Chapter 2: The Secret Lily Tried to Tell Me
I didn't sleep that night.
I sat in the living room with my phone in my hand, reading Mrs. Collins's message until the words blurred.
Someone had been using my phone.
Someone had been sending messages to my daughter.
I thought about the screenshot Officer Brooks had shown me.
DON'T CALL ME AGAIN.
Then I thought about the fifty-one missed calls from Danielle.
The school nurse.
The hospital.
The messages I'd ignored.
At 6:12 a.m., I finally called Mrs. Collins.
She answered on the second ring.
“Mr. Reed?””
“It's Marcus. I got your message.””
There was a pause.
“I'm glad you called.””
“Please tell me what Lily said.””
“I'd rather speak with you in person.””
“Why?””
“Because I don't think this is something we should discuss over the phone.””
I looked toward the staircase.
“Can I come to the school?””
“Yes. I'll be here at seven-thirty.””
“Thank you.””
“Mr. Reed?””
“Yes?””
Her voice softened.
“I'm very sorry about Lily.””
I closed my eyes.
“Thank you.””
“And there's something else. Please don't bring anyone with you.””
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Why would she say that?
I showered, changed clothes, and walked into the kitchen.
Danielle was already there.
She wore the same cardigan from yesterday. Her hair was tied back, and a cup of coffee sat untouched beside her.
She didn't look at me.
“Where are you going?”” she asked.
“To Lily's school.””
Her hand stopped above the cup.
“Why?””
“Her teacher contacted me.””
Danielle slowly looked up.
“What did she say?””
“She said Lily told her someone had been using my phone to send her messages.””
For the first time, Danielle looked genuinely surprised.
“What?””
“I don't know yet.””
She stood up.
“I want to come.””
“Mrs. Collins specifically asked me to come alone.””
Danielle's expression changed.
“Why would she do that?””
“I don't know.””
“Marcus, this involves our daughter.””
“I understand.””
“No, you don't.””
She placed both hands on the counter.
“If someone was frightening Lily, I need to know.””
“I'll tell you everything.””
Danielle studied my face.
Then she picked up her phone.
“I'm calling Officer Brooks.””
I nodded.
“That's probably a good idea.””
She looked almost disappointed that I didn't argue.
Before I left, I stopped beside the refrigerator.
Lily's drawing was still there.
The three stick figures stood beneath the crooked yellow sun.
A purple heart floated above the little girl's head.
I touched the corner of the paper.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart,” I whispered.
Danielle heard me.
She turned away.
The school smelled of floor cleaner, crayons, and freshly sharpened pencils.
It was a smell I'd always associated with ordinary childhood.
Now every classroom door seemed like a reminder of something I'd never get back.
Mrs. Collins was waiting outside her classroom.
She was in her late thirties, with brown hair tied in a loose ponytail and a stack of exercise books pressed against her chest.
When she saw me, she put the books down.
“Mr. Reed.””
“Please. Call me Marcus.””
She nodded.
“Come inside.””
The classroom was empty.
Lily's desk stood in the second row, beside the window.
A small paper butterfly was taped to the corner.
Her name was written across the top in pink marker.
I stopped walking.
Mrs. Collins followed my gaze.
“She made that last week.””
I swallowed.
“Can I sit?””
“Of course.””
I lowered myself into a tiny chair.
My knees nearly reached my chest.
Mrs. Collins sat opposite me.
“I want to show you something.””
She opened a drawer and removed a small notebook.
It had a purple cover decorated with silver stars.
“Lily kept this in her desk. She used it to write little stories and draw pictures.””
I stared at it.
“Did she write about the messages?””
Mrs. Collins nodded.
“She showed me something on Friday morning.””
She opened the notebook.
On one page, Lily had drawn a phone.
Beside it was a picture of a little girl with tears running down her cheeks.
Underneath, in uneven handwriting, she'd written:
*DADDY SAYS I SHOULD STOP CALLING.*
My throat tightened.
Mrs. Collins turned another page.
There were several short sentences.
*Daddy said he is busy.*
*Daddy said not to tell Mommy.*
*Daddy said he will be mad if I tell.*
I stared at the words.
“I never said any of that.””
“I believe you,” Mrs. Collins said.
I looked up.
“Did she tell you who sent them?””
Mrs. Collins hesitated.
“She said the messages came from your number. But she didn't think you had written them.””
My heartbeat quickened.
“What exactly did she say?””
“She told me, 'My daddy doesn't talk like that.''”
I looked down.
There was another drawing.
This one showed a little girl standing beside a woman.
A third figure stood in the doorway.
The figure had long hair and a handbag.
Above it, Lily had drawn a red X.
“Who is that?”” I asked.
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“I don't know. When I asked, Lily said it was someone who sometimes visited her house.””
I felt my stomach turn.
“Did she give you a name?””
“No.””
“Did she say this person sent the messages?””
“She said the person knew how to use your phone.””
I leaned forward.
“Was she scared?””
Mrs. Collins looked down at the notebook.
“Yes.””
The answer came quietly.
“She was worried someone would get angry if she told you.””
I gripped the edge of the little desk.
“Why didn't you call me?””
“I tried.””
She opened a folder and showed me a printed call log.
There were two attempts to reach my mobile number on Friday morning.
Both had gone unanswered.
“I also emailed you.””
She turned her laptop toward me.
My inbox appeared.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: Concern Regarding Lily Reed.*
The email had been sent at 9:36 a.m.
I remembered being in a meeting that morning.
I'd seen the notification.
I'd marked it unread so I could deal with it later.
Later had never come.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered.
Mrs. Collins reached across the desk.
“I know you're grieving, Marcus. I'm not showing you this to hurt you.””
“Then why?””
“Because Lily was trying to tell someone what was happening.””
She closed the notebook.
“And I think you need to find out who she was afraid of.””
I stared at the drawing of the woman in the doorway.
Long hair.
Handbag.
Red X.
My mind immediately returned to Vanessa.
But I couldn't make the pieces fit.
Vanessa had visited our house only a handful of times.
She had never been alone with Lily.
At least, not that I knew.
“Did you report this to the police?”” I asked.
“I called the school safeguarding coordinator. She contacted the authorities after learning Lily had died.””
I nodded slowly.
“Do you have copies of these pages?””
“I made copies yesterday.””
She handed me an envelope.
“Please give them to Officer Brooks.””
I took it.
Then Mrs. Collins said something that made my blood run cold.
“There's one more thing.””
I looked up.
“On Friday morning, Lily told me she had received a voice message.””
“What voice message?””
“She said it sounded like you.””
I felt my pulse in my throat.
“What did it say?””
Mrs. Collins took a breath.
“She wouldn't repeat all of it. She only told me that the voice said you were going away and wouldn't be coming back for a while.””
I stared at her.
“Did she keep it?””
“I don't know. She said she had saved it somewhere.””
“Where?””
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“She mentioned her tablet.””
I stood so quickly that the chair scraped backward.
“Her tablet?””
“Yes. She said she wanted to show her mommy something after school.””
I pulled out my phone.
I called Danielle.
She answered immediately.
“Marcus?””
“Where is Lily's tablet?””
There was a pause.
“In her bedroom, I think.””
“Don't touch it.””
“What?””
“Don't turn it on. Don't delete anything. I'm coming home.””
“Marcus, what's happening?””
“Lily may have saved something on it.””
I heard Danielle's breathing change.
“Was it about the messages?””
“Yes.””
A long silence followed.
Then Danielle whispered, “I found something in her room yesterday.””
“What?””
“A little note.””
“What did it say?””
She began crying.
“It said, 'Mommy, please don't let her take Daddy away.''”
My fingers went numb.
“Who was she talking about, Danielle?””
“I don't know.””
“Did she write a name?””
“No.””
I closed my eyes.
“Danielle, listen to me. I think someone was using my number.””
She didn't answer.
“Someone was pretending to be me.””
Finally, she whispered, “I know.””
The words made me stop breathing.
“What do you mean, you know?””
“I found another message.””
“Where?””
“On the tablet.””
“What did it say?””
Danielle's voice dropped to almost nothing.
“It said, 'Your daddy loves me more than he loves you.''”
I gripped the phone.
“Danielle, did Lily say who sent it?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
My wife took a shaky breath.
“She said it was Vanessa.””
I drove home without turning on the radio.
Every red light felt like an accusation.
I kept thinking about Vanessa standing behind me in our doorway, holding that cream handbag.
Her pale face.
Her sudden suggestion that I hire a lawyer.
Her insistence that I call her when things calmed down.
When I reached the house, Danielle was waiting in Lily's bedroom.
The curtains were closed.
Her pink blanket was folded neatly at the foot of the bed.
A stuffed rabbit sat against the pillow.
Danielle held the tablet in both hands.
“I didn't open it,” she said.
“Good.””
I took it carefully.
The screen was dark.
I pressed the power button.
The familiar wallpaper appeared.
Lily was smiling at the camera, her missing front teeth visible.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Then a notification appeared.
*Voice message saved. Friday, 8:14 a.m.*
Danielle leaned closer.
“Play it.””
I pressed the screen.
A few seconds of static crackled through the speaker.
Then a woman's voice emerged.
Soft.
Clear.
Unmistakably familiar.
“Lily, sweetheart, you need to stop calling your daddy. He's with me now.””
Danielle covered her mouth.
The recording continued.
“And if you tell your mommy about us, you'll ruin everything.””
I stopped breathing.
Because the woman on the recording wasn't Vanessa.
May you like
It was someone whose voice I had heard every morning for eight years.
My wife.
