Chapter 6: The Last Witness
The officer broke the door open in less than ten seconds.
But those ten seconds felt like an eternity.
I stood frozen behind him.
Because Logan’s words kept repeating in my head.
The room where she keeps the kids.
Inside the old library was another hidden space.
A place no parent should ever have known existed.
The walls were covered with children’s drawings.
The floor was covered with blankets.
And sitting in the corner was a little girl.
She looked about seven years old.
Terrified.
The officer immediately rushed toward her.
“You’re safe now.””
She didn’t answer.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the doorway.
“She’s coming back.””
I stepped closer.
“Who?””
The girl whispered:
“Mrs. Hart.””
My stomach dropped.
The officer picked up his radio.
“Search the building. Suspect may still be inside.””
The girl grabbed my sleeve.
“Are you Logan’s mommy?””
I looked at her.
“Yes.””
She started crying.
“She said you would come.””
“What?””
“She said Logan was different.””
I felt a chill.
“What does that mean?””
The girl looked toward the wall.
“She said he was the only one who remembered.””
Remembered.
I looked at Logan.
He was standing behind the officer.
“Remembered what?””
The girl opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the fire alarm suddenly started screaming.
Everyone jumped.
Smoke began pouring from the hallway.
The officer shouted.
“Everyone out!””
We moved quickly.
I grabbed Logan’s hand.
But as we reached the exit, he stopped.
“Mommy.””
“What?””
He pointed back.
“The picture.””
“What picture?””
He looked terrified.
“The one Mrs. Hart showed me.””
The officer turned.
“What picture?””
Logan whispered:
“The one of my dad.””
Everything stopped.
I stared at him.
“My dad?””
Logan nodded.
“She said he knew the secret too.””
I felt the air leave my lungs.
My husband, Daniel, had died four years earlier.
A car accident.
At least, that was what I had believed.
I had spent years raising Logan alone.
Years telling him his father loved him.
Years believing I knew exactly what happened.
The officer looked at me.
“Mrs. Miller?””
I couldn’t speak.
Because suddenly, everything felt connected.
The hidden room.
The files.
The warnings.
My son’s fear.
And now Daniel.
Outside the building, firefighters arrived.
Students were evacuated.
Parents filled the parking lot.
But I couldn’t move.
Because Logan was still holding my hand.
“Mommy?””
I looked down.
“Where did you see the picture?””
He pointed toward the burning school.
“In Mrs. Hart’s office.””
The officer’s expression changed.
“Her office?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
Logan swallowed.
“She showed me after she told me my daddy wasn’t really gone.””
My heart shattered.
“What did she say?””
Logan looked up at me.
“She said…”
He stopped.
Tears filled his eyes.
“She said Daddy left something for me.””
The officer immediately turned toward the school.
“We need to find that office.””
But before anyone moved, a black car pulled away from the far side of the parking lot.
Fast.
Too fast.
The officer noticed.
“Hey!””
The car didn’t stop.
A firefighter wrote down the license plate.
I stared after it.
Because for one second, through the tinted window…
I saw her.
Mrs. Hart.
She was watching me.
Then my phone buzzed.
Another unknown message.
This time, there was a photo attached.
A photo of Daniel.
Alive.
Standing inside the same hidden room.
May you like
And beneath it were five words:
*Your husband knew everything.*
