Chapter 2: The Voice on the Recording
Daniel's phone kept ringing.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nobody reached for it.
The ringtone sounded grotesquely cheerful against the silence in the dining room.
Lily stood pressed against Amelia's side, clutching the fabric of her torn blouse.
Vanessa stared at the phone on the table.
Daniel stared at Vanessa.
Amelia stared at the sealed envelope.
Finally, Daniel picked up the phone.
The screen showed one word.
*UNKNOWN.*
His thumb hovered over the answer button.
“Don't,” Amelia said.
Daniel looked at her.
“I need to know who it is.””
“You already know.””
“How?””
“Because the person who made that call knows you're listening.””
Daniel answered.
“Hello?””
Nothing.
He frowned.
“Who is this?””
A faint sound came through the speaker.
Breathing.
Slow.
Controlled.
Then a man's voice.
“Did she bring the camera?””
Daniel's face drained.
Amelia closed her eyes.
Vanessa whispered, “Hang up.””
The caller spoke again.
“Daniel, whatever she told you, don't open that envelope.””
Daniel's hand tightened around the phone.
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“You don't want to hear the answer.””
The line went dead.
Daniel lowered the phone.
Lily looked up at him.
“Daddy?””
He didn't respond.
“Daddy, who was that?””
Daniel finally looked at his daughter.
“I don't know.””
Amelia shook her head.
“Yes, you do.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“Who?””
“You recognized the voice.””
His eyes flashed.
“I recognized nothing.””
“You did.””
“Stop telling me what I know.””
Amelia flinched.
For a moment, the anger in Daniel's face seemed to surprise even him.
He turned away.
Vanessa immediately moved toward him.
“Daniel, this woman has been missing for three years. She's traumatized. We don't know where she's been, who she's been with, or what she's been told.””
Amelia looked at her.
“Good.””
Vanessa frowned.
“What?””
“You're finally admitting there are questions.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“I am saying none of this proves anything.””
Amelia looked toward the table.
“The recording proves someone wanted me dead.””
“No,” Vanessa replied.
“It proves somebody edited a damaged device.””
“Then why are you afraid of it?””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“I'm not.””
“You are.””
“I am not.””
Amelia stepped closer.
“Then look at me.””
Vanessa did.
“What?””
“Tell me you weren't on that phone call.””
Vanessa's mouth opened.
Nothing came.
Lily looked from one woman to the other.
“Stepmom?””
Vanessa turned.
“What, sweetheart?””
“Were you on the phone?””
Vanessa forced a smile.
“No.””
Amelia said quietly, “She wasn't alone on it.””
Daniel looked at her.
“What does that mean?””
Amelia didn't answer.
She reached for the police envelope.
Daniel caught her wrist.
“Wait.””
She looked down at his hand.
“Let go.””
He did.
“Before we open that,” he said, “I want the truth.””
“You'll get it.””
“Where have you been?””
Amelia's eyes softened.
“Somewhere nobody could find me.””
“Who helped you?””
“Nobody.””
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It didn't have to.””
Daniel took a breath.
“Did you know we thought you were dead?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn't you come back?””
Amelia looked at Lily.
“Because every time I tried, somebody found me.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Who?””
Amelia's gaze moved to Vanessa.
“Someone had access to police reports. Someone had my old addresses. Someone knew where Lily went to school. Someone knew when you changed your phone number.””
Vanessa said, “That's absurd.””
Amelia's eyes stayed on her.
“And someone sent me photographs.””
Daniel stiffened.
“What photographs?””
“Of Lily.””
Lily's face tightened.
“What kind of photographs?””
Amelia immediately crouched.
“Baby, you don't need to worry about that.””
“But you said they had pictures of me.””
“I know.””
“Who took them?””
Amelia hesitated.
“That's what I'm trying to find out.””
Daniel pulled a chair away from the table.
“Sit.””
Amelia looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because you're shaking.””
Only then did she seem to notice.
Her hands were trembling so badly that the envelope rattled against her fingers.
She sat.
Daniel poured water into a glass and placed it in front of her.
Amelia stared at the glass.
She remembered him doing the same thing years ago.
After hospital visits.
After sleepless nights.
After Lily's fever.
Small things.
Ordinary things.
Things that had once made him feel safe.
Her eyes filled.
Daniel noticed.
“Amelia…”
She looked away.
“Don't.””
“Don't what?””
“Be kind to me.””
His expression broke.
“Why?””
“Because I don't know what it means anymore.””
Daniel sat across from her.
Vanessa remained standing.
Lily climbed into Amelia's lap.
The room became strangely quiet.
The birthday cake sat between them.
Seven candles had burned nearly to the bottom.
One by one, Daniel blew them out.
Smoke curled toward the ceiling.
Lily watched it disappear.
Then Amelia opened the envelope.
Inside was a single folded document, a small evidence bag, and a photograph.
She removed the photograph first.
Daniel leaned forward.
“What is that?””
Amelia placed it on the table.
It showed a black SUV parked outside an old motel.
Daniel squinted.
“I don't know that place.””
“I do.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
Her eyes landed on the photograph.
She froze.
Amelia noticed.
“You've seen it.””
Vanessa immediately straightened.
“No.””
“You recognized it.””
“I recognized nothing.””
Daniel picked up the photograph.
On the back was a handwritten date.
Three years earlier.
Two days before the crash.
And beneath the date, one sentence:
*SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE SECOND CAR.*
Daniel looked up.
“What second car?””
Amelia reached for the evidence bag.
Inside was a small metal object.
Daniel frowned.
“What is that?””
“A piece of my brake line.””
His face changed.
“You kept it?””
“I found it where I was hiding.””
“Why didn't you give it to the police?””
“I did.””
“And?””
“They said there wasn't enough to test.””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa shook her head.
“Don't look at me.””
“You're the one I'm looking at.””
“I had nothing to do with that accident.””
Amelia leaned back.
“Then you'll have no problem hearing the rest.””
She removed the folded document.
Daniel's eyes followed her hands.
“What does it say?””
“Read it.””
She pushed it across the table.
Daniel unfolded the paper.
His eyes moved down the page.
Then stopped.
He read the line again.
His breathing became shallow.
“What?””
Vanessa stepped toward him.
“Daniel?””
He looked up at her.
“This is a police inventory.””
“I know.””
“There were two vehicles.””
“Yes.””
He looked back at the paper.
“One was mine.””
Amelia nodded.
“The other was never identified.””
Daniel stood.
“Why wasn't I told that?””
Vanessa answered too quickly.
“Because the second vehicle wasn't connected to the accident.””
Daniel slowly turned toward her.
“How do you know that?””
She hesitated.
“They told me.””
“Who?””
“The police.””
“What officer?””
“I don't remember.””
“You just said they told you.””
“Yes.””
“Which officer?””
“I don't know, Daniel.””
His voice hardened.
“Vanessa.””
She took a step back.
“I don't remember.””
Amelia watched her carefully.
“That's the problem with lies.””
Vanessa glared at her.
“You think you can walk back into this house after three years and destroy everyone's lives?””
Amelia rose.
“You mean your life?””
Vanessa's voice cracked.
“You don't know anything about me.””
“I know you told my daughter I was dead.””
“I believed you were dead!””
“You never checked.””
Vanessa's face twisted.
“I stood beside your husband while he identified your belongings.””
Daniel snapped his head toward her.
“My belongings?””
Vanessa went silent.
Amelia's eyes narrowed.
“What exactly did you identify?””
“Clothes.””
“What else?””
“A purse.””
“What else?””
“Your necklace.””
Amelia stared at her.
“I wasn't wearing my necklace.””
Vanessa froze.
Daniel slowly looked at Amelia.
“What necklace?””
Amelia touched her throat.
“The one my mother gave me.””
She looked directly at Vanessa.
“I took it off the night of the crash.””
Vanessa's face went blank.
“Maybe you put it back on.””
“I didn't.””
“You could be mistaken.””
“I wasn't.””
Daniel whispered, “Vanessa.””
She looked at him.
“Why was my wife's necklace found in the wreckage?””
Vanessa opened her mouth.
No words came.
Lily slid off Amelia's lap.
She walked to the table.
Her eyes landed on the photograph.
Then on the evidence bag.
Then on the police document.
“Mom?””
Amelia turned.
“Yes?””
“What's a second car?””
Daniel immediately moved toward her.
“Lily, go upstairs.””
“No.””
“Please.””
“No.””
She looked frightened now.
“I want to know.””
Amelia crouched beside her.
“There was another car near mine.””
“Was the person inside bad?””
Amelia hesitated.
“I don't know.””
“Then why did they follow you?””
Amelia's eyes flicked toward Daniel.
“Because they didn't want me to reach a certain place.””
“What place?””
Before Amelia could answer, the front door slammed.
Everyone jumped.
A deep male voice came from the foyer.
“Daniel?””
Daniel turned.
Amelia's face went rigid.
The footsteps approaching the dining room were slow.
Confident.
Familiar.
Vanessa suddenly looked relieved.
Amelia whispered one word.
“No.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You know who's coming.””
The man appeared in the doorway.
Detective Harris.
Or at least, the man Daniel knew as Detective Harris.
He glanced around the room.
Then at Amelia.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Finally, he smiled.
“It's good to see you alive.””
Amelia stepped backward.
“You weren't supposed to come here.””
His smile disappeared.
“No.””
He looked directly at the dashcam.
“I wasn't.””
Then his eyes moved to the open police envelope.
And Daniel noticed something that made his stomach drop.
The seal on the envelope was already broken.
Not by Amelia.
By someone who had been inside the house before she opened it.
Harris slowly reached into his coat.
“Daniel,” he said quietly, “you need to listen to me.””
Amelia grabbed Lily's hand.
“Don't listen to him.””
Harris pulled out a folded photograph.
Then he placed it on the birthday table.
It showed Lily asleep in her bedroom.
Taken from inside the house.
May you like
And written across the bottom in black ink were four words:
*SHE WAS NEVER THE TARGET.*
