Chapter 6: The Message From My Missing Brother
I read the message three times before the words made sense.
The photograph showed Lily asleep beneath the yellow blanket I had bought her for her fourth birthday. Her pink rabbit rested beside her pillow. The curtains were half-open, revealing the pale morning light.
I recognized the room instantly.
Daniel's house.
My former home.
The message had been sent less than twelve hours earlier.
Someone had photographed Lily while she slept.
“Michael,” I whispered.
He turned from his conversation with the court clerk.
“What is it?””
I showed him the screen.
His expression hardened.
“Don't respond. Don't delete anything. I'll make sure the appropriate authorities receive a copy.””
I looked toward Lily.
She was drawing circles on a sheet of paper, apparently unaware that someone might have been watching her.
“Can we get her somewhere safe?””
“We'll arrange that through the proper channels,” Michael said.
“But Sarah, I need you to tell me something. Does anyone besides Daniel have access to the house?””
“My brother used to have a key.””
Michael looked up.
“Ethan?””
I nodded.
The brother I hadn't spoken to properly in months had once been my closest friend. After our father died, I helped him through a difficult period, lending him money when his business struggled and encouraging him when he wanted to give up.
Then he borrowed more than I could afford to lose.
Daniel offered to help him.
I had believed the matter was settled.
Now I wondered whether the money had purchased my brother's silence.
“I need to call him,” I said.
Michael shook his head.
“Not until we know who sent those messages.””
“But if Ethan has Rebecca's recording—”
“Then we need to establish whether the message came from him and whether meeting him would put you at risk.””
I stared at the photograph again.
The fear inside me was different from the fear I'd felt during my marriage.
Back then, I had been afraid of losing Daniel, losing the house, losing the future I had imagined.
Now I was afraid for Lily.
And there was nothing left in the world I wouldn't do to protect her.
Judge Whitmore ordered that the custody dispute be reviewed urgently and directed the appropriate authorities to assess the new threat. Michael began coordinating with officials while Margaret sat beside Lily, holding her small hand.
Daniel watched us from across the courtroom.
When our eyes met, he mouthed two words.
You'll regret this.
I looked away.
For nine years, those words would have frightened me.
Now they sounded like a confession from a man who knew he was losing control.
As the hearing recessed, my mother approached me.
“Sarah, please. Let me take Lily home with me. I can protect her.””
I stared at her.
“Why should I trust you?””
“Because I'm her grandmother.””
“You signed the insurance documents.””
“I was deceived.””
“You helped Daniel conceal money from me.””
“I thought I was helping the family.””
“You keep saying that as if the word family makes everything acceptable.””
My mother's eyes filled.
“I made a terrible mistake.””
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to reach for her hand and pretend we could return to the days when she packed sandwiches for school trips and kissed my forehead before bed.
But I couldn't afford to confuse love with safety anymore.
“I'm not accusing you of sending that message,” I said.
“But until we know what happened, Lily stays where the authorities determine she can be protected.””
My mother nodded slowly.
“I understand.””
For once, she didn't ask me to forgive her.
That afternoon, Michael drove me to a secure location where Lily could stay with an approved caregiver while the immediate threats were investigated. Margaret remained with her until arrangements were finalized.
Before I left, Lily wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Mommy Sarah, are you going away again?””
I crouched and held her face between my hands.
“I'm not abandoning you, sweetheart.””
“Daddy says people always leave.””
I felt tears sting my eyes.
“Sometimes grown-ups make promises they shouldn't. But I will keep doing everything I can to be here for you.””
She pressed her forehead against mine.
“Can I keep your picture beside my bed?””
“Of course.””
I took the small framed photograph from my handbag. It showed Lily and me at the zoo, both of us laughing as a curious giraffe stretched its neck toward our lunch.
She hugged it to her chest.
Then she whispered, “Mommy, I remembered something else about the lady with the red purse.””
I brushed her hair away from her eyes.
“What is it?””
“She gave Daddy a key.””
“What kind of key?””
“A little silver one. He told Vanessa it opened the place where the old papers were hidden.””
My pulse quickened.
“Did you see where he put it?””
Lily nodded.
“Inside the clock in his office.””
Michael, who had been standing nearby, immediately wrote that down.
“We'll pass that information to the investigators,” he said.
Lily looked at him.
“Can they find the papers?””
“They'll do their best, sweetheart.””
She hugged her rabbit.
“I hope they find them before Daddy does.””
I froze.
“What do you mean?””
Lily looked toward the hallway.
“Daddy said he was going to burn the papers if anybody found out.””
Michael exchanged a glance with me.
The investigation had just become even more urgent.
That evening, after Lily was safely settled, I sat in a quiet room with Michael and reviewed the threatening messages. The number was unregistered, and the photograph's metadata was being examined.
Then my phone rang.
Ethan.
I stared at his name for several seconds before answering.
“Where are you?”” I demanded.
He sounded exhausted.
“Sarah, listen to me. You need to stop digging into Rebecca's death.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Did you send me those messages?””
“No.””
“Do you have Rebecca's recording?””
Silence.
Then he whispered, “How do you know about that?””
I closed my eyes.
“Because someone is threatening Lily. Because Daniel took out a two-million-dollar policy on my life. Because our mother signed documents she claims she didn't understand. And because Vanessa says you have evidence connected to Rebecca's death.””
Ethan exhaled shakily.
“I never wanted you involved.””
“You don't get to decide that anymore.””
“Sarah, you don't understand what Daniel is capable of.””
“Then explain it to me.””
For several seconds, I heard only his breathing.
Finally, he said, “The recording doesn't just expose Daniel. It exposes me.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did you do?””
“I took the money.””
“The two hundred thousand dollars?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Daniel told me it was repayment for an old investment. I didn't know it came from the company until later.””
“Did you know about Rebecca?””
Another silence.
“Ethan.””
“I knew she had discovered something. I didn't know she was going to die.””
I stood so abruptly that my chair scraped across the floor.
“You knew she was in danger?””
“I knew Daniel was furious with her. That's all.””
“And you stayed silent?””
“I was scared!””
“So was I!””
My voice cracked.
“I was sick in my own house, Ethan. I couldn't stand without feeling dizzy. I thought I was dying, and you knew Daniel was hiding money. You knew something was wrong, and you let me believe I was alone.””
He began crying.
“I'm sorry.””
I pressed my hand against my forehead.
“Where is the recording?””
“I don't have it anymore.””
“Who does?””
“Evelyn gave it to me. I copied it, then returned the original. But the copy disappeared from my apartment three months ago.””
“Who had access?””
“Daniel. And someone else.””
“Who?””
Ethan's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Your mother.””
I couldn't speak.
Then he said the words that destroyed the last fragile piece of certainty I had left.
“Sarah, I found out why she signed those papers. Daniel didn't just pay my debts. He threatened to expose something she did the night Rebecca died.””
My blood turned cold.
“What did my mother do?””
Before Ethan could answer, I heard a loud crash on his end of the line.
He gasped.
A man's voice shouted in the background.
Then Ethan whispered urgently, “Sarah, if anything happens to me, look inside the clock. But not Daniel's clock.””
“Which clock?””
“The one in your mother's house.””
The line went dead.
I called back immediately.
No answer.
Michael was already reaching for his phone.
Then a message arrived from Ethan's number.
*Don't come looking for me. The person who killed Rebecca is closer to you than you think.*
A second message followed.
It contained a photograph of my mother standing outside Rebecca's apartment on the night she died.
And beside her, holding a silver key, was Vanessa's mysterious woman with the red purse.
Evelyn Price.
But it wasn't Evelyn who made my hands shake.
It was the timestamp beneath the photograph.
May you like
My mother had arrived at Rebecca's apartment twenty minutes before the emergency call.
And according to the official report, Eleanor Hayes had claimed she'd been home all night.
