Knock.
\nKnock.
\nKnock.
\nI couldn’t breathe.
\nLauren’s voice came through the door again.
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nI looked at Daniel.
\nHe was standing completely still.
\nHis face had lost all color.
\n\u201cHow?\u201d I whispered.
\nHe didn’t answer.
\n\u201cHow is she here?\u201d
\n\u201cI don’t know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe was arrested.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cShe was supposed to be in prison.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nAnother knock.
\nThis time softer.
\n\u201cPlease open the door.\u201d
\nI took one step toward the entrance.
\nDaniel grabbed my wrist.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThat’s my sister.\u201d
\n\u201cIt’s not safe.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat if she needs help?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if that’s exactly what they want you to think?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
Then I heard something from upstairs.<\/p>\n
A small movement.<\/p>\n
A door opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe.<\/p>\n
I immediately turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay upstairs!\u201d<\/p>\n
She appeared at the top of the staircase anyway, clutching the railing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo back to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs someone here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ran upstairs.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
Chloe’s eyes were wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cAunt Lauren?\u201d<\/p>\n
She had heard the voice.<\/p>\n
I knelt beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, go into your room and lock the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in my voice finally convinced her.<\/p>\n
She disappeared inside.<\/p>\n
Daniel closed her door.<\/p>\n
Then he turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached for my phone.<\/p>\n
Before I could dial, it rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I answered without speaking.<\/p>\n
A man’s voice said:<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t open the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew this was going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he say you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that!\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice echoed through the hallway.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then something slid underneath the front door.<\/p>\n
A white envelope.<\/p>\n
Daniel and I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
Finally, Daniel approached.<\/p>\n
He crouched down and picked it up.<\/p>\n
There was no name on it.<\/p>\n
No address.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Inside was a single photograph.<\/p>\n
Lauren.<\/p>\n
Standing in front of a building.<\/p>\n
She looked thinner than I remembered.<\/p>\n
Her hair was shorter.<\/p>\n
Her face was bruised.<\/p>\n
And behind her was a sign:<\/p>\n
RIVERSIDE WOMEN’S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cShe really was in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen who is outside?\u201d<\/p>\n Neither of us knew.<\/p>\n Another paper fell from the envelope.<\/p>\n This time, there were only two lines.<\/p>\n SHE DIDN’T ESCAPE.<\/strong><\/p>\n SHE WAS RELEASED.<\/strong><\/p>\n My heart pounded.<\/p>\n \u201cReleased?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel picked up his phone.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ll call the police.\u201d<\/p>\n But before he could, the knocking stopped.<\/p>\n The silence that followed was worse.<\/p>\n Daniel opened the security camera app.<\/p>\n The front porch was empty.<\/p>\n \u201cShe’s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n I moved closer.<\/p>\n \u201cCheck the driveway.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe street.\u201d<\/p>\n Empty.<\/p>\n \u201cBackyard.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n Then Daniel stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n He zoomed in.<\/p>\n There was a shadow near the side gate.<\/p>\n Someone was standing there.<\/p>\n The image was blurry.<\/p>\n But the person wasn’t moving.<\/p>\n Daniel called the police.<\/p>\n Within minutes, patrol cars arrived.<\/p>\n Officers searched the property.<\/p>\n They found nobody.<\/p>\n But one officer discovered something near the side gate.<\/p>\n A small black device.<\/p>\n He picked it up carefully.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cA tracker.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cA tracker?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas it on our property?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was attached to the fence.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer looked at us.<\/p>\n \u201cHas anyone had access to your home recently?\u201d<\/p>\n I thought about Lauren.<\/p>\n Then about the unknown man.<\/p>\n Then about the messages.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n My voice shook.<\/p>\n \u201cMy sister.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer asked:<\/p>\n \u201cIs she supposed to be incarcerated?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n He exchanged a look with his partner.<\/p>\n \u201cThen you need to come with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe found something else.\u201d<\/p>\n He led us toward the backyard.<\/p>\n Near the garage was a patch of disturbed soil.<\/p>\n Someone had dug there.<\/p>\n Not recently.<\/p>\n But recently enough.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n The officer crouched.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s what we’re trying to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n He brushed away some dirt.<\/p>\n A corner of a plastic container appeared.<\/p>\n Daniel stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI buried something there.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer turned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou buried something?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel’s face went pale.<\/p>\n \u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you bury?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cEvidence.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer immediately ordered everyone away.<\/p>\n They brought in a forensic team.<\/p>\n We waited inside while they excavated.<\/p>\n Chloe remained upstairs.<\/p>\n She kept asking if she could come down.<\/p>\n I told her everything was okay.<\/p>\n It wasn’t.<\/p>\n Nothing was okay anymore.<\/p>\n After nearly an hour, an investigator entered the house carrying a sealed evidence bag.<\/p>\n Inside was an old external hard drive.<\/p>\n Daniel looked at it.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew this was here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did you bury it?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was protecting our family.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t help myself.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s what you said last time.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked down.<\/p>\n The investigator opened his notebook.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Daniel, this device may be connected to the investigation from three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe one involving your former supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n The investigator continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd potentially the attack involving your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n Then the investigator asked:<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know your sister had contact with anyone from that investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator placed another photograph on the table.<\/p>\n It was a surveillance image.<\/p>\n Lauren was sitting inside a caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n Across from her sat the man.<\/p>\n The same man Daniel had identified.<\/p>\n But there was something else.<\/p>\n Someone else was sitting at the next table.<\/p>\n I leaned closer.<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n It was my mother.<\/p>\n I stared at the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cShe appears in several photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother was out of state when Lauren attacked us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen why was she meeting him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n I picked up the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen were these taken?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree months before the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt dizzy.<\/p>\n \u201cThree months?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n My hands were shaking.<\/p>\n \u201cDid my mother know about the laptop?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator placed another photograph on the table.<\/p>\n This one showed my mother leaving the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n Lauren and the man remained inside.<\/p>\n Then another photograph.<\/p>\n My mother handing something to Lauren.<\/p>\n A small envelope.<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n He didn’t answer.<\/p>\n The investigator did.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe your family may have been under observation long before the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen find out.\u201d<\/p>\n He nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n That night, we stayed at a hotel.<\/p>\n The police advised us not to return home until they could determine whether the house had been compromised.<\/p>\n Chloe slept between us.<\/p>\n Daniel stayed awake.<\/p>\n I knew because every time I opened my eyes, he was staring at the ceiling.<\/p>\n Around 2:00 a.m., he finally spoke.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree years ago, I wasn’t the only person who found out about the leak.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy supervisor’s assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is she now?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n I sat up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe died six months after the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCar accident.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWas it an accident?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you suspect it wasn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause she had the backup drive.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart began racing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one we found tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was a copy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was on the original?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho had it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMissing.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel, how long have you known this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree years.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t believe it.<\/p>\n \u201cYou kept all of this from me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was trying to keep you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut look where your secrets got us.\u201d<\/p>\n He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned away.<\/p>\n For several minutes, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n Then Chloe suddenly sat upright.<\/p>\n \u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n She was staring at the hotel window.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe light.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat light?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross the street.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a single apartment building opposite the hotel.<\/p>\n One window was illuminated.<\/p>\n I couldn’t see anyone inside.<\/p>\n Then the light went out.<\/p>\n Chloe whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the person from our house.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel immediately got up.<\/p>\n He pulled the curtains shut.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomewhere they can’t find us.\u201d<\/p>\n The police moved us to another location.<\/p>\n For two days, nothing happened.<\/p>\n No calls.<\/p>\n No messages.<\/p>\n No strange cars.<\/p>\n No photographs.<\/p>\n I started to believe maybe the threat had ended.<\/p>\n Then the investigator called.<\/p>\n He told us they had examined the hard drive.<\/p>\n They had recovered deleted files.<\/p>\n One folder was labeled:<\/p>\n FAMILY<\/strong><\/p>\n I felt cold.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator paused.<\/p>\n \u201cPhotographs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom when?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n The investigator continued.<\/p>\n \u201cSome were taken outside your house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are photographs of your workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Chloe’s school.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n Someone had been watching us.<\/p>\n Not for weeks.<\/p>\n Not for months.<\/p>\n For years.<\/p>\n Then the investigator said something that made my blood freeze.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are also photographs of your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n I sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPhotographs of her meeting different people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re still identifying them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he said:<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe photographs stop twelve months before the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause whoever was taking them appears to have switched to video.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n \u201cVideo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSixteen hours of footage.\u201d<\/p>\n My hands went numb.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom inside your house.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n He looked as shocked as I was.<\/p>\n \u201cInside?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator’s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n \u201cIn your daughter’s bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re reviewing it now.\u201d<\/p>\n I stood up.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes Chloe appear in it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n Daniel grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she safe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven’t finished reviewing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n The thought of someone secretly recording my daughter made me physically sick.<\/p>\n Then the investigator said:<\/p>\n \u201cThere is something you need to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe found footage from the night before the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does it show?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA person entering your home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLauren?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigator paused.<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n My mother had told me she was hundreds of miles away.<\/p>\n The investigator continued.<\/p>\n \u201cShe entered at 11:42 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c12:18 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the night before?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t understand.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn’t she tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Then the investigator said:<\/p>\n \u201cYou should ask her.\u201d<\/p>\n I immediately called my mother.<\/p>\n She answered on the second ring.<\/p>\n \u201cSweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWere you at my house the night before the attack?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n A long, terrible silence.<\/p>\n Then she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n My heart dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cListen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn’t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n Everyone kept saying the same thing.<\/p>\n Protect you.<\/p>\n Protect you.<\/p>\n Protect you.<\/p>\n But every secret had only brought us closer to danger.<\/p>\n \u201cMom,\u201d I said, \u201cwhat did you do in my house that night?\u201d<\/p>\n She began crying.<\/p>\n \u201cI went there to remove something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe drive.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat drive?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe original.\u201d<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cDaniel wasn’t supposed to know it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at my husband.<\/p>\n He was staring at me.<\/p>\n My mother continued:<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I had destroyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n She started crying harder.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know!\u201d<\/p>\n Then she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cBut I know who has it.\u201d<\/p>\n I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother hesitated.<\/p>\n Then she said a name.<\/p>\n A name I had never heard before.<\/p>\n A name Daniel recognized immediately.<\/p>\n His face turned white.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n My mother whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cYour father’s old business partner.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n He mouthed:<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n I asked:<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n My mother answered:<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he’s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n The line went silent.<\/p>\n I thought the call had dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n No answer.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n Then I heard a man’s voice on her phone.<\/p>\n Not my mother’s.<\/p>\n A man’s.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n \u201cShe shouldn’t have told you that.\u201d<\/p>\n The call ended.<\/p>\n I stood frozen.<\/p>\n Daniel grabbed my shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at him.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone else was with her.\u201d<\/p>\n His eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Then my phone received another photograph.<\/p>\n I opened it.<\/p>\n It was my mother.<\/p>\n Standing outside a house.<\/p>\n But the house wasn’t ours.<\/p>\n It was an old property I had never seen before.<\/p>\n And beside her stood a man.<\/p>\n I zoomed in.<\/p>\n My breath caught.<\/p>\n The man was older.<\/p>\n Gray hair.<\/p>\n Thin face.<\/p>\n Dark coat.<\/p>\n Daniel looked at the picture.<\/p>\n He didn’t speak.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is he?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe man my supervisor reported dead three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at the photograph.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can’t be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen how\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n My phone buzzed again.<\/p>\n A final message appeared.<\/p>\n NOW YOU KNOW WHY LAUREN WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked toward the hotel door.<\/p>\n Someone knocked.<\/p>\n Three times.<\/p>\n Knock.<\/p>\n Knock.<\/p>\n Knock.<\/p>\n Daniel pulled Chloe closer.<\/p>\n I whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n A man’s voice answered from the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cYour husband knows.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel’s eyes filled with terror.<\/p>\n Then the voice added:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n A pause.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026I’m not leaving without the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n The door handle began to turn.<\/p>\n And I realized something that made the blood drain from my face.<\/p>\n The hotel room was supposed to be secure.<\/p>\n Nobody knew where we were.<\/p>\n Except the police.<\/p>\n Except the investigator.<\/p>\n Except\u2014<\/p>\n I looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n He was staring at his phone.<\/p>\n A new message had appeared.<\/p>\n From an unknown number.<\/p>\n CHECK WHO GAVE THE POLICE YOUR LOCATION.<\/strong><\/p>\n Daniel looked up at me.<\/p>\n Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n Because suddenly, the question wasn’t whether someone was watching us.<\/p>\n The question was:<\/p>\n