Chapter 5 - The First Lie About Evan's Mother
Evan's mother had supposedly died in a boating accident.
That was the story Daniel told Emma.
It was the story Evan had grown up believing.
Her name was Rachel Carter.
She had disappeared when Evan was eight.
Search teams recovered her jacket and one shoe from Lake Mercer.
Her body was never found.
After seven days, authorities concluded she had drowned.
Emma had never questioned it.
Now she questioned everything.
Marcus placed the evidence bag on a table.
"Where did you find this?"
"In Evan's car."
"Anything else?"
"A prepaid phone. Cash. Two passports."
"Passports?"
"One for Evan."
"And the other?"
Marcus looked at her.
"One for you."
Emma laughed in disbelief.
"Why would Evan have a passport for me?"
"It's genuine."
"What?"
"Your photograph. Your birth information. Issued four months ago."
"I never applied for one."
Jack cursed quietly.
Marcus continued.
"The destination associated with the reservation we found was Canada."
Emma's thoughts raced.
"Someone planned to take us across the border?"
"Possibly."
"Or wanted it to look that way."
Marcus nodded.
"Also possible."
Lydia hugged herself.
"What about the blood?"
"Not Evan's."
Emma looked up.
"Whose?"
"We don't know yet."
Marcus sat down.
"I need to ask about Rachel Carter."
Emma exchanged a look with Lydia.
"What about her?"
"We searched archived records after Evan's call."
"You recorded it?"
"Your phone automatically logged the number. We traced the tower."
"Where?"
"Black Pine."
Emma's mouth went dry.
Marcus continued.
"Rachel Carter's boating accident happened at Lake Mercer."
"I know."
"Do you know who signed the death investigation?"
Emma shook her head.
"Thomas Carter."
Daniel's father.
Emma stared.
"Thomas was county administrator."
"He also served as acting emergency coordinator that summer."
Jack swore under his breath.
Marcus looked at him.
"You know something?"
Jack hesitated.
"I knew Thomas was connected to Black Pine Development."
Emma turned.
"You never said that."
"I didn't know how deep."
Marcus asked, "What was his role?"
"Consultant."
"For what?"
"Land acquisition."
Lydia shook her head.
"Dad hated developers."
Jack looked at her sadly.
"Maybe later."
Emma's attention shifted back to Marcus.
"Does this mean Thomas covered up Rachel's death?"
"We don't know."
"Then what do we know?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Rachel made a 911 call two days before she disappeared."
Emma stopped.
"What did she say?"
Marcus took out his notebook.
"She said someone had broken into the Carter cabin."
Emma looked at Jack.
"What was stolen?"
"She didn't report stolen property."
"What did she report?"
Marcus read from his notes.
"She said the intruder was searching beneath the floor."
The room became silent.
Emma whispered, "The hidden room."
"Possibly."
Marcus continued.
"Rachel also said she believed her husband was lying to her."
"Daniel?"
"Yes."
Emma's pulse quickened.
"What else?"
"The dispatcher asked if she felt threatened by Daniel."
"What did Rachel say?"
Marcus looked directly at Emma.
"She said, 'Daniel is not the person I'm afraid of.'"
Emma exhaled.
"Then who?"
"The call ended before she answered."
Jack walked toward the window.
Rain streaked the glass.
"Same pattern."
Emma looked at him.
"What?"
"Daniel finds the room. Daniel dies. Rachel finds something. Rachel disappears."
"And now me."
Jack nodded.
Marcus closed his notebook.
"I've requested state investigators."
Emma immediately said, "No."
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
"Evan told me not to let police take me to the cabin."
"I'm police."
"Exactly."
Marcus's face hardened.
"You think I'm involved?"
"I think I was almost murdered three hours ago."
Fair enough.
Emma looked toward Lydia.
"Who besides you knew Daniel found the room?"
Lydia shook her head.
"No one."
"Someone did."
Jack said, "Maybe Daniel told someone."
"Or someone was watching him."
Emma remembered the dark sedan.
The stranger.
Evan's terror.
"I want to see the cabin."
Marcus shook his head.
"Absolutely not."
"I wasn't asking."
"You can't walk."
"Then get me crutches."
"Mrs. Carter."
"Marcus, someone tried to murder me because of what's under that cabin. My husband may have been murdered because of it. Evan is missing. And apparently I'm Subject Fourteen in a program I've never heard of."
She leaned forward despite the pain.
"You can either help me get there safely or explain later why I went without you."
Marcus stared at her.
Jack almost smiled.
Finally Marcus said, "Give me two hours."
"One."
"Two."
Emma nodded.
Marcus left.
Lydia sat down.
"You're really going?"
"Yes."
"Daniel would've hated this."
Emma looked at her.
"Daniel isn't here."
Lydia flinched.
Emma softened.
"I'm sorry."
"No. You're right."
Lydia stared at the rain.
"He kept secrets because he thought secrets were armor."
Emma whispered, "Secrets are doors."
Jack turned.
"What?"
Emma looked at the photograph of herself as a child.
Something about the building stirred inside her.
A hallway.
A red door.
A woman saying her name.
Then another memory.
A phrase.
Emma whispered it without understanding why.
"Fourteen opens the door."
Jack stared.
"Where did you hear that?"
Emma's eyes widened.
"I don't know."
Then the lights went out.
The hospital room plunged into darkness.
Lydia screamed.
Jack grabbed Emma.
Emergency lights flickered red in the hallway.
Footsteps ran outside.
A nurse shouted.
Then Emma's phone illuminated beside her.
A message had appeared from Evan's number.
May you like
HE'S IN THE HOSPITAL.
DON'T LET HIM SEE YOU.
