\u201cAnd the storage unit?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re obtaining authorization to secure it.\u201d
\n\u201cTonight?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nI exhaled.
\n\u201cGood.\u201d
\nBut Ramirez\u2019s expression didn\u2019t relax.
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cMark gave officers a different story.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat story?\u201d
\n\u201cHe says your sister broke into his financial records and has been threatening to ruin him.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d
\n\u201cHe also says Emily disappeared voluntarily.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why did she call me terrified?\u201d
\n\u201cThat matters.\u201d
\nRamirez hesitated.
\n\u201cBut we need to verify everything.\u201d
\nI understood.
\nEvidence mattered.
\nNot fear.
\nNot instinct.
\nNot what I desperately wanted to believe.
\nBut something inside me kept returning to one question.
\nWhy would Mark be so desperate to find the envelope if Emily was simply angry and running away?
\nMy phone buzzed.
\nA text message.
\nUnknown number.
\nI opened it.
\nYOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO MARK.
\nMy entire body went cold.
\nRamirez saw my expression.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI showed her.
\nShe took the phone without touching the screen.
\nA second message arrived.
\nTHE STORAGE UNIT IS EMPTY.
\nRamirez immediately called someone.
\nI stared at the words.
\n\u201cHow would they know about the storage unit?\u201d
\nUnless Emily\u2019s call had been monitored.
\nUnless someone had already been watching us.
\nThen another message appeared.
\nASK YOUR NEIGHBOR WHAT HAPPENED AT PINE RIDGE.
\nI looked outside.
\nMr. Foster was no longer standing across the street.
\n\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d
\nRamirez turned.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cFoster.\u201d
\nThe sidewalk was empty.
\nOne officer hurried outside.
\nAnother checked the side yard.
\nThirty seconds later, Ramirez received another radio call.
\n\u201cHe left.\u201d
\n\u201cLeft?\u201d
\n\u201cHis car is gone.\u201d
\n\u201cHe was standing in front of police.\u201d
\n\u201cApparently he went inside his house through the rear entrance.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd nobody stopped him?\u201d
\n\u201cAt that point, we didn\u2019t have grounds to detain him.\u201d
\nMy frustration exploded.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s involved.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re investigating that.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is Pine Ridge?\u201d
\nRamirez looked at me.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nBut I did know one thing.
\nThe name felt familiar.
\nNot personally.
\nFrom somewhere else.
\nA road?
\nA park?
\nA hiking trail?
\nThen I remembered Rebecca\u2019s missing-person flyer.
\nHer car had been found near a hiking area.
\nI rushed toward the basement.
\n\u201cSarah?\u201d
\nRamirez followed me.
\nI opened Emily\u2019s red folder again.
\nThe missing-person flyer was still inside its evidence sleeve.
\nI scanned every line.
\nThen I saw it.
\nREBECCA COLLINS\u2019 VEHICLE WAS DISCOVERED NEAR THE PINE RIDGE TRAILHEAD.
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nRamirez read over my shoulder.
\nPine Ridge.
\nThe anonymous texter wanted me to ask Foster about the exact place Rebecca had vanished.
\n\u201cWhoever sent this knows about the case,\u201d Ramirez said.
\n\u201cOr they were there.\u201d
\nShe didn\u2019t respond.
\nMy phone buzzed again.
\nThis time it was a photograph.
\nA grainy nighttime image.
\nA car parked near trees.
\nThe timestamp in the corner read:
\nAUG 14 2010
\n11:48 PM
\nI zoomed in.
\nThe image was poor quality.
\nBut beside Rebecca\u2019s car stood two men.
\nOne was younger.
\nThin.
\nDark hair.
\nMark.
\nThe other was larger.
\nOlder.
\nWearing what looked like a police uniform.
\nI handed the phone to Ramirez.
\nHer face hardened.
\n\u201cCan you identify him?\u201d
\nI enlarged the image.
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nEven fourteen years younger, there was no question.
\n\u201cFoster.\u201d
\nRamirez immediately requested the photo be preserved.
\nThen another message arrived.
\nHE WASN\u2019T RETIRED THAT NIGHT.
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\n\u201cWas he working Rebecca\u2019s case?\u201d
\n\u201cI can check.\u201d
\nFive minutes later, we had an answer.
\nOfficer Ramirez stood in my kitchen reading information from her phone.
\n\u201cRobert Foster served with the county sheriff\u2019s department until 2018.\u201d
\nMy heart pounded.
\n\u201cWas he assigned to Rebecca?\u201d
\nShe looked at me.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cThen why was he there?\u201d
\n\u201cHe wasn\u2019t listed on the case.\u201d
\nThat was worse.
\nA police officer who wasn\u2019t assigned to the investigation had apparently been at the location where Rebecca\u2019s car was found.
\nLate at night.
\nWith Mark.
\nMy mind raced.
\n\u201cCould the photo be fake?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nRamirez didn\u2019t sugarcoat it.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll have it examined.\u201d
\nAnother call came through.
\nThis time from a detective named Collins.
\nNot related to Rebecca, as far as we knew.
\nHe asked Ramirez to step away.
\nThey spoke quietly.
\nWhen she returned, I knew something had happened.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe storage facility manager has been contacted.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cUnit 314 was opened tonight.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cApproximately forty minutes ago.\u201d
\n\u201cBy police?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy mouth went dry.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re checking surveillance.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about the laptop?\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d
\nI felt panic rise.
\nEmily had risked everything to preserve evidence.
\nAnd someone may have reached it before we did.
\nRamirez saw my face.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re sending officers now.\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cThis is exactly what Emily warned me about.\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t know who accessed it.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat if they destroy everything?\u201d
\n\u201cThen we recover what we can.\u201d
\nThat answer did nothing to calm me.
\nThen Noah appeared in the doorway.
\nHe had been sitting with Tyler in the living room.
\n\u201cAunt Sarah?\u201d
\n\u201cYes?\u201d
\n\u201cMommy hid another thing.\u201d
\nThe room became silent.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe looked toward the basement.
\n\u201cNot here.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\nHe hesitated.
\nThen whispered,
\n\u201cAt Grandma\u2019s.\u201d
\nMy mother.
\n\u201cWhat did she hide?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen did she tell you?\u201d
\n\u201cThe same night she gave me the blue envelope.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat exactly did she say?\u201d
\nNoah squeezed his fingers together.
\n\u201cShe said if the computer was gone, Grandma had the copy.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cA copy of what?\u201d
\nHe looked frightened again.
\n\u201cThe video.\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s video.
\nEmily had created a backup.
\nAnd apparently my mother had it.
\nI immediately grabbed my phone.
\nMom was still on her Alaskan cruise.
\nI called.
\nStraight to voicemail.
\nAgain.
\nNothing.
\nThen I remembered something.
\nMom had given me the itinerary before she left.
\nHotel.
\nCruise ship.
\nExcursions.
\nEmergency contact numbers.
\nI searched my email until I found it.
\nHer ship was scheduled to arrive in Juneau that morning.
\nShe might have service soon.
\nI sent one message.
\nMOM. EMERGENCY. CALL ME IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT TELL ANYONE WHERE YOU KEEP EMILY\u2019S PACKAGE.
\nThen I stared at the message.
\nPackage.
\nMaybe that was too obvious.
\nMaybe someone already had access to our messages.
\nI deleted it before it sent.
\nToo late.
\nDelivered.
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cSarah?\u201d Ramirez said.
\n\u201cI think I just made a mistake.\u201d
\nI explained.
\nShe sighed.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t panic.\u201d
\nMy phone rang almost immediately.
\nMOM.
\nI answered.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\n\u201cSarah, what on earth is happening?\u201d
\nRelief nearly knocked me over.
\n\u201cAre you alone?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cIn my cabin. Why?\u201d
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\nShe nodded for me to continue.
\n\u201cDid Emily give you anything before your trip?\u201d
\nSilence.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nMore silence.
\nThen,
\n\u201cHow do you know about that?\u201d
\nMy heart started racing.
\n\u201cWhat did she give you?\u201d
\n\u201cA package.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat kind?\u201d
\n\u201cA small metal case.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere is it?\u201d
\nAnother pause.
\n\u201cAt my house.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere?\u201d
\n\u201cSarah, what is going on?\u201d
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nMom lowered her voice.
\n\u201cIn the attic.\u201d
\nMy pulse jumped.
\n\u201cIs your house locked?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d
\n\u201cDoes anyone have a key?\u201d
\n\u201cThe usual people.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\n\u201cYou. Emily.\u201d
\nThen she hesitated.
\n\u201cAnd Mark.\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\nOf course.
\nYears earlier, Mom had given both of us emergency keys.
\n\u201cMom, listen to me carefully. Mark is in police custody right now.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cDo not call him.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ll explain later. Where exactly is the case?\u201d
\n\u201cBehind your father\u2019s old Christmas decorations.\u201d
\n\u201cIs there anything written on it?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cDid Emily tell you what was inside?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said family documents.\u201d
\nI looked at Noah.
\nMaybe Emily had been protecting everyone by lying to them individually.
\nBefore I could ask anything else, Mom suddenly went quiet.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cSarah\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cI just remembered something.\u201d
\nMy grip tightened.
\n\u201cTell me.\u201d
\n\u201cEmily came to my house twice.\u201d
\n\u201cTwice?\u201d
\n\u201cThe second time was right before I left for the cruise.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d
\n\u201cShe looked terrified.\u201d
\nMom\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cShe asked me a strange question.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat question?\u201d
\n\u201cShe asked whether I remembered Mark\u2019s accident.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cWhat accident?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what I said.\u201d
\nMom continued.
\n\u201cEmily said Mark had been in a serious accident years before they met.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never heard about that.\u201d
\n\u201cNeither had I.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said he spent three weeks in the hospital.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\nMom paused.
\n\u201cAugust 2010.\u201d
\nThe month Rebecca disappeared.
\nMy blood turned cold.
\n\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d
\n\u201cShe didn\u2019t know. That was why she was looking.\u201d
\nThen Mom said something even stranger.
\n\u201cShe told me the hospital had no record of him.\u201d
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\n\u201cNo record?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what Emily said.\u201d
\nMy phone vibrated while Mom was still talking.
\nAnother unknown text.
\nI opened it.
\nA photograph.
\nThis one wasn\u2019t fourteen years old.
\nIt was taken recently.
\nVery recently.
\nMy mother\u2019s house.
\nFront door visible.
\nTimestamp:
\n8:42 PM
\nTONIGHT.
\nSomeone was standing on her porch.
\nHolding a flashlight.
\nI zoomed in.
\nA man.
\nDark jacket.
\nBaseball cap.
\nFace partially hidden.
\nThen the next message arrived.
\nYOU\u2019RE NOT THE ONLY ONE LOOKING FOR THE COPY.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\nMy voice came out sharp.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cIs anyone staying at your house?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cAnyone watching it?\u201d
\n\u201cMy neighbor feeds the cat.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat neighbor?\u201d
\n\u201cJanet.\u201d
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\n\u201cWe need someone at my mother\u2019s house.\u201d
\nRamirez was already calling it in.
\nMom began panicking.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d
\n\u201cMom, stay where you are. Do not return home.\u201d
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d
\n\u201cDo not tell anyone about the metal case.\u201d
\n\u201cAll right.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd call me if anyone contacts you.\u201d
\n\u201cI will.\u201d
\nWe ended the call.
\nMinutes later, officers were dispatched to Mom\u2019s property.
\nEvery second stretched.
\nThen the call finally came.
\nRamirez listened.
\nHer face changed.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe lowered the radio.
\n\u201cThe front door is open.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cWas the house broken into?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re checking.\u201d
\nAnother update arrived.
\nNo forced entry.
\nSomeone had used a key.
\nExactly like Mark had at my house.
\nI knew what the next question would be before Ramirez asked.
\n\u201cWho else has a key besides Mark?\u201d
\nI thought carefully.
\nEmily.
\nMe.
\nMom.
\nAnd one more person.
\nSomeone who had helped Mom after Dad died.
\nSomeone who checked her furnace.
\nCarried groceries when her knee hurt.
\nWatered her plants.
\nSomeone she trusted because he had once worn a badge.
\nMr. Foster.
\nI whispered his name.
\nRamirez stared at me.
\n\u201cFoster has a key?\u201d
\n\u201cMy mother gave him one years ago.\u201d
\nSuddenly every good deed he had ever done looked different.
\nNot kindness.
\nAccess.
\nThe radio crackled.
\nOfficer on scene.
\nRamirez answered.
\nThen listened.
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\nShe turned toward me slowly.
\n\u201cThey found the attic.\u201d
\nI held my breath.
\n\u201cAnd the metal case?\u201d
\n\u201cGone.\u201d
\nMy knees weakened.
\nWe were too late.
\nBut then Ramirez raised one finger.
\nThe officer was still speaking.
\nHer expression changed.
\n\u201cThey found something else.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe listened.
\nThen looked directly at Noah.
\n\u201cA note.\u201d
\nMy heart jumped.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d
\nRamirez repeated it.
\nThree handwritten words.
\nFOLLOW THE NUMBERS.
\nNoah suddenly gasped.
\n\u201cI know that.\u201d
\nEveryone looked at him.
\n\u201cWhat numbers?\u201d
\nHe ran upstairs.
\nI followed.
\nHe hurried into the guest room where Mark had emptied his backpack.
\nClothes and toys still covered the bed.
\nNoah picked up his red toy truck.
\nThe same truck he had returned to the garage for the night he overheard Mark and Foster.
\nHe turned it upside down.
\nThere were numbers written beneath it in black marker.
\n3 \u2014 17 \u2014 8 \u2014 26.
\n\u201cWhat are those?\u201d
\nNoah shook his head.
\n\u201cMommy wrote them.\u201d
\n\u201cWhen?\u201d
\n\u201cBefore Daddy brought me here.\u201d
\nMy heart pounded.
\nRamirez photographed the numbers.
\nThen I noticed something else.
\nOne wheel on the truck was loose.
\nI touched it.
\nThe plastic wheel came off.
\nSomething tiny fell onto the bed.
\nA memory card.
\nSmaller than my fingernail.
\nNoah whispered,
\n\u201cMommy said Daddy never checks my toys.\u201d
\nI stared at the card.
\nEmily had hidden evidence everywhere.
\nThe envelope.
\nThe lockbox.
\nThe storage unit.
\nMom\u2019s attic.
\nAnd now inside her son\u2019s toy.
\nRamirez placed the memory card into an evidence bag.
\n\u201cWe need forensic technicians to examine this.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nBut Noah was staring at the four numbers again.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI asked.
\nHe whispered,
\n\u201cMommy made me remember something.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cShe said three means March.\u201d
\n\u201cOkay.\u201d
\n\u201cSeventeen means day.\u201d
\nMarch 17.
\n\u201cAnd eight?\u201d
\nHe looked confused.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d
\nThen Tyler spoke.
\n\u201cMaybe eight means a year.\u201d
\nWe all looked at him.
\n\u201cLike 2008?\u201d
\nPossible.
\nBut the last number was 26.
\nThen something clicked in my head.
\n3.
\n17.
\n8.
\n26.
\nCould be coordinates.
\nCould be locker numbers.
\nCould be pages.
\nCould be dates.
\nThen I remembered Emily\u2019s letter.
\nPasswords.
\nFiles.
\nEvidence.
\nMaybe they weren\u2019t meant to be read separately.
\nMaybe they were directions.
\nOfficer Ramirez\u2019s phone rang.
\nShe answered.
\nHer expression immediately hardened.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nShe listened.
\nThen walked toward the window.
\n\u201cUnderstood.\u201d
\nWhen she ended the call, I felt fear before she spoke.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cMark is gone.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cWhat do you mean gone?\u201d
\n\u201cHe was being transported.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d
\n\u201cThe patrol vehicle was struck at an intersection.\u201d
\n\u201cAn accident?\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what it looked like initially.\u201d
\nMy heart pounded.
\n\u201cWhere\u2019s Mark?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen officers regained control of the scene, the rear door was open.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\nRamirez didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cHandcuffed prisoners don\u2019t just open police cars.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cUnless someone helps them.\u201d
\nHer silence said enough.
\nEmily had warned me.
\nThe police can\u2019t all be trusted.
\nThen my phone buzzed.
\nOne final message.
\nNo number displayed this time.
\nJust four words.
\nHE IS COMING BACK.
\nI looked toward the dark window.
\nAcross the street, Mr. Foster\u2019s house remained completely dark.
\nMark was somewhere out there.
\nFoster was gone.
\nAnd we were standing inside the one house where Emily\u2019s final hidden memory card had just been discovered.
\nThen Noah grabbed my hand.
\n\u201cAunt Sarah.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHis face went pale.
\nHe pointed toward the driveway.
\nA black sedan had just turned slowly onto our street.<\/p>\n
PART 5 \u2014 THE BLACK SEDAN RETURNS<\/h1>\n
The black sedan rolled slowly past our house.
\nNobody inside the living room moved.
\nNoah\u2019s fingers dug into my hand.
\nTyler stood behind me, breathing so quietly I could barely hear him.
\nOfficer Ramirez stepped toward the window.
\n\u201cEverybody away from the glass.\u201d
\nWe moved back.
\nThe sedan kept going.
\nFor one second, I thought maybe it wasn\u2019t stopping.
\nThen the brake lights glowed red.
\nThe car stopped three houses down.
\nMy pulse started pounding.
\nRamirez spoke into her radio.
\n\u201cPossible suspect vehicle on Cedar Lane. Black sedan. Request immediate units.\u201d
\nNoah whispered,
\n\u201cThat\u2019s Daddy\u2019s car.\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d
\nHe nodded.
\n\u201cHe has two.\u201d
\n\u201cTwo?\u201d
\n\u201cOne normal car.\u201d
\nHe pointed toward the street.
\n\u201cAnd that one.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\nOf course.
\nThe same black sedan Mr. Foster had warned me about.
\nThe same car Mark had used to bring Noah here.
\nMaybe Foster hadn\u2019t been warning me at all.
\nMaybe he had been checking whether I had noticed it.
\nThe sedan\u2019s driver-side door opened.
\nA man stepped out.
\nBaseball cap.
\nDark jacket.
\nSame build as the person photographed outside Mom\u2019s house.
\nRamirez raised her flashlight toward the window but didn\u2019t turn it on.
\n\u201cCan you identify him?\u201d
\nI stared.
\nToo dark.
\nToo far.
\nThen the man lifted his head.
\nPorch light from a nearby house hit his face.
\nMy heart stopped.
\nMark.
\n\u201cNoah, don\u2019t look.\u201d
\nToo late.
\n\u201cDaddy.\u201d
\nMark crossed the street.
\nNo rush.
\nNo hesitation.
\nLike a man coming home after work.
\nTwo officers moved toward the front entrance.
\nRamirez stopped them.
\n\u201cWait.\u201d
\nOne officer whispered,
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cSomething\u2019s wrong.\u201d
\nMark wasn\u2019t looking at my house.
\nHe was looking toward Mr. Foster\u2019s.
\nThen Foster\u2019s porch light blinked once.
\nOff.
\nOn.
\nOff.
\nA signal.
\nMark changed direction.
\nInstead of approaching us, he walked toward Foster\u2019s backyard.
\nRamirez immediately spoke into her radio.
\n\u201cSuspect moving toward 214 Cedar Lane.\u201d
\nThe officers slipped outside.
\nI pulled the boys deeper into the house.
\nThen Mark disappeared between the homes.
\nThirty seconds passed.
\nNothing.
\nThen shouting.
\n\u201cPOLICE! STOP!\u201d
\nA crashing sound came from outside.
\nAnother shout.
\nThen silence.
\nTyler grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cDid they catch him?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nRamirez\u2019s radio erupted with voices.
\nOne officer yelled,
\n\u201cRear fence! He\u2019s moving east!\u201d
\nAnother:
\n\u201cSecond suspect!\u201d
\nRamirez\u2019s expression hardened.
\n\u201cFoster.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cBoth of them are out there?\u201d
\n\u201cIt sounds like it.\u201d
\nSuddenly a loud bang came from the basement.
\nNoah screamed.
\nEvery officer in the room turned.
\nAnother bang.
\nFrom downstairs.
\nNot outside.
\nInside my house.
\nRamirez drew her weapon.
\n\u201cStay here.\u201d
\nShe and another officer moved toward the basement door.
\nI grabbed Tyler and Noah.
\nThe basement was supposed to be empty.
\nWe had all been upstairs.
\nUnless somebody entered through the small side window.
\nUnless someone had been waiting down there the entire time.
\nRamirez opened the door.
\n\u201cPolice! Show yourself!\u201d
\nNo answer.
\nShe descended.
\nOne step.
\nTwo.
\nThree.
\nThen,
\n\u201cClear.\u201d
\nI exhaled.
\nBut she didn\u2019t come back.
\nA few seconds later she called,
\n\u201cSarah.\u201d
\nSomething in her voice made me afraid.
\nI walked toward the doorway.
\n\u201cStay behind me,\u201d the other officer said.
\nWe went down together.
\nRamirez stood near Dad\u2019s old workbench.
\nThe basement window above it was broken.
\nGlass covered the floor.
\nBut nobody was inside.
\n\u201cSomeone threw something through the window,\u201d Ramirez said.
\nShe pointed.
\nA small brick lay on the floor.
\nRubber bands held a folded note around it.
\nThe officer carefully removed the paper.
\nRamirez read it.
\nThen looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nShe handed it over.
\nONE COPY ISN\u2019T ENOUGH.
\nYOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
\nI stared at the words.
\n\u201cMidnight for what?\u201d
\nNo answer.
\nThen Noah spoke behind me.
\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t supposed to find that yet.\u201d
\nI turned so quickly I nearly dropped the note.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHis face looked terrified.
\n\u201cNoah, what do you mean?\u201d
\nHe pointed toward the memory card still sealed in the evidence bag upstairs.
\n\u201cMommy said if they knew about the little card, we had to leave.\u201d
\nRamirez crouched.
\n\u201cWho are \u2018they\u2019?\u201d
\nNoah shook his head.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat exactly did your mother say?\u201d
\nHe squeezed his eyes shut.
\n\u201cShe said, \u2018If they come for the copies, Sarah has to take you to the place with the red door.\u2019\u201d
\nMy heart raced.
\n\u201cWhat red door?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cThink.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d
\nHe started crying.
\nI pulled him against me.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d
\nBut I was thinking.
\nRed door.
\nEmily and I had grown up in the same town.
\nOur parents\u2019 house had been white.
\nGrandma\u2019s was brown.
\nThe old family cabin was green.
\nThen I remembered.
\nDad\u2019s workshop.
\nNot the basement workbench.
\nHis actual workshop.
\nTwenty miles outside town.
\nAn old detached building near Lake Mason.
\nDad had painted the door bright red because he said hunters could see it from the road in winter.
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\n\u201cI know the place.\u201d
\nShe immediately shook her head.
\n\u201cYou are not going anywhere alone.\u201d
\n\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u201cMy father owned a workshop near Lake Mason.\u201d
\n\u201cDoes Mark know about it?\u201d
\n\u201cMaybe.\u201d
\n\u201cFoster?\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nDad used to invite Foster fishing.
\nOf course he knew.
\nThen Ramirez\u2019s radio crackled.
\n\u201cSuspect detained.\u201d
\nMy heart jumped.
\n\u201cMark?\u201d
\nShe listened.
\nHer face fell.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cFoster?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nOne of the officers had caught someone running from Foster\u2019s backyard.
\nA stranger.
\nMale.
\nMid-thirties.
\nNo identification.
\nNo Mark.
\nNo Foster.
\nThe man refused to speak.
\nBut inside his jacket they found something.
\nA key ring.
\nOne key opened Foster\u2019s back door.
\nAnother had a label.
\n314.
\nMy breath stopped.
\n\u201cThe storage unit,\u201d I whispered.
\nRamirez nodded.
\nThen her radio crackled again.
\nThis time the storage facility.
\nOfficers had arrived.
\nUnit 314 was open.
\nThe lock had been cut.
\nThe shelves were mostly empty.
\nThe laptop was gone.
\nI closed my eyes.
\nEmily\u2019s warning had been right.
\nBut then the officer on the radio added something else.
\n\u201cThey found a recorder.\u201d
\nI looked up.
\n\u201cWhat kind?\u201d
\n\u201cSmall digital recorder taped under a shelf.\u201d
\nSomeone had missed it.
\nMaybe Emily had planned that.
\nMaybe Rebecca had.
\nRamirez asked whether it still worked.
\nA pause.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s on it?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re checking.\u201d
\nMinutes later, the detective at the unit called directly.
\nRamirez placed the phone on speaker.
\nA woman\u2019s voice filled the basement.
\nSoft.
\nNervous.
\nRecorded years earlier.
\n\u201cMy name is Rebecca Collins.\u201d
\nEvery person in the room froze.
\n\u201cIf someone finds this, I need you to understand that I am not running away.\u201d
\nMy skin prickled.
\nRebecca continued.
\n\u201cMark told people I was unstable. That I wanted to leave. That isn\u2019t true.\u201d
\nNoah clung to me.
\nThe recording crackled.
\n\u201cI found documents showing Mark was stealing money through accounts connected to my name.\u201d
\nI thought about Emily\u2019s bank statements.
\nSame pattern.
\nSame man.
\nRebecca\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cI confronted him tonight.\u201d
\nA long silence followed.
\nThen she whispered,
\n\u201cHe told me nobody would believe me because his friend in the department could make reports disappear.\u201d
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\nFoster.
\nThe recording continued.
\n\u201cIf anything happens to me, look at Robert Foster.\u201d
\nNobody moved.
\nRebecca had said it herself.
\nFourteen years earlier.
\nThen came a sound on the recording.
\nA door opening.
\nRebecca whispered,
\n\u201cHe\u2019s here.\u201d
\nFootsteps.
\nA man\u2019s voice.
\nDistant.
\nAngry.
\nThen another voice.
\nOlder.
\nCalmer.
\nI recognized it immediately.
\nMr. Foster.
\nRebecca said,
\n\u201cWhy is he here?\u201d
\nMark answered,
\n\u201cTo help.\u201d
\nThe recording erupted with movement.
\nFurniture scraping.
\nRebecca shouted.
\nThen the audio cut.
\nSilence.
\nThe detective spoke again over the phone.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the end.\u201d
\nMy hands were shaking.
\nThere it was.
\nNot proof of everything.
\nBut enough to show Emily hadn\u2019t imagined the connection.
\nEnough to explain why Mark wanted the storage unit.
\nEnough to make Foster dangerous.
\nRamirez immediately ordered both men treated as high-priority suspects.
\nThen my phone rang.
\nUnknown number.
\nNobody spoke.
\nRamirez nodded.
\nI answered on speaker.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nA woman whispered,
\n\u201cSarah.\u201d
\nEmily.
\nMy knees weakened.
\n\u201cEmily?\u201d
\n\u201cDo you have Noah?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you safe?\u201d
\n\u201cFor the moment.\u201d
\nShe breathed shakily.
\n\u201cYou found Rebecca\u2019s recording.\u201d
\nIt wasn\u2019t a question.
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause they\u2019re panicking.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cI can\u2019t tell you.\u201d
\n\u201cEmily, please.\u201d
\n\u201cIf I tell you, they\u2019ll find me.\u201d
\nI swallowed.
\n\u201cWho are they?\u201d
\nShe hesitated.
\n\u201cMark and Foster are only part of it.\u201d
\nMy blood went cold.
\n\u201cHow many people?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what do we do?\u201d
\n\u201cTake Noah to Dad\u2019s workshop.\u201d
\nMy breath caught.
\n\u201cThe red door.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s something under the floor.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe original evidence.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat original evidence?\u201d
\n\u201cThe thing Rebecca hid before she disappeared.\u201d
\nI looked at Ramirez.
\nShe was already signaling to dispatch.
\nEmily suddenly whispered,
\n\u201cSarah\u2026\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cIf the red door is already open when you get there, do not go inside.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause that means they got there first.\u201d
\nA loud noise sounded on Emily\u2019s end.
\nShe gasped.
\n\u201cEmily?\u201d
\n\u201cGo now.\u201d
\n\u201cEmily, where are you?\u201d
\nThen she said something I never expected.
\n\u201cI\u2019m closer than you think.\u201d
\nThe call ended.
\nI stared at the phone.
\nOfficer Ramirez immediately started organizing units for Lake Mason.
\nThen one of the officers upstairs shouted,
\n\u201cRamirez!\u201d
\nWe ran up.
\nThe front door was still locked.
\nBut something had been pushed underneath it.
\nA photograph.
\nI picked it up carefully.
\nIt showed Dad\u2019s old workshop.
\nTaken at night.
\nThe red door was visible.
\nWide open.
\nAnd standing inside the doorway was Mr. Foster.
\nBeside him was Mark.
\nBetween them stood a woman with her hands tied.
\nEmily.
\nOn the back of the photograph, someone had written:
\nMIDNIGHT.
\nBRING THE MEMORY CARD.
\nOR SHE DOESN\u2019T LEAVE.<\/p>\n
![\"\ud83d\udc49\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f449.svg\")
PART 6 \u2014 THE RED DOOR<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"