Detective Mercer read the message three times.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, he looked at Reyes.
"Did you know?"
Reyes shook his head.
"Know what?"
"About Frank's partner."
"Claire?"
"Yes."
"Only that she was his wife."
Mercer looked at me.
"Then someone is trying to tell us something."
"Or manipulate us."
"Both are possible."
Tyler watched him.
"What happened to Frank?"
Mercer took a breath.
"The official report says he died in a traffic accident."
"And unofficially?"
Mercer looked toward the window.
"His car was found on a road he had no reason to be traveling."
Reyes frowned.
"Why?"
"He had been heading toward the old warehouse district."
My stomach tightened.
"The same area?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Four years ago."
I looked at Tyler.
The timeline stretched backward.
Six years ago, a child had been connected to our house.
Four years ago, Frank died near the warehouse district.
Three months ago, Claire's husband had been seen at the fire station.
Today, Tyler had entered a warehouse where Lily was found.
The pattern was becoming impossible to ignore.
"What was Frank doing there?" I asked.
Mercer shook his head.
"We don't know."
"Was Claire with him?"
"No."
"Where was she?"
"Missing."
My breath caught.
"Missing?"
"She disappeared shortly before Frank died."
"Then how is she in the photograph?"
"Because the photograph was taken before she disappeared."
"How long before?"
"Not long."
Tyler looked at the picture again.
"Then she could have been alive."
Mercer nodded.
"Yes."
"Could she still be alive?"
"We don't know."
I looked at Reyes.
"Could Claire have started the fire?"
"We don't have evidence."
"But she was there."
"Possibly."
"And she knew Lily."
"Yes."
"She knew our house."
"Apparently."
"And she knew Tyler."
"Apparently."
The pieces were frightening because they were no longer separate.
They were connected.
But connection wasn't proof.
I kept reminding myself of that.
"We need Lily," I said.
Mercer nodded.
"Yes."
"She knows something."
"Probably."
"Can I speak to her?"
He hesitated.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because she's frightened."
"So am I."
He looked at me.
"I know."
I glanced at Tyler.
"She trusted him."
Tyler nodded.
"If she talks to anyone, it should be him."
Mercer looked at Tyler's injuries.
"He's not exactly in a position to travel."
"Then bring her here."
Reyes considered it.
"That may be possible."
Mercer stepped aside and made a call.
While he spoke, I looked at the old photograph again.
Claire stood beside Lily.
The man's face was hidden.
I studied his posture.
Something about him bothered me.
Then Tyler spoke.
"I know him."
I turned.
"What?"
"The man."
"You know who he is?"
"I think so."
Mercer ended his call.
"What?"
Tyler pointed to the photograph.
"The jacket."
Mercer leaned closer.
"Yes?"
"I've seen that jacket."
"Where?"
"At the station."
"On whom?"
Tyler closed his eyes.
"Frank."
Mercer froze.
"My father?"
Tyler nodded.
"He wore that kind of jacket."
Mercer stared at the photograph.
"Frank died four years ago."
"I know."
"Then why would he be in a photograph with Lily?"
"I don't know."
Mercer took the photograph.
He examined it carefully.
"Wait."
He turned it over.
There was writing on the back.
I leaned forward.
"What does it say?"
Mercer read it silently.
Then he looked at me.
"It's your old address."
My heart stopped.
"Again?"
"Yes."
Tyler looked at me.
"Who wrote it?"
Mercer turned the photograph.
Below the address was a date.
Six years ago.
And beneath that, a single sentence.
*If anything happens to me, take her there.**
I felt the room spin.
"Take Lily where?"
Mercer looked at me.
"Your house."
Nobody spoke.
Then Tyler whispered, "Why?"
Mercer shook his head.
"I don't know."
The door opened.
Captain Reyes stepped inside.
A nurse followed him.
"We have someone downstairs."
"Who?"
"Lily."
My heart jumped.
"She's here?"
Reyes nodded.
"She's refusing to leave the vehicle."
Tyler looked at me.
"Tell her I'm here."
Reyes hesitated.
"She asked for you."
I stared at him.
"For Tyler?"
"Yes."
Tyler's expression changed.
"Bring her."
Mercer moved toward the door.
"Wait."
He looked at me.
"Before she comes in, I need to tell you something."
"What?"
"Claire Dalton may not be Lily's mother."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Her name appears on some records, but not all."
"Then who is?"
"We don't know."
"Why?"
"Because someone altered the records."
Reyes frowned.
"How?"
"Dates changed. Names crossed out. Addresses removed."
"Who did it?"
"We're still determining that."
Tyler looked toward the door.
"Bring Lily."
The nurse left.
A few minutes later, the door opened again.
A small girl stood beside a social worker.
She was perhaps eight or nine years old.
Her hair was dark.
Her face was pale.
She held a worn stuffed rabbit against her chest.
The moment she saw Tyler, she stopped.
Tyler smiled gently.
"Hi."
Lily stared at him.
"You came back."
"I told you I would."
She looked at me.
Her eyes widened.
Then she whispered my name.
"Amanda."
I felt my breath catch.
"You remember me?"
She nodded.
"You lived in the blue house."
I knelt beside her.
"Yes."
"You heard me."
The room went silent.
I could barely speak.
"I heard someone crying."
"You heard me."
"Why were you there?"
She hugged the rabbit tighter.
"Mom told me to hide."
"Why?"
"Because he was coming."
"Who?"
She looked at Mercer.
Then Reyes.
Then Tyler.
Finally, she looked at me.
"The man who started the fire."
My heart pounded.
"Who was he?"
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"He wasn't trying to hurt me."
"Then what was he trying to do?"
She whispered the answer.
"He was trying to burn the evidence."
Mercer went still.
"What evidence?"
Lily looked at me.
"The letter."
My skin went cold.
"What letter?"
"The one your husband found."
Tyler frowned.
"I never found a letter."
Lily shook her head.
"Not that one."
She reached into the pocket of her coat.
She pulled out a small, burned envelope.
My name was written across the front.
Amanda.
My hands began shaking.
"Where did you get that?"
Lily held it toward me.
"Mom gave it to me."
"Where is your mother?"
She looked down.
"I don't know."
"Is she alive?"
Lily hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"She told me to wait for the firefighter."
Tyler stared at her.
"Which firefighter?"
Lily looked directly at him.
"You."
The room seemed to stop breathing.
She continued.
"She said you were the only one who would believe me."
I looked at the envelope.
The handwriting was the same handwriting I remembered from six years ago.
The missing letter.
The one I had thought was gone forever.
I carefully opened it.
Inside was a single page.
I read the first line.
*Amanda, if you are reading this, then Frank failed to keep us safe.**
Mercer stepped closer.
I continued.
*The child is not the danger. She is the witness.**
Tyler looked at Lily.
I read the next line.
*Someone inside the department has been protecting the man who wants her dead.**
Reyes went completely still.
Mercer looked at him.
Then I read the final sentence.
*And if Tyler ever enters the warehouse, do not let him trust the captain.**
The room went silent.
Every eye turned toward Captain Reyes.
He didn't move.
Tyler stared at him.
"Captain?"
Reyes looked at the letter.
His face was unreadable.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
The name displayed there was one none of us expected to see.
Claire Dalton.
Reyes answered.
Nobody spoke.
A woman's voice came through the phone.
Faint.
Shaking.
But unmistakably alive.
"Captain Reyes," she said, "if Amanda has the letter, you have to get her out of there."
Reyes's face changed.
"Claire?"
A pause.
Then Claire whispered:
"He's already inside."
The call ended.
Click here to continue reading: PART 13: He’s Already Inside
I Arrived With Balloons and Cake, Expecting My Husband to Laugh—Instead His Entire Crew Went Silent When They Saw Me
Part 12 of 40
