.
My mother had a secret room.
A room she had hidden for fifteen years.
Harris opened it.
Inside was a small space filled with boxes.
Documents.
Photos.
Old recordings.
And sitting in the middle of the room was Daniel.
His face was pale.
His shirt was torn.
“Daniel!””
I rushed forward.
He looked up.
“I knew you would find it.””
“What happened?””
He looked at the hidden room.
“She came here.””
My blood ran cold.
“Mom?””
He nodded.
“She knew I was going to tell you.””
“Where is she?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Instead, he pointed toward the boxes.
“She left something for you.””
I looked down.
On top of the largest box was a note.
My mother’s handwriting.
I picked it up.
Only four words were written.
*Now you know why.*
I opened the box.
Inside was a stack of photographs.
The first showed my father.
The second showed Thomas.
The third showed Harris.
Then I found the last photograph.
And my entire body went cold.
Because it showed my mother standing beside my father the night he disappeared.
But they weren’t arguing.
They weren’t fighting.
They were holding hands.
And behind them stood someone else.
Someone who had been manipulating everything from the beginning.
May you like
Someone whose name was written on the back of the photo.
*Evelyn’s husband’s killer.*
