Chapter 5: The Girl Who Was Forgotten
The police searched my house until sunrise.
They searched every corner.
Every wall.
Every piece of furniture.
But they found no trace of Marcus.
No fingerprints.
No footprints.
No evidence he had been there.
Only the fear he left behind.
And the drawings.
Hundreds of them.
The hidden room became the center of the investigation.
Detectives photographed everything.
The scratches.
The names.
The children’s artwork.
But one thing bothered me.
There were no pictures of Leo.
Not one.
Only names I didn’t recognize.
Sophie.
Emma.
Noah.
Lily.
Children who had disappeared long before my son.
I sat in the kitchen while Officer Harris placed a folder in front of me.
“We need to talk about Marcus Reed.””
I looked at him.
“You found him?””
“No.””
The disappointment hit hard.
“But we found something else.””
He opened the folder.
Inside were missing child reports.
My stomach tightened.
“Where did you get these?””
“From old cases.””
He placed the first photo down.
A little girl.
Blonde hair.
Seven years old.
Missing for nine years.
“Sophie Miller.””
I stared at the picture.
The same name carved into the wall.
“Her family reported her missing after she disappeared from a neighborhood park.””
I swallowed.
“And Marcus?””
“His name appeared in the investigation.””
I looked up.
“What?””
Officer Harris nodded.
“He was questioned.””
“Why wasn’t he arrested?””
“Because there wasn’t enough evidence.””
I stood up.
“This man has been doing this for years.””
“We believe he may have been.””
I slammed my hand on the table.
“My son was buried under my sister’s house.””
“I know.””
“He was alive.””
“I know.””
“He could have died there.””
Officer Harris didn’t answer.
Because there was nothing to say.
A knock came at the door.
Both of us turned.
An officer stepped inside.
“Sir, we found something outside.””
We followed him into the backyard.
Near the fence was a small wooden box.
My heart sank.
“Where did that come from?””
The officer shook his head.
“We don’t know.””
Inside the box was a phone.
An old one.
The screen was cracked.
Officer Harris picked it up carefully.
“It’s locked.””
Then the phone rang.
Everyone froze.
The screen showed one word.
*DANIEL.*
My entire body went cold.
Officer Harris answered on speaker.
“Hello?””
Silence.
Then a man laughed softly.
A familiar laugh.
“Daniel.””
My fists clenched.
“Marcus.””
“Good.””
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“You finally figured it out.””
“Where are you?””
He laughed again.
“Still asking the wrong questions.””
I stepped closer.
“Where is my son?””
“He was never the real problem.””
My anger exploded.
“You kidnapped my child!””
“No.””
The word came softly.
“I protected him.””
I stared at the phone.
“You locked him underground.””
“I saved him from what was coming.””
“What are you talking about?””
Silence.
Then:
“Ask your sister what happened the night Leo disappeared.””
I looked toward the house.
Elena.
My jaw tightened.
“You’re lying.””
“Am I?””
The call crackled.
Then Marcus said something that made my blood freeze.
“Daniel, you still think Elena was hiding Leo from me.””
A pause.
“You have no idea what she was hiding him from.””
The call ended.
I stood there, frozen.
Officer Harris took the phone.
“We can trace it.””
But I barely heard him.
Because a memory suddenly returned.
The night Leo disappeared.
Something I had forgotten.
Something I had buried.
Elena had called me that night.
Not after Leo vanished.
Before.
Twenty minutes before.
I had ignored it.
Because I was angry.
We had argued earlier that week.
About the company.
About money.
About Marcus.
I had thought she was calling to complain.
So I didn’t answer.
I never listened to the voicemail.
My hands shook as I pulled out my old phone.
I still had it.
Hundreds of old messages.
Including the voicemail.
I pressed play.
Static filled the air.
Then Elena’s voice.
Terrified.
“Daniel, please answer.””
A pause.
Her breathing was uneven.
“I know you’re angry, but you need to listen.””
Another pause.
Then:
“Marcus knows about Leo.””
My blood turned cold.
The recording continued.
“He knows where he is.””
A sound in the background.
A door opening.
Elena gasped.
Then whispered:
“Oh my God…”
The voicemail ended.
Everyone was silent.
Officer Harris looked at me.
“You never heard this?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
The house suddenly felt different.
Because for fourteen months, I had believed one story.
My sister was the villain.
Marcus was the missing piece.
But now I wasn’t sure anymore.
Elena had hidden Leo.
But maybe she had hidden him from something worse.
I walked inside.
Elena was sitting at the kitchen table under police supervision.
She looked up when she saw my face.
“You heard it.””
I stopped.
“How did you know?””
She looked down.
“Because I knew someday you would.””
I stared at her.
“Tell me everything.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I can’t.””
“Why?””
She looked toward Maya.
Then toward the window.
And whispered:
“Because Marcus isn’t the only person who knows what happened.””
A knock came from the front door.
Everyone turned.
An officer opened it.
A woman stood outside.
She was holding a photograph.
Her face was pale.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“But I think you’re looking for my daughter.””
She handed me the photograph.
A little girl.
The same girl from the phone.
The same name carved into the wall.
Sophie.
The woman’s voice trembled.
“My daughter disappeared nine years ago.””
She looked at Elena.
“And she told me the person who took her was your brother.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Elena.
“My brother?””
She closed her eyes.
May you like
And whispered:
“I never told you about him.””
