Chapter 2: The Secret My Mother Buried
For ten seconds, nobody moved.
The airport continued around us.
Announcements echoed from the speakers.
Suitcases rolled across the floor.
Children laughed near the boarding gates.
But I felt like I was standing in the middle of a storm.
"My father died when I was six," I said.
Captain Williams looked at me carefully.
"Who told you that?""
"My mother.""
"What exactly did she say?""
I swallowed.
"That he died in a car accident while driving home from work.""
The captain looked down.
"That's not what happened.""
My stomach tightened.
"Then what happened?""
Before he could answer, Officer Harris stepped forward.
"Captain, this is ridiculous.""
Williams turned toward him.
The look on his face made Harris stop.
"You have been removed from this investigation.""
"Investigation?""
"Yes.""
"I'm the one who discovered the passport issue.""
"No," Williams said quietly.
"You are the reason we are here.""
Harris's jaw tightened.
"I don't know what you're suggesting.""
"I think you know exactly what I'm suggesting.""
Lily moved closer to me and grabbed my coat.
"Mommy, can we go home?""
I looked down at her.
"I don't know, sweetheart.""
That was the hardest thing to admit.
I was supposed to be protecting her.
Instead, she had watched me get thrown onto an airport floor by a police officer.
Captain Williams noticed my daughter.
His expression softened.
"Sarah, I know this is overwhelming. But if Daniel left that message, there was a reason.""
"You knew him.""
"Yes.""
"Then tell me why my own mother lied to me.""
The captain looked away.
"Because your father asked her to.""
The words hit me harder than I expected.
"What?""
"Daniel believed someone inside law enforcement was dangerous.""
I stared at him.
"My father was a police officer.""
"That was exactly why he was afraid.""
Captain Williams motioned toward a quieter area near the checkpoint office.
We sat down while airport security watched Harris from a distance.
Lily sat beside me, holding her rabbit.
Captain Williams placed the old photograph on the table.
"I took this in 1998.""
I touched the picture.
"My father looks so young.""
"He was.""
"And Harris?""
Williams nodded.
"Michael Harris was a rookie officer back then.""
I looked toward the window where Harris stood with another officer.
"He knew my father?""
"Everyone in our department knew Daniel. He was one of the best investigators I ever worked with.""
"Then why would he try to arrest me?""
The captain's expression darkened.
"Because he recognized you.""
My breath caught.
"What?""
"He knew your name before I did.""
I shook my head.
"No. That's impossible.""
"Sarah, when he saw your passport, he didn't look surprised.""
Williams tapped the photograph.
"He looked afraid.""
A cold feeling moved through me.
"What was my father investigating?""
The captain was silent for a moment.
Then he said:
"His wife.""
I frowned.
"My father's wife?""
"Yes.""
"My mother?""
"No.""
The room became very quiet.
"Daniel was investigating the disappearance of Michael Harris's first wife.""
I stared at him.
"But Harris was married?""
"Before he joined the airport police.""
"What happened to her?""
Williams looked at Lily, then back at me.
"She vanished.""
I felt my hands go cold.
"Was my father involved?""
"No.""
"Then why did Harris think I was a threat?""
"Because your father found something.""
"What?""
The captain reached into a folder an officer had brought over.
Inside were old documents.
Newspaper articles.
Reports.
A photograph of a woman I'd never seen before.
"This was Emily Harris.""
Michael Harris's first wife.
I looked at her face.
Young.
Happy.
Alive.
"When did she disappear?""
"Twenty-six years ago.""
I stared at the date.
The same year my father supposedly died.
My heart started racing.
"Captain...""
Williams looked at me.
"Yes?""
"My father didn't die by accident, did he?""
He didn't answer.
That was the answer.
I felt tears forming.
"My mother knew.""
"Possibly.""
"She lied to me my entire life.""
"Maybe she was protecting you.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Protecting me by letting me believe my father abandoned me?""
Williams looked down.
"There are things your mother never told you.""
Before I could respond, Lily suddenly pointed toward the hallway.
"Mommy.""
I followed her gaze.
Officer Harris was standing outside the glass office.
Watching us.
But he wasn't looking at me.
He was looking at the photograph on the table.
The photograph of my father.
His face had changed.
He looked terrified.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
"What?""
A pause.
Then his expression hardened.
"No. She's here.""
My blood ran cold.
Williams stood immediately.
"Who is he talking to?""
Harris turned away from the window.
But not before I heard him say one sentence.
"Daniel Mitchell's daughter survived.""
Captain Williams went pale.
May you like
Because a second later, he whispered:
"Sarah... someone has been trying to find you for thirty years.""
