Chapter 8: The Evidence Buried in the Past
I didn’t sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Claire’s face on that video.
I heard her warning.
I heard her asking me to protect Ethan.
And now I wondered if I had spent years protecting my son from the wrong things.
Monsters don’t always look dangerous.
Sometimes they bring flowers to funerals.
Sometimes they sit beside you when you cry.
Sometimes they call themselves friends.
The next morning, I returned to Rebecca’s office.
She immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What happened?””
I placed my phone on her desk.
“Victoria talked.””
Rebecca watched the recording.
Her expression changed slowly.
When it ended, she remained silent.
“Say something.””
She folded her hands.
“Daniel, we need to investigate Claire’s death.””
I looked away.
Those words hurt.
Because they made the impossible feel possible.
“Where do we start?””
“Hospital records. Police reports. Insurance documents.””
“I already have those.””
Rebecca looked at me.
“Not all of them.””
That afternoon, she found something.
Something buried.
Something nobody had looked at closely because everyone assumed there was no mystery.
“There was another vehicle involved.””
I stared at the report.
“What?””
“The accident report mentions a witness.””
“Why didn’t I know?””
“Because the witness statement was removed from the main file.””
My heart started pounding.
“Removed?””
“Yes.””
“Who removed it?””
Rebecca looked at the document.
Then she answered:
“Thomas Reed.””
The betrayal felt endless.
Everyone connected.
Everyone hiding something.
“Where is the witness?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“I’m finding out.””
Two days later, she called.
“I found him.””
My entire body tensed.
“Who?””
“His name is Robert Kane.””
“Where is he?””
“Living outside the city.””
I drove there immediately.
Robert opened the door slowly.
An older man.
Tired eyes.
A face that looked like it had carried too many secrets.
“Are you Daniel Hayes?””
“Yes.””
He stared at me.
“I wondered when you’d come.””
My heart dropped.
“You knew who I was?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t you contact me?””
His expression changed.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of who?””
He looked behind him before answering.
“Mark Lawson.””
I stepped inside.
“Tell me what happened.””
Robert sat down.
“That night, I saw your wife’s car.””
“Claire?””
He nodded.
“She wasn’t alone.””
My breathing stopped.
“What do you mean?””
“There was another vehicle.””
“Whose?””
He hesitated.
Then:
“Mark’s.””
I closed my eyes.
“What happened?””
“They were arguing.””
“About what?””
“I couldn’t hear everything.””
“Try.””
Robert looked down.
“But I heard one thing.””
“What?””
“He said, ‘You should have stayed out of this.’”
The room became silent.
I felt sick.
“What happened next?””
“Your wife drove away.””
“And Mark?””
“He followed her.””
My hands curled into fists.
“Why didn’t you tell the police?””
“I did.””
“And?””
“Someone changed my statement.””
“Who?””
Robert looked at me.
“Thomas.””
I wasn’t surprised anymore.
Just exhausted.
But then Robert said something that made me stop.
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
He walked to a cabinet.
Pulled out an old envelope.
“I kept this.””
Inside was a photograph.
Claire.
Standing beside someone.
Someone I didn’t recognize.
“Who is that?””
Robert shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
The stranger in the picture was holding a folder.
And Claire looked terrified.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the scene.””
I looked closer.
On the folder was a symbol.
A company logo.
One I recognized.
Because it belonged to my father’s old business.
Rebecca examined the photo later that evening.
Then she said:
“Daniel…”
“What?””
“This logo disappeared twenty years ago.””
“Why?””
“Because the company was shut down after a scandal.””
“What scandal?””
She looked at me.
“Fraud.””
I stared.
“My father?””
“Possibly.””
The room became quiet.
Because suddenly this wasn’t just about Victoria.
Or Mark.
Or Claire.
It was about my family.
A secret older than any of us.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
“Stop searching.””
My blood ran cold.
“Who is this?””
“You already lost your wife.””
Silence.
“Don’t make your son the next victim.””
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
Rebecca stood immediately.
“Daniel.””
I looked at her.
“They know.””
And then I saw something outside the window.
May you like
A black car parked across the street.
Watching us.
