Chapter 3 - The Cabin
The cabin stood beside a lake three hours outside the city.
Claire remembered it.
Mike had taken her there on their first anniversary.
They had stayed for a weekend.
At the time, it had felt like the safest place in the world.
Now it felt like a trap.
Claire didn't tell anyone where she was going.
She drove through the afternoon rain.
When she arrived, the cabin looked abandoned.
The windows were dark.
The wooden porch sagged.
But the front door wasn't locked.
Claire entered.
The smell hit her immediately.
Cedar.
Mike's cologne.
She froze.
A coat hung on the wall.
Black.
Men's size.
She reached for it.
Inside the pocket was a photograph.
Mike.
Standing beside Nathan.
And beside them was Harold.
All three were younger.
All three were smiling.
On the back, Mike had written:
WE TRUSTED THE WRONG MAN.
Claire searched the cabin.
She found a loose floorboard.
Underneath was a metal box.
Inside was a flash drive.
A recording.
Claire plugged it into an old laptop she found in the cabin.
Mike appeared on the screen.
Alive.
Claire covered her mouth.
Her husband looked exhausted.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, Claire, then something went wrong.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Mike continued.
“I need you to understand one thing. I didn't disappear because I stopped loving you.”
Claire whispered his name.
The recording continued.
“Harold discovered what we found. Nathan is involved. I don't know how deep it goes.”
The screen flickered.
Mike looked toward something outside the camera frame.
“I can't explain everything yet. If I tell you everything, they'll know you have the evidence.”
Claire leaned closer.
Mike's voice became softer.
“Protect Mia.”
The recording ended.
Claire sat motionless.
Then another file appeared.
The title was simply:
FOR MIA.
Claire opened it.
Mike appeared again.
This time he was smiling.
“Hey, princess.”
Claire began crying.
Mia's favorite nickname.
Mike continued.
“If Mommy ever shows you this, tell her something for me.”
He paused.
“Tell her Daddy kept his promise.”
The screen went black.
Claire looked around the cabin.
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
Someone was there.
She grabbed the laptop and ran.
A shadow moved across the hallway.
Claire reached the front door.
A voice called from behind her.
“Claire.”
She stopped.
It wasn't Harold.
May you like
It wasn't Nathan.
It was Mike's voice.
