Chapter 3: The Friend In The Photograph
The man standing beside the road looked like a ghost wearing a human face.
Older.
Thinner.
His hair was gray at the edges.
But I knew him.
I knew the way he stood.
The way he looked at the world like he was always calculating the next move.
“Mason’s brother,” I whispered.
The man’s expression hardened.
“Don’t say that name.””
My hand moved instinctively toward the phone in my pocket.
The same phone Mason had called from.
The same voice that had warned me not to take Mia home.
The stranger noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
“You talked to him.””
It wasn’t a question.
I stepped between him and Mia.
“Who are you?””
The man laughed once.
A cold, empty sound.
“You really don’t remember me?””
“No.””
He looked disappointed.
“Five years changes people.””
I studied him.
“Your name.””
He hesitated.
“Darius.””
The name meant nothing.
But the way he looked at Mia meant everything.
Like he wasn’t seeing a child.
Like he was seeing a problem.
Mia moved closer behind me.
“Bear.””
“I’ve got you.””
Darius looked at her.
“Mia, come here.””
She shook her head immediately.
“No.””
His face tightened.
“You know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers.””
Mia held onto my jacket.
“He said not to.””
Darius stared at me.
“Who?””
I didn’t answer.
The phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated.
Everyone went silent.
Darius looked down.
His expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“Don’t answer that.””
That was the moment I knew.
Whatever was happening wasn’t about a dead man calling his daughter.
It was bigger.
I pulled the phone out.
The screen lit up.
DADDY CALLING.
Darius took a step back.
“No.””
I answered.
“Mason?””
Static.
Then breathing.
“Bear…”
Mason’s voice.
But this time, weaker.
Like he was running out of time.
“I need you to listen.””
I watched Darius.
He looked terrified.
“Where are you?”” I demanded.
Mason ignored the question.
“Is Mia with you?””
“Yes.””
A shaky breath came through the speaker.
“Good.””
I looked at Mia.
“Who is Darius?””
Silence.
Then Mason said something that made my entire body go cold.
“He’s the reason I’m dead.””
Darius lunged forward.
I stepped back.
“Stay away from her.””
Darius raised his hands.
“You don’t understand.””
“No,” I said.
“You’re right. I don’t.””
Mason’s voice cracked through the phone.
“Bear, the key.””
I looked at the silver key in my hand.
“You know about this?””
“I hid it because I knew someone would come looking.””
“Looking for what?””
Another pause.
Then:
“The truth.””
The call suddenly became distorted.
“Mason?””
Only static.
Then silence.
I lowered the phone slowly.
Darius stared at me.
“You shouldn’t have answered.””
I stepped forward.
“You’re going to explain everything.””
His eyes moved toward Mia.
“No.””
My jaw tightened.
“Why?””
Because I had spent five years mourning a man who might have been alive.
Because a little girl had been waiting for a father everyone else buried.
Because someone had lied to all of us.
Darius looked at Mia and whispered:
“Because if Mason is calling you…”
He stopped.
His face changed.
Like he realized he had said too much.
I moved closer.
“If Mason is calling me, what?””
Darius looked toward the road.
Then back at me.
“Then they already know you found her.””
The words barely left his mouth before headlights appeared again.
Not one vehicle.
Several.
Coming fast.
Mia grabbed my hand.
“Bear.””
I looked at the approaching cars.
Then at the burned motorcycle.
Then at the key marked 17.
And I realized the wreck beside us was never an accident.
It was a message.
The first vehicle stopped.
The door opened.
A woman stepped out.
And in her hand was a photograph.
A photograph of Mason.
Alive.
Standing beside her.
And holding a baby.
A baby who had grown into the little girl standing beside me.
The woman looked directly at Mia.
May you like
Then she said:
“Bear Jackson, you need to know the truth about who Mason Cole really was.””
