Chapter 7: The Memory Emily Buried
The message stayed on my screen for nearly a minute.
I read it again.
Then again.
*Ask your daughter what she saw that night.*
My first reaction was anger.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Anger.
Someone had already taken my husband from us.
Someone had already forced my daughter to grow up without her father.
And now someone was trying to drag her into something she was too young to understand.
I turned toward Emily.
She was awake.
Watching me.
“Sweetheart?””
Her face changed immediately.
She knew something was wrong.
“What did the message say?””
I hesitated.
I didn’t want to put that weight on her.
But Emily had always been more observant than people realized.
She looked at Captain Harris.
Then at the phone.
“Someone knows something.””
The way she said it wasn’t a question.
I sat beside her.
“Emily, I need to ask you something.””
She nodded slowly.
“About the night Daddy died?””
Her words froze me.
“How did you know?””
She looked down at her hands.
“Because I knew something was strange.””
The plane suddenly felt smaller.
Captain Harris pulled a chair closer.
“Emily, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.””
She looked at him.
“You knew my dad.””
“Yes.””
“Then you should know he hated secrets.””
That hit him harder than any accusation.
Emily took a deep breath.
“The night before Daddy died, I woke up because I heard him arguing.””
I felt my heart drop.
“You heard him?””
She nodded.
“I thought he was talking on the phone.””
“What did he say?””
She closed her eyes.
Trying to remember.
“He said, ‘I know what you changed.’”
Captain Harris went completely still.
“Did you hear the other person?””
“No.””
“Anything else?””
Emily looked toward the window.
“He said…”
She paused.
“He said, ‘If you hurt my family, I’ll make sure everyone knows.’”
A cold feeling moved through me.
Michael wasn’t just investigating.
He was threatening someone.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”” I asked gently.
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because the next morning he hugged me and said everything was okay.””
She swallowed.
“And then he didn’t come home.””
I pulled her into my arms.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Captain Harris quietly asked:
“Emily, did you see anyone that night?””
Her body stiffened.
I felt it.
“Emily?””
She looked uncomfortable.
“There was someone outside.””
The words came out barely above a whisper.
“Where?””
“Outside our house.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why didn’t you tell the police?””
“I thought I imagined it.””
“What did you see?””
She looked at Captain Harris.
“A car.””
“What kind?””
“I don’t know.””
“Color?””
“Black.””
Captain Harris exchanged a look with me.
“Anything else?””
Emily nodded.
“There was a sticker on the back window.””
“What sticker?””
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“I don’t know.””
“Try to remember.””
She was quiet for several seconds.
Then she whispered:
“It was a bird.””
Captain Harris suddenly stood.
“What kind?””
Emily looked startled.
“I don’t know. Why?””
He looked toward the cockpit.
“Because Michael had the same symbol.””
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Captain Harris sat back down.
“When Michael discovered the report changes, he found a company symbol connected to the altered documents.””
“What symbol?””
“A black bird.””
The words felt impossible.
A symbol.
A car.
A warning.
All connected.
Emily reached for my hand.
“Mom?””
“Yeah?””
“Am I in trouble?””
I looked at my daughter.
At the child who had lost her father and still carried his wings.
“No.””
But before I could say anything else, Captain Harris’ phone rang.
He answered.
“Hello?””
His expression changed within seconds.
“What?””
He stood.
“No, that’s impossible.””
The color drained from his face.
“What happened?”” I asked.
He slowly lowered the phone.
“The airline security team just checked the passenger manifest.””
“And?””
His eyes moved to the empty seat where Richard Vale had been sitting.
“Richard Vale isn’t listed as a passenger.””
The cabin went silent.
“What?””
Captain Harris looked at me.
“He boarded using someone else’s identity.””
A chill went through me.
The man who knew about Michael.
The man who knew about the evidence.
The man who knew about Emily.
Was never supposed to be on this plane.
Then Captain Harris looked at the cockpit door.
May you like
And whispered:
“He didn’t come here to talk.””
