Chapter 6: The Call
The phone kept ringing.
Daniel stared at the screen.
No one moved.
Leah could hear the faint vibration against the wooden table.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The name remained illuminated.
*Marcus Carter.*
Daniel's older brother.
Leah looked at him.
“That's your brother?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
Ava stepped closer.
“He took Eli.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
“But Mom wrote his name.””
“No.””
“Then why are you scared?””
Daniel looked at Ava.
He had no answer.
The phone stopped ringing.
For three seconds, there was silence.
Then a voicemail notification appeared.
Daniel picked up the phone.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Evelyn grabbed his wrist.
“Don't listen to it.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because if Marcus knows you found Ava…”
She stopped.
“What?””
Evelyn's eyes moved toward the window.
“He'll know the truth is coming out.””
Daniel pulled his wrist free.
“I need to hear it.””
He pressed play.
A man's voice filled the apartment.
Calm.
Deep.
Almost friendly.
“Daniel, if you're hearing this, don't involve the police.””
Daniel's eyes closed.
Marcus continued.
“You've spent your whole life believing your mother betrayed you.””
A pause.
“She didn't.””
Daniel opened his eyes.
“She protected you.””
Leah glanced at Ava.
The child was listening carefully.
Marcus's voice continued.
“Your daughter is alive because of her.””
Daniel whispered, “My daughter…”
“Eli is alive too.””
Ava's face changed.
Marcus continued.
“But if you want either child to stay alive, stop digging.””
The recording ended.
Daniel stared at the phone.
Leah's voice was barely controlled.
“That wasn't a threat.””
Evelyn shook her head.
“It was.””
Walter nodded.
“Marcus never makes direct threats.””
Daniel turned toward him.
“You know him.””
Walter looked at the floor.
“I used to work for him.””
Daniel stared.
“Doing what?””
“Moving records.””
“Hospital records?””
Walter nodded.
Daniel stepped closer.
“You helped him steal my children?””
Walter's face twisted.
“I helped move paperwork. I didn't know what it was for.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I didn't know until Eli disappeared.””
Leah stepped between them.
“Where is Marcus now?””
Walter hesitated.
“Probably watching this building.””
Everyone went silent.
Leah looked toward the window.
Across the street, cars moved through traffic.
A city bus stopped.
People crossed.
Nothing looked unusual.
Then Ava pointed.
“That car.””
A black sedan was parked beneath a tree.
Its engine was running.
Daniel walked toward the window.
“Which one?””
Ava pointed.
“That one.””
Daniel looked.
The driver's face was hidden behind the windshield glare.
Then the sedan pulled away.
Daniel turned sharply.
“We're leaving.””
Leah grabbed the wooden box.
“Where?””
“My store.””
“Why?””
“There's something there.””
Evelyn frowned.
“What?””
Daniel looked at her.
“Something my mother left me.””
They hurried downstairs.
Outside, the afternoon had turned darker.
Clouds were gathering over the city.
Ava held Leah's hand.
Daniel walked ahead.
Walter followed.
Evelyn stayed close behind.
When they reached the grocery store, Daniel unlocked the back entrance.
He led them through the stockroom.
Boxes of canned goods lined the walls.
A freezer hummed in the corner.
Daniel moved to an old metal cabinet.
He opened it.
Inside were tax documents, business licenses, receipts, and a small wooden box.
Leah recognized it.
“The same kind of box.””
Daniel nodded.
“My mother gave this to me when I turned eighteen.””
“What's inside?””
“I never opened it.””
“Why?””
“She told me to wait until I had children.””
Daniel removed the box.
His hands were trembling.
Ava stood beside him.
“You have children now.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.””
He opened the lid.
Inside was a hospital bracelet.
A photograph.
And a sealed letter.
Daniel picked up the bracelet.
The faded plastic read:
*BABY BOY — CARTER*
Leah's breath caught.
Ava touched the bracelet.
“Eli.””
Daniel nodded.
Then he opened the letter.
The first line was written in his mother's handwriting.
*Daniel, if you ever find this, understand that I did not take your son.*
Daniel stopped.
He read the next line.
His face slowly crumpled.
Leah stepped closer.
“What does it say?””
Daniel looked at her.
“She says Marcus did.””
Walter's eyes widened.
Daniel continued reading.
“Marcus believed Eli was worth more than a family.””
Ava whispered, “Where is Eli?””
Daniel's eyes moved down the page.
Then stopped.
There was an address.
He read it twice.
Leah watched his face.
“Daniel?””
He looked up.
“I know this place.””
“Where?””
Daniel held the letter tighter.
“It's not a private home.””
“What is it?””
He swallowed.
“It's a boys' residential school.””
Ava's voice cracked.
“Is Eli there?””
Daniel looked at the final sentence.
His mother's handwriting became shakier there.
*But Daniel, if Marcus has moved Eli again, look for the name he used when he changed the boy's identity.*
Leah leaned closer.
“What name?””
Daniel turned the page.
There was only one word.
*Isaiah.*
Ava stared at him.
“His name is Eli.””
Daniel nodded.
“I know.””
“No.””
Ava's face had gone pale.
“Mom said his name was Isaiah.””
Daniel froze.
Leah looked at Ava.
“How would your mother know that?””
Ava's eyes filled with tears.
“She told me…”
Her voice trembled.
“She said that's what my brother calls himself now.””
Daniel slowly lowered the letter.
Outside the store, a car horn sounded.
Then the front door opened.
A man's voice called from the entrance.
“Daniel?””
Daniel looked toward the store floor.
He knew that voice.
May you like
Marcus.
And he wasn't alone.
