Chapter 4: The Photograph That Changed Everything
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
The detective stood in my kitchen holding a photograph of my daughter, with six words written across the back.
Keep the girl alive. She's the only witness.
I read it again.
Then I looked at Vanessa.
She was sitting with her hands clasped tightly together, staring at the floor.
“What's going on?”” I demanded.
“Why does someone want my daughter dead?””
Detective Harris raised one hand.
“Mr. Cole, I need you to stay calm.””
“Don't tell me to stay calm! Someone has been watching my child!””
“I understand.””
“No, you don't.””
Rachel stepped between me and the detective.
“Marcus, Sofia is upstairs. She needs you.””
That brought me back to reality.
I looked toward the staircase.
My little girl was sitting in my bedroom, probably wondering why the adults kept whispering about her mother.
I turned to Detective Harris.
“Can someone stay with her?””
“An officer is already on the way to take her somewhere secure.””
“I'm coming with her.””
“We'll discuss that shortly.””
Vanessa suddenly stood.
“I want to leave.””
Nobody answered.
She grabbed her handbag from the counter.
“I've answered your questions. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not staying here while everyone treats me like a criminal.””
Detective Harris moved toward the doorway.
“Mrs. Cole, you need to remain here while we establish what happened.””
“You can't hold me!””
“I'm not placing you under arrest at this moment. I'm asking you not to leave.””
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You people are unbelievable.””
Then she looked directly at me.
“Marcus, tell them this is ridiculous.””
I stared at her.
“Tell me one thing.””
She folded her arms.
“I'm listening.””
“Why was there a photograph of Sofia in that man's storage unit?””
Her expression flickered.
“I don't know.””
“Did you give it to him?””
“No.””
“Did you know he had it?””
She looked away.
That was enough.
I stepped closer.
“Vanessa.””
She suddenly shouted, “You have no idea what Elena did!””
Detective Harris opened his notebook.
“Then tell us.””
Vanessa pressed both hands against her head.
“Elena wasn't innocent.””
I shook my head.
“Stop saying that. Whatever she did, it doesn't explain why someone wants our daughter dead.””
“She found something.””
“What?””
Vanessa looked toward the stairs.
Then she whispered, “The original documents.””
Detective Harris leaned forward.
“What documents?””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Records of the transfers. Names. Account numbers. Everything.””
I frowned.
“You already admitted taking money from my company.””
“That's not all.””
She looked at me.
“Your company was being used to move money for someone else.””
The room went silent.
I remembered the strange invoices I'd approved during the previous year. Several payments had been marked as subcontractor expenses. My accountant had questioned them, but Vanessa had insisted they were legitimate.
She had helped manage the company's paperwork while I was traveling.
“You told me those were equipment purchases,” I said.
“They were supposed to look like equipment purchases.””
“Who was the money going to?””
Vanessa began crying.
“I never met the people at the top.””
Detective Harris closed his notebook.
“Mrs. Cole, you're going to need to explain everything to us.””
Before she could answer, an officer entered the kitchen.
“Detective, we've got confirmation.””
Harris turned.
“What confirmation?””
“The storage unit was rented under Mercer’s name. We found a second photograph, some documents, and a handwritten schedule.””
“What schedule?””
The officer handed him a plastic evidence sleeve.
Harris examined it.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“Do you recognize this?””
She didn't answer.
He placed the sleeve on the table.
Inside was a printed photograph of our house.
My house.
The picture had been taken from across the street.
There were two dates written beneath it.
One was the day Sofia started school.
The other was the date of my return from the construction project.
I felt sick.
“Why were they watching us?””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“Because they thought Elena had hidden something here.””
“What?””
“I don't know.””
I grabbed the back of a chair.
“Where is Elena?””
Vanessa finally looked at me.
Her eyes were full of tears.
“I thought she was dead.””
I felt something inside me break.
“You thought?””
“I heard him say she wouldn't be a problem anymore.””
“Who said that?””
“Daniel.””
“Where did he say it?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I wasn't there when it happened.””
Detective Harris stepped closer.
“Mrs. Cole, did you help Daniel Mercer abduct Elena?””
Vanessa's silence lasted too long.
Then she whispered, “I helped him get inside.””
I stared at her.
“You let him into my house?””
She began sobbing.
“I didn't know what he was going to do!””
“You knew he was dangerous!””
“I was desperate!””
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I walked away.
I went upstairs and opened the bedroom door.
Sofia was sitting on the bed with her pink blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
“Daddy?””
I sat beside her.
“Hey, princess.””
“Did you find Mommy?””
I swallowed.
“Not yet.””
She lowered her eyes.
“Is she in trouble?””
I held her little hands.
“We're going to find out what happened.””
She studied my face.
Then she reached into the pocket of her pajamas.
“Daddy, I have something.””
She pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
My stomach tightened.
“Where did you get that?””
“Mommy gave it to me.””
I couldn't speak.
Sofia unfolded it carefully.
There was a drawing of our old house.
A red circle had been drawn around the upstairs bedroom window.
Beneath it were four words.
Look where the stars sleep.
I stared at the paper.
Our old house had been sold after Elena disappeared.
But I remembered something.
Elena had always called Sofia's bedroom the star room.
She had painted tiny glow-in-the-dark stars across the ceiling.
And hidden somewhere in that room was a wooden music box she had made for Sofia.
I looked at my daughter.
“When did Mommy give you this?””
Sofia's voice became very small.
“The night she told me to hide.””
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
“Where did she put it?””
Sofia pointed toward the closet.
“In the little box with my old drawings.””
I followed her finger.
The box was still there.
And when I opened it, I found something that changed the entire investigation.
A photograph of Elena.
Taken recently.
She was standing outside a convenience store, holding a newspaper.
May you like
On the back, in handwriting I knew better than my own, were five words.
I'm alive. Don't trust Vanessa.
