Chapter 3 - The Note on the Kitchen TableAt 4:40 on Friday morning, Daniel woke Toby.
He placed a finger against his lips.
“Be quiet. We don’t want to wake Daisy.”
Toby sat up, confused.
“Aren’t we saying goodbye?”
“She’ll be asleep.”
“What if she wakes up after we leave?”
“Mrs. Alvarez will check on her.”
Toby dressed in the dark.
Across the hallway, Daisy was already awake.
She had heard suitcases rolling down the stairs.
She had heard Melissa remind Daniel to take the resort confirmation.
She had heard Toby ask whether Daisy would be angry.
Daisy remained beneath her blanket, waiting for someone to enter her room.
Nobody did.
At 5:08, the front door closed.
A few seconds later, the security system beeped.
The family car started.
Daisy ran to the window.
She saw the headlights disappear around the corner.
For several minutes, she stood completely still.
Then she walked downstairs.
A yellow note waited on the kitchen table.
Daisy,
We will call later. Stay inside. Do not open the door for anyone except Mrs. Alvarez. Food is in the freezer. Be responsible.
Mom and Dad.
There was no telephone number for Mrs. Alvarez.
No schedule.
No instructions for bedtime or medicine.
No explanation of when someone would arrive.
Daisy checked the freezer.
There were two frozen dinners, but the microwave was mounted above the stove. She had been told never to use a chair to reach it.
A box of cereal sat on top of the refrigerator.
The refrigerator contained milk, mustard, half a bottle of water and food labeled for Daniel’s work lunches.
Daisy poured the remaining water into a glass.
At seven o’clock, she waited beside the front window for Mrs. Alvarez.
At eight, she waited on the stairs.
At nine, she pressed her ear against the wall, hoping to hear movement next door.
Nobody came.
She called Melissa.
The call went directly to voicemail.
She called Daniel.
He rejected the call.
A message appeared moments later.
Dad: Stop calling. We’re driving.
Daisy typed slowly.
When is Mrs. Alvarez coming?
No answer.
At ten thirty, someone knocked.
Daisy jumped.
She approached the door without opening it.
“Who is it?”
A delivery driver stood on the porch holding a package.
Daisy remained silent until he left.
Then she checked the security panel.
The screen showed that the back door and windows were locked.
The front door required a key from the inside because Daniel had recently changed the lock.
Daisy searched the drawer where the spare key used to be.
It was empty.
She was not only alone.
She could not leave without triggering the alarm and possibly locking herself outside.
At eleven, Mrs. Alvarez walked into her driveway carrying groceries.
Daisy knocked on the window.
The elderly woman looked up in surprise.
Daisy held the note against the glass.
Mrs. Alvarez hurried to the front door.
“Daisy? Why aren’t you at school?”
“My parents said you were watching me.”
Mrs. Alvarez’s expression changed.
“They never spoke to me.”
Daisy’s eyes filled with tears.
“Can you come inside?”
“The door is locked.”
“I don’t have a key.”
Mrs. Alvarez took out her phone.
“I’m calling your parents.”
Daniel did not answer her either.
Melissa finally sent a message.
Melissa: We told her you would check in. She is fine. Please do not make this dramatic.
Mrs. Alvarez read the message twice.
She called through the door.
“Sweetheart, do you have your grandfather’s number?”
Daisy nodded.
“My phone is upstairs.”
“Go get it. Stay where I can see you when you come back.”
Daisy ran upstairs and unplugged the emergency phone.
The battery showed fifty-four percent.
She returned to the window.
Her hands shook as she selected Grant’s name.
He answered on the first ring.
“Hello, sunflower.”
Daisy tried to speak.
No sound came out.
Grant immediately stood from his chair.
“Daisy?”
“They left.”
“Who left?”
“Mom, Dad and Toby.”
“Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Who is with you?”
“Nobody.”
Grant gripped the edge of the table.
“What about Mrs. Alvarez?”
“She said they never asked her.”
Grant’s voice became calm and steady.
“Listen to me. Go to the front window and stay where Mrs. Alvarez can see you. Do not open anything. I’m coming.”
“Are you mad at me?”
The question broke something inside him.
“No, sweetheart. I am not mad at you.”
“Mom said I make people feel guilty.”
“You called because you needed help. That was the right thing to do.”
“How long until you get here?”
Grant took his truck keys from the hook.
“Keep talking to me while I drive.”
It took him fifty-eight minutes to reach the Holloway house.
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For Daisy, it felt like an entire day.
By the time Grant’s vehicle entered the street, twelve hours had passed since her parents drove away.
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