Chapter 8: The Stranger Inside the House
The sound came again.
A crash from downstairs.
Heavy footsteps.
Someone moving through my father’s house.
Victor immediately reached for the door.
I grabbed his arm.
“Wait.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
“How do I know it’s not you?””
For the first time, Victor looked surprised.
Then he nodded slowly.
“Good.””
“What?””
“You’re finally thinking like your father.””
Diane looked toward the hallway.
“We need to leave.””
I stared at her.
“You knew this would happen?””
“No.””
“But you’re not surprised.””
She didn’t answer.
That was becoming her pattern.
Silence.
Secrets.
Half-truths.
The footsteps moved closer.
Victor lowered his voice.
“There’s another exit.””
I looked at him.
“How do you know?””
“I used to live here.””
That sentence froze me.
“What?””
He looked at the house.
“Before your father bought it.””
My eyes widened.
“This was your house?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Victor looked at Diane.
“Ask her.””
I turned.
But before I could speak, the bedroom door handle moved.
Someone was outside.
Diane grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the closet.
“Inside.””
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.””
Her eyes filled with pain.
“Ryan, please.””
The door opened.
A man entered.
Not Victor.
Not Michael.
Someone I had never seen before.
He wore a dark jacket and held a small envelope.
He looked around the room.
Then his eyes landed on me.
“You’re Ryan Carter.””
Nobody answered.
The man smiled.
“I was told you would be difficult.””
Victor stepped forward.
“Who are you?””
The stranger ignored him.
He looked at Diane.
“You failed.””
Diane’s face went pale.
“I told you I needed more time.””
My stomach dropped.
“You know him?””
Diane looked at me.
“Ryan…”
“No.””
I stepped back.
“Not another secret.””
The stranger walked closer.
“Your father was smarter than we expected.””
“What do you want?””
He held up the envelope.
“This.””
I stared at it.
“What is it?””
“Something Robert Carter should have destroyed.””
My father.
Again.
Everything led back to him.
The stranger tossed the envelope onto the bed.
“You should read it.””
Victor grabbed it first.
The man immediately smiled.
“Careful.””
Victor stopped.
“Why?””
“Because if you open that, you’ll learn why your sister died.””
Victor went completely still.
My heart raced.
“Sister?””
The stranger looked at me.
“Your mother wasn’t just a woman who disappeared from your life.””
He smiled.
“She was a woman who knew too much.””
Diane whispered:
“Stop.””
The man looked at her.
“You had years to fix this.””
Then he walked toward the window.
Victor moved.
But the stranger was faster.
He jumped out.
We rushed to the window.
The man landed on the grass, ran toward a waiting car, and disappeared into the night.
Nobody spoke.
Then Victor picked up the envelope.
His hands were shaking.
“What did he mean?”” I asked.
Victor stared at the paper.
“He knew Laura.””
“Everyone knew Laura except me.””
My voice broke.
“What was wrong with my family?””
Diane sat down.
For once, she didn’t try to defend herself.
She looked defeated.
“Ryan.””
I turned.
“There’s something you need to understand.””
“What?””
“Your father didn’t adopt you because he felt sorry for Laura.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
She looked at the envelope.
“He adopted you because he made a promise.””
“To who?””
Diane whispered:
“To your mother.””
The words hit me.
“She made him promise what?””
Diane looked toward the window where the stranger escaped.
“That if anything happened to her…”
She paused.
“He would protect both of her children.””
I felt cold.
“Both?””
Diane nodded.
“Ryan…”
She looked directly at me.
“Daniel wasn’t kidnapped.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“Your brother was hidden.””
“By who?””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“By the same person who is trying to find you now.””
Victor opened the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
He read the first line.
Then his face changed.
“What?””
I grabbed it.
The message was short.
Written by my father.
*If Daniel is found, Ryan’s life is in danger.*
Below it was a name.
A name I recognized.
May you like
A name that made Diane cover her mouth.
Because it belonged to someone I trusted.
