Chapter 7: The Threat Outside My Window
The brick was still lying on the living room floor when Dad ordered everyone away from the windows.
“Get down!”” he shouted.
I dropped behind the sofa.
Tyler stood frozen, holding the threatening note between his fingers.
Dad grabbed his shoulder.
“Put that down. Don't touch anything else.””
“They know where she gets treatment,” Tyler whispered.
Dad pulled out his phone.
“I'm calling the police.””
Vanessa began crying.
“Oh my God. What have we done?””
I looked at her.
For once, I couldn't understand why she was crying.
She had known Derek was dangerous. She had known about the threats. She had known that he was using our family to get money.
Yet she had continued making arrangements behind our backs.
“Did you give him my appointment schedule?”” I asked.
Vanessa looked up.
“What?””
“My hospital appointments. Did you tell Derek where I go?””
“No!””
“Then how does he know?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Tyler suddenly spoke.
“Mom gave him the information.””
Vanessa turned toward him.
“Tyler, shut up!””
He stepped backward.
“You showed him the medical documents!””
“I showed him the policy information. That's different!””
Dad stopped dialing.
“What medical documents?””
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
Tyler looked at me.
“She sent him pictures of your specialist's reports. He wanted to know how serious your condition was.””
My stomach tightened.
“How many?””
“I don't know.””
“Tyler!””
He looked down.
“Three or four.””
I felt sick.
My medical records.
The details of my diagnosis.
The appointments I had attended with my father.
All of it had been shared with a stranger who was now threatening me.
Dad finally reached the police.
He explained the broken window, the brick, and the note. An officer instructed us to remain inside until a patrol arrived.
While we waited, Dad locked the doors and closed the curtains.
Then he turned toward Vanessa.
“Give me your phone.””
She clutched it.
“No.””
“Now.””
“Michael, please.””
“You've been communicating with this man. We need those messages.””
Vanessa reluctantly handed it over.
Dad placed it on the desk without opening anything.
“We'll let the officers handle it.””
Tyler sank into a chair.
“I never wanted her to get hurt.””
I looked at him.
“You helped them get my information.””
“I know.””
“You knew they were using my insurance policy.””
“I know.””
“You watched me save for four years.””
His eyes filled.
“I know.””
“Then why didn't you stop them?””
He covered his face.
“Because I was scared of losing everything.””
I stared at him.
“You were afraid of losing a car.””
He didn't answer.
The police arrived fifteen minutes later.
Two officers examined the broken window, photographed the brick, and collected the note. Another officer asked whether anyone had seen a person outside.
Dad described hearing a vehicle accelerate immediately after the glass shattered.
One officer stepped into the driveway.
A few minutes later, he returned.
“Mr. Michael, we found something.””
He showed Dad a photograph on his phone.
A black SUV was parked across the street, partly hidden behind a tree.
The image came from a neighbor's security camera.
The vehicle had been there for almost twenty minutes before the window broke.
Dad studied the photograph.
“Can you identify the driver?””
“Not from this image. We're requesting additional footage.””
The officer then asked to speak privately with Tyler.
Tyler looked at Vanessa.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
Dad noticed.
“Go with the officer,” he told him.
Tyler followed him into the kitchen.
I remained in the living room while another officer asked me questions.
“Have you personally received any threats before tonight?””
I showed him the messages.
He photographed the screen.
“Do you recognize the number?””
“No.””
“Have you had any direct contact with Derek Collins?””
“No. I've never met him.””
The officer nodded.
“We'll include this in the report. Given the threats and the connection to your medical information, we recommend that you avoid attending appointments alone until this has been assessed.””
Dad overheard.
“She won't be going anywhere alone.””
After the officers finished, they advised us to preserve the original messages and avoid contacting Derek.
They also explained that the insurance investigation and financial complaints would be handled separately from the threats.
When the officers finally left, Dad called my specialist's office.
He explained that someone might have accessed my appointment information without authorization.
The receptionist confirmed that my next appointment was still scheduled for Thursday.
Then she hesitated.
“Mr. Michael, there's something else.””
Dad straightened.
“What?””
“Someone called yesterday asking whether your daughter would be attending the appointment alone.””
My blood turned cold.
“Who called?”” I asked.
The receptionist said the caller had identified himself as a family representative.
Dad looked toward Vanessa.
“Did you make that call?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
The receptionist continued.
“The caller also asked whether the doctor would be discussing surgical options.””
Dad thanked her and asked that no information be released without my explicit consent.
After hanging up, he stared at the phone.
“They're trying to find out when you'll be there.””
I sat down.
“I don't want to go back.””
Dad knelt in front of me.
“Listen to me. We are not giving up your treatment because of these people.””
“What if they come to the hospital?””
“Then we'll work with the police and the hospital to keep you safe.””
Vanessa was standing near the staircase.
She suddenly spoke.
“Michael, there's something you need to know about Derek.””
Dad turned.
“What now?””
“He doesn't work alone.””
Tyler came back into the room with the officer.
He looked exhausted.
“Mom, stop.””
Vanessa ignored him.
“Derek has a partner. Someone who helped arrange the insurance claim.””
Dad's expression hardened.
“Who?””
She looked directly at me.
“I don't know his real name.””
“Then how do you know he exists?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Because he was the one who told me which medical documents to upload.””
I felt a chill.
“Did you ever meet him?””
She nodded.
“Once.””
“Where?””
“At the insurance office.””
Dad frowned.
“What insurance office?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she gave him an address.
It was a building less than two miles from my specialist's clinic.
Dad immediately looked at the officer, who had returned to collect another statement.
The officer wrote down the address.
“Did you recognize anyone there?”” he asked Vanessa.
She shook her head.
“No. But he knew everything about the policy.””
“Can you describe him?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“He was older than Derek. Maybe in his fifties. Gray hair. Expensive watch.””
The officer asked whether she had his contact details.
Vanessa nodded.
Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a small business card.
Dad took one look at it.
His face went white.
The card belonged to a financial consulting firm.
And beneath the company's name was a familiar surname.
*HARRIS.*
My mother's maiden name.
Dad looked at me.
Then at the card.
“That's impossible,” he whispered.
Because the name on the card belonged to the man who had handled my mother's estate after she died.
May you like
My uncle.
And he had been dead for eleven years.
