Chapter 12 - DANIEL COMES HOME
Daniel arrived seventeen minutes later.
He ran from his car before the engine stopped.
“Where is he?”
Emily met him on the porch.
He looked at her injured face.
The blood from earlier had dried near her lip.
“What happened to you?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Where’s Noah?”
“Gone.”
Daniel looked toward the police.
Then toward Robert.
His face changed.
“You.”
Robert flinched.
Daniel crossed the porch and shoved him against the wall.
“You knew.”
“Daniel.”
“You knew Rachel was hurting him!”
“I didn’t know how bad—”
Daniel punched the wall beside Robert’s head.
Emily grabbed his arm.
“Stop.”
Daniel was shaking.
“You protected her.”
Robert looked ashamed.
“I was trying to protect your family.”
Daniel laughed.
“My family?”
He pointed toward the empty house.
“My son is missing!”
Robert whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Daniel turned away.
Emily handed him Noah’s tablet.
“Watch.”
Daniel watched the clips.
One.
Two.
Three.
His face changed with each.
By the laundry-room footage, he was crying.
By the food punishment, his hands were shaking.
By the video with Steven, he looked murderous.
Then Emily showed him the photo of the older man.
Daniel froze.
“That’s not Vincent Hale.”
Robert looked up.
“What?”
Daniel enlarged the image.
“That’s his son.”
Emily stared.
“You know him?”
“Michael Hale.”
Robert’s face went blank.
“I thought Michael was in prison.”
“He was.”
“When did he get out?”
“Last year.”
Emily looked at Daniel.
“How do you know?”
Daniel closed the tablet.
“Because he contacted me.”
Robert cursed.
Emily stared.
“You’ve been hiding this too?”
Daniel looked at her.
“I was trying to keep you away from it.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“I had a reason.”
“So did Dad.”
Daniel flinched.
Emily continued.
“What did Michael want?”
“The ledger.”
“Mom’s papers?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
Daniel looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
“You said Mom gave them to me.”
“She did.”
“How?”
Daniel sat down.
“When she got sick, she became convinced someone was watching the house again.”
Emily remembered her mother checking windows obsessively.
She had always assumed illness made her anxious.
Daniel continued.
“She gave you something when you were sixteen.”
Emily shook her head.
“I don’t remember.”
“A photography case.”
Emily froze.
Her first professional camera.
A used Nikon Susan had bought from an estate sale.
Emily still owned the case.
The camera itself had been replaced years ago, but the old leather case remained in storage.
Daniel said, “Mom told me after she gave it to you. She said the safest place for something important was with the person everyone underestimated.”
Emily couldn’t breathe.
“She hid the ledger inside my camera case.”
“I think so.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“She made me promise.”
“She’s been dead fifteen years.”
Daniel’s eyes filled.
“I was afraid.”
Emily stared at him.
Daniel Carter.
The responsible one.
The strong one.
The family protector.
Afraid.
“Of who?”
“Michael.”
Emily looked at the photo.
“When did he contact you?”
“Six months ago.”
“What did he say?”
“That Steven owed him.”
“For what?”
Daniel looked at Robert.
“Apparently Steven started working for him.”
Robert cursed.
Emily said, “The two hundred thousand?”
“Probably collections.”
“Illegal money.”
“Yes.”
“And Rachel?”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“I don’t know how involved she is.”
Emily did.
“She helped hide it.”
Daniel looked destroyed.
Emily continued.
“She abused Noah to keep him quiet.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
For a moment, Emily thought he might collapse.
Then he opened them.
“What does the ransom note want?”
“The drive.”
“The camera recordings?”
“Yes.”
Daniel shook his head.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Why?”
“Michael wouldn’t care about Rachel abusing Noah.”
Emily stared.
Daniel continued.
“He cares about evidence connecting him to Steven.”
Emily realized.
“The video captured Steven.”
“And maybe Michael.”
“But the photo came from Noah.”
Daniel nodded.
“If Noah photographed Michael, they may believe he copied more.”
Emily felt sick.
“So whoever took him may not even know exactly what Noah has.”
“Which makes him dangerous to them.”
Robert whispered, “God.”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“Where’s your old camera case?”
Emily froze.
“At my apartment.”
Daniel stood.
“We need it.”
“Why?”
“Because if the ledger is still there, that’s what they really want.”
Emily looked at the ransom note.
Bring the drive.
Come alone.
A substitution.
Someone believed Emily had the old evidence.
Or suspected.
Emily whispered, “The party.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“The note says bring it to the party tomorrow.”
Daniel stared.
“They still expect us to hold Noah’s birthday party.”
Emily nodded slowly.
Which meant the person behind this wanted a crowded house.
Noise.
Confusion.
Guests.
An easy way to enter and leave unnoticed.
Daniel looked toward the dining room.
The decorations were already hanging.
Balloons.
Streamers.
Birthday banner.
May you like
A perfect suburban celebration.
A trap disguised as a family party.
