Chapter 7: The Enemy Who Knew The Truth
I stared at Mark’s message until the words stopped looking real.
*If you want your daughter to be safe, you need to find me before Rachel does.*
It was impossible to know what scared me more.
The fact that Mark was involved.
Or the possibility that he was telling the truth.
For months, I had believed the story was simple.
Rachel was the person who hurt Emma.
Mark was the person helping her.
But now everything had shifted.
And the worst part was that I didn’t know who was lying anymore.
“David?””
I looked up.
Officer Miller was watching me carefully.
“What did he say?””
I handed him my phone.
He read the message.
Then he looked at me.
“Did you know where Mark is?””
“No.””
“Has he contacted you before today?””
I hesitated.
“No.””
That was the truth.
But there was something I didn’t tell him.
A feeling.
A strange one.
Because when I looked at the photographs Mark had taken, I didn’t only see cruelty.
I saw someone documenting something.
Someone collecting proof.
That didn’t excuse what happened.
It didn’t change the fact that my daughter had suffered.
But it meant there was another piece missing.
And I needed to find it.
“Officer,” I said, “what if Mark was keeping those pictures because he knew something was wrong?””
Officer Miller didn’t answer immediately.
“That’s possible.””
“So we find him.””
“We will.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“I mean I need to find him.””
The officer’s expression hardened.
“That’s not a good idea.””
“He knows what happened.””
“He may also be involved.””
“I know.””
I looked toward Emma.
She was asleep now.
Exhausted.
Her small body curled around her stuffed rabbit.
After everything she had been through, she still looked like the same little girl who used to ask me to read the same bedtime story every night.
A child.
Not a witness.
Not evidence.
My daughter.
“I need answers,” I whispered.
Officer Miller followed my eyes.
“You’ll get them.””
“But how long?””
He didn’t answer.
Because we both knew.
Investigations took time.
And time was something I no longer trusted.
Not after learning how long Emma had been silent.
A few minutes later, one of the officers returned.
“We found something.””
Officer Miller turned.
“What?””
The officer held up a small envelope.
“Inside the container under the doghouse.””
“I thought we checked everything.””
“This was hidden beneath the false bottom.””
My stomach tightened.
“False bottom?””
He nodded.
“The container had a hidden compartment.””
He handed it over.
Inside was a small flash drive.
I looked at it.
“What’s on it?””
“We don’t know yet.””
Officer Miller studied it.
“But considering where it was hidden, it may be important.””
I stared at the tiny device.
A piece of plastic.
Something so small.
Yet it might explain why my family had been destroyed.
The officers took it for evidence.
While they worked, I sat beside Emma.
I didn’t sleep.
I couldn’t.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her inside that doghouse.
Every time I heard a noise, I wondered if someone was outside.
Around 2 a.m., my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered immediately.
“Mark?””
A pause.
Then:
“You found the drive.””
My entire body went tense.
“How do you know?””
“Because I hid it.””
I stood up.
“Where are you?””
“That doesn’t matter.””
“It matters to me.””
“David…”
His voice sounded different.
Tired.
Not confident like before.
“I made mistakes.””
I stayed silent.
“But what Rachel did…”
He stopped.
“Tell me.””
Another pause.
Then he said:
“She was never supposed to hurt Emma.””
My blood ran cold.
“What does that mean?””
“I mean the plan wasn’t supposed to involve your daughter.””
“Plan?””
I felt anger rising.
“What plan?””
Mark didn’t answer.
“Where are you?””
“Listen to me.””
His voice became urgent.
“Rachel is going to try to make this look like I forced her.””
I frowned.
“Didn’t you?””
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
“I was helping her hide money.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“So you admit it.””
“Yes.””
The honesty surprised me.
“I made a terrible choice.””
“Why?””
“Because she was my sister.””
There was pain in his voice.
“I thought I was protecting family.””
I looked toward Emma.
“And my daughter?””
Silence.
Then:
“I didn’t know what she was doing to Emma until it was too late.””
I closed my eyes.
Too late.
Everyone had an excuse.
Everyone had a reason.
But Emma was the one who paid for it.
“You took pictures.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I realized Rachel was changing.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“At first, she only wanted money.””
The words hit me.
“She was stealing?””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Almost a year.””
I looked at the wall.
A year.
The same amount of time Emma had been suffering.
“She told me she needed help because she was trapped.””
“Trapped?””
“She owed people money.””
“Who?””
Mark became quiet.
“David, you need to understand something.””
“What?””
“Rachel wasn’t scared of the police.””
My heart started beating faster.
“She was scared of someone else.””
“Who?””
Before he answered, I heard a sound.
A door opening.
Then Mark whispered:
“She’s here.””
The call went silent.
“Mark?””
Nothing.
“Mark!””
I looked at the screen.
Disconnected.
My hands were shaking.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
I went to the window.
Outside, the street was empty.
But I had a feeling.
Someone was watching.
Officer Miller noticed.
“What happened?””
I turned.
“Mark said someone found him.””
“Who?””
“He didn’t say.””
The officer immediately moved.
“Stay here.””
But before he reached the door, my phone buzzed.
A message.
From Mark.
Only this time, it wasn’t text.
It was a video.
I opened it.
The screen showed a dark room.
Mark was sitting in a chair.
His face was bruised.
His breathing was heavy.
And behind him…
I saw her.
Rachel.
Standing in the doorway.
My wife looked directly into the camera.
Then she smiled.
Not the smile I knew.
Not the smile she used when she kissed Emma goodnight.
A cold smile.
A smile from someone who knew she had been caught.
Mark looked into the camera and whispered:
“David… don’t trust her.””
The video shook.
Rachel stepped closer.
And before the recording ended, I heard her say:
“You should have stayed out of this.””
The screen went black.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Officer Miller spoke.
“David.””
I looked at him.
“We need to find your wife.””
But before anyone could move, another officer ran inside.
“Officer Miller.””
Everyone turned.
The officer looked at me.
“Sir…”
His face was pale.
“We checked the house cameras.””
My stomach dropped.
“What cameras?””
“The security system.””
I frowned.
“We don’t have cameras.””
The officer looked confused.
“That’s the problem.””
He held up a tablet.
“Someone installed hidden cameras inside your home.””
My blood ran cold.
“Where?””
The officer looked toward Emma’s bedroom.
“One was found facing your daughter’s room.””
I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Because suddenly, the photographs, the notebook, and the hidden cameras all connected.
Someone had not just been watching Emma.
May you like
Someone had been watching my entire family.
And whoever it was had been planning this for a very long time.
