Chapter 2 - WHAT AVERY KNEW
Eric placed the photograph inside a plastic sandwich bag without touching it again.
Heather stared at him.
"Phase two?"
"I don't know."
"You've seen something like this before."
Eric looked at her.
That was answer enough.
Heather stood.
"Eric."
"I need to make a call."
"No."
"Heather."
"No. You do not walk downstairs and make some mysterious call after our daughter was locked in a room and photographed in her sleep."
Olivia watched them.
Eric noticed.
He lowered his voice.
"We'll talk downstairs."
Heather kissed Olivia's forehead and tucked blankets around her.
"Two minutes."
Olivia caught her wrist.
"Don't close the door."
Heather's heart broke.
"I won't."
They left it wide open.
Downstairs, Heather crossed her arms.
"Start talking."
Eric sat at the kitchen table.
He looked older than he had that morning.
"About three months ago, someone tried to access one of my company's internal servers."
Heather blinked.
Eric worked as chief financial officer for a regional construction company called Archer Development.
"What does that have to do with us?"
"I didn't think it did."
"Until?"
"Until I received an anonymous email containing a photo of this house."
Heather stared at him.
"You didn't tell me?"
"I thought it was intimidation."
"From who?"
"We're in the middle of an internal audit. There were irregularities involving subcontractor payments."
"How large?"
"Potentially millions."
Heather sat across from him.
"And you thought someone photographed our home because of that?"
"Yes."
"Did you call police?"
"Company counsel contacted investigators."
Heather laughed without humor.
"And somehow you forgot to mention that someone might be watching your wife and daughter?"
"I was trying not to scare you."
"You should have scared me."
He looked down.
"You're right."
Heather rarely heard those words so quickly from him.
That frightened her more.
She slid the bag containing the key across the table.
"What does 214 mean?"
"No idea."
"And phase two?"
"No idea."
"Melissa does."
"Maybe."
Heather stared toward the ceiling.
"Avery put that key in Olivia's backpack."
Eric nodded.
"Which means Avery is scared."
Heather picked up her phone.
"I'm calling Daniel."
Daniel Carter was Melissa's ex-husband and Avery's father.
They had divorced two years earlier after what Melissa described as an "emotionally boring marriage."
Daniel described it differently.
"I got tired of being told that every lie was my misunderstanding."
He answered on the third ring.
"Heather?"
"Is Avery with you?"
A pause.
"No."
"Where is she?"
"Melissa picked her up Friday."
Heather stood.
"What?"
"It was her weekend."
"Daniel, Melissa left Avery with us yesterday."
Silence.
Then Daniel said, "No, she didn't."
Heather's chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
"She texted me that Avery was sleeping at a friend's house."
Eric was already putting on his shoes.
Heather gripped the phone.
"When did you last see Avery?"
"Friday afternoon."
"Have you spoken to her?"
"She sent me two messages."
"Did you actually speak to her?"
Another silence.
"No."
Heather closed her eyes.
"Call the police."
"What happened?"
"We found something."
"Heather."
"Call them now."
Twenty-seven minutes later, Daniel pulled into the driveway with Officer Morales behind him.
He looked terrified.
"Where's Avery?"
"We don't know."
Daniel stared at the gold key on the table.
"What is that?"
Heather explained.
Daniel's face changed as she spoke.
When she finished, he sank into a chair.
"She told me Avery was with you."
"Why would she lie about that?"
"I don't know."
Morales asked, "Does Melissa have access to another property?"
Daniel looked up.
"Her mother's old storage unit."
"What kind?"
"Self-storage place near Route 8."
Heather pointed to the key.
"Unit 214?"
Daniel stared at the tag.
Then stood.
"Oh God."
"What?"
"Her mother's unit was 214."
The police moved quickly.
Two patrol cars went ahead.
Daniel drove behind them.
Eric wanted Heather to stay home with Olivia.
Heather refused until Olivia began crying at the thought of being separated from both parents.
So Eric went with Daniel.
Heather stayed.
For forty-three minutes she watched her phone.
At 3:21 a.m., Eric called.
Heather answered immediately.
"Did you find Avery?"
"She's alive."
Heather's knees weakened.
"Where?"
"Storage unit 214."
Heather covered her mouth.
"Was she locked in?"
"No."
Eric's voice sounded strange.
"Heather, she was waiting for us."
"What?"
"She had blankets. Food. Water."
Heather frowned.
"Why?"
"She says Melissa told her to hide there if police came."
Heather sat down.
"Why would Melissa tell a seven-year-old to hide in a storage unit?"
Eric did not answer immediately.
Then he said, "Because Melissa believed Avery had something."
"The key?"
"No."
"What?"
"A phone."
Heather looked toward the stairs.
"What phone?"
"The one Olivia saw."
Her heart pounded.
"Does Avery have it?"
"Yes."
Heather closed her eyes.
"What is on it?"
Eric inhaled.
"I don't know yet."
Then she heard Daniel in the background.
He sounded sick.
"Oh, Jesus."
Heather straightened.
"What happened?"
Eric said nothing.
"Eric?"
Still nothing.
Then his voice returned.
Very low.
"There's a video."
"What video?"
"A video of Melissa."
Heather gripped the edge of the table.
"Doing what?"
Eric whispered, "Talking to someone inside our house."
Heather stopped breathing.
"Who?"
"We can't see his face."
"His?"
"Yes."
"When?"
Eric paused.
"Three nights ago."
Heather looked toward the dark hallway.
Three nights ago, she and Eric had been asleep upstairs.
Olivia had been in her bedroom.
Melissa had not been invited over.
Heather whispered, "How did she get inside?"
Eric answered.
"That's not the worst part."
"What is?"
"In the video, Melissa isn't breaking in."
May you like
Heather waited.
Eric said, "Someone opens the door for her from the inside."
