Chapter 7: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
I read the note three times before I could make sense of the words.
Stop looking, Daniel.
Or Maya disappears next.
My daughter clung to my waist, her face buried against my jacket. I could feel her trembling.
I folded the note carefully and handed it to Detective Harris, who had arrived at the school moments after me.
“That's a threat against a child,” I said.
“I want Richard arrested.””
Harris examined the paper.
“We'll forward this to the threats unit and coordinate with the investigators handling Alicia's disappearance. The vehicle registration is useful, but we need to establish who was driving and whether Richard authorized the attempt.””
“Who else would it be?””
“Someone using his vehicle. We can't assume more than the evidence supports.””
I hated that answer.
But I knew he was right.
Maya lifted her head.
“Daddy, are we going to leave again?””
I knelt in front of her.
“No, sweetheart. We're going somewhere safe.””
“Will Mommy be there?””
The question landed like a blow.
I brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek.
“I don't know yet. But I'm going to keep looking.””
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then she asked, “What if the bad people find us?””
I pulled her into my arms.
“Then they'll have to get through a lot of people before they ever reach you.””
For the first time since the wedding, I felt the full weight of my responsibility. I couldn't afford to chase every lead blindly. I couldn't risk Maya's safety because I wanted answers.
Detective Harris arranged for officers to accompany us to a protected location while the school provided copies of its security footage.
Before we left, the principal showed us the recording.
A woman wearing a dark coat had approached the reception desk at 11:02 a.m. She carried a folder and spoke confidently, showing the receptionist something that looked like an identification card.
When the receptionist refused to release Maya, the woman leaned forward and said something.
The receptionist immediately called the principal.
The woman left less than a minute later.
Her face was visible when she turned toward the exit.
I recognized her.
Not from the wedding.
Not from my company.
From the photograph taken outside the storage unit.
“Evelyn Shaw,” I said.
Detective Harris nodded grimly.
“That's our current identification.””
“Why would she threaten my daughter?””
“We don't know whether she wrote that note. We need to find her.””
I stared at the screen.
Alicia had specifically instructed me to find Evelyn.
Now Evelyn had appeared at Maya's school using a vehicle registered to Richard.
Something was terribly wrong.
That afternoon, Detective Harris took me to a secure office where an investigator specializing in financial crimes had joined the case.
Her name was Agent Collins.
She laid several photographs across the table.
“Evelyn Shaw worked as a forensic accountant,” she explained.
“She investigated suspicious transactions involving companies connected to Richard Mercer. Three years ago, she abruptly resigned from her position after an internal dispute.””
“Was she involved in the fraud?””
“We believe she discovered it.””
Agent Collins pointed to a photograph of a younger Evelyn standing beside several colleagues at a conference.
“She had access to financial records that could have exposed a network of fraudulent accounts. Some of those accounts appear to have been opened using stolen identities.””
Mine.
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Did she work with Alicia?””
“We've found evidence that they communicated. We don't yet know how closely they were connected.””
“What happened after Alicia disappeared?””
“Evelyn stopped using her known bank accounts. Her phone was disconnected. She left her apartment and never returned to her previous employer.””
“So she disappeared too.””
“Essentially.””
I looked at the school footage again.
“Then why did she show up now?””
Agent Collins exchanged a glance with Detective Harris.
“That's what we're trying to determine.””
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
You found the account. Good.
A second message followed.
Now ask yourself why Alicia never came home.
I showed the screen to the investigators.
Agent Collins immediately asked whether the number had contacted me before.
I told her about the earlier messages, including the one claiming the recording was about what I'd done.
She photographed the screen.
“Don't respond,” she said.
“We'll see whether the number can be traced.””
But a third message appeared before she finished speaking.
You think Richard is the monster? Ask your sister what she saw the night Alicia left.
I felt the room shift.
Emily.
I called her immediately.
She answered on the first ring.
“Daniel? What's wrong?””
“Where were you the night Alicia disappeared?””
Silence.
Then she said, “Why are you asking me that?””
“Just answer.””
“I was home.””
“Did you see Alicia that night?””
A long pause.
“Daniel, not over the phone.””
My heart began pounding.
“Emily, what do you know?””
“I need to see you.””
“Where?””
“Your house. Alone.””
I looked at Agent Collins.
She shook her head and mouthed, Don't go.
I told Emily we'd meet at the secure location instead.
She agreed reluctantly.
Forty minutes later, Emily entered the room looking pale and exhausted.
She glanced at Detective Harris and Agent Collins.
“I thought you said we would be alone,” she whispered.
“I can't keep doing this without help,” I replied.
“If you know something about Alicia, I need you to tell me.””
Emily sat down.
For a long time, she stared at her hands.
Then she spoke.
“The night Alicia disappeared, she came to my apartment.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“You told the police she never came to see you.””
“I know.””
“Why did you lie?””
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
“Because she asked me to.””
I stood.
“She was alive after she left our house?””
“Yes.””
The word echoed through the room.
“How long after?””
“About forty minutes. She arrived shortly after ten.””
I remembered the recording. The argument. The car door. Richard's voice.
“Was she alone?””
“No. She was terrified. She kept checking the windows, and she wouldn't sit with her back to the door.””
“What did she tell you?””
Emily wiped her cheeks.
“She said Richard had used your company to move money. She said he'd opened accounts in your name and was preparing to make you look responsible for everything.””
I sat down slowly.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because she said if you knew what she'd found, Richard would know she had told you. She believed he was monitoring your calls.””
“Did she tell you where she was going?””
“She said she had someone helping her. Someone who could get the documents to the authorities.””
“Evelyn.””
Emily nodded.
“I didn't know her name at the time. Alicia just said she had to meet a woman who could prove everything.””
“And then?””
Emily looked at me with an expression I'd never seen before.
“Then she asked me to promise that if anything happened to her, I'd take care of Maya.””
My throat closed.
“Emily…”
“I thought she was being paranoid. I told her to come home with me, to call the police, to let me help her. But she said there was one thing she had to do first.””
“What?””
“She wanted to make sure you weren't implicated in Richard's crimes.””
I covered my mouth.
All those years, I'd believed Alicia had abandoned us.
And Emily had been carrying the knowledge that she'd been alive after leaving our house.
“Did you ever see her again?””
Emily shook her head.
“No. She called me two days later from a blocked number. She said she was safe, but she couldn't come home. She told me not to look for her.””
“Did she say where she was?””
“No.””
“Did you tell anyone about the call?””
“No.””
I looked at Detective Harris.
He had been taking notes, his expression unreadable.
“Emily,” I said, “did you know Richard was involved?””
“Not then.””
“Did you know Vanessa was helping him?””
“No. I swear.””
I wanted to believe her.
But every person I'd trusted seemed to have kept a piece of the truth from me.
Before I could ask another question, Agent Collins's phone rang.
She listened, then stood abruptly.
“We've located Evelyn Shaw's current vehicle.””
“Where?”” I asked.
“An abandoned roadside motel outside town.””
My stomach dropped.
“The same motel from Alicia's photograph?””
“Yes.””
Detective Harris grabbed his coat.
“We're going now.””
Agent Collins turned to me.
“You're staying here with your daughter.””
“No.””
“Mr. Mercer—”
“That motel may be the last place Alicia was seen alive. If there's something inside that connects her to the recording, I may recognize it.””
“We cannot put you in the middle of an active search.””
I clenched my fists.
Then Emily touched my arm.
“Daniel, let them do their jobs. Maya needs you here.””
She was right.
Again.
I watched the investigators leave, then returned to the room where Maya was waiting with a social worker.
She ran toward me.
“Daddy, did you find Mommy?””
I knelt and held her close.
“Not yet, baby.””
She looked toward the door.
“Then why does everyone keep saying her name?””
I had no answer.
At 6:17 p.m., Detective Harris called.
They had found Evelyn's car at the motel.
The driver's door was open.
The keys were still inside.
And on the passenger seat lay a photograph of Alicia holding a newborn Maya.
On the back, in fresh black ink, were six words.
She is alive. Stop looking.
May you like
Then Detective Harris said something that made my blood run cold.
“Daniel, we've also found a room registered under your name.””
