{"id":6964,"date":"2026-10-16T10:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/?p=6964"},"modified":"2026-10-16T10:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:34:51","slug":"part-3-my-nine-year-old-sons-barber-leaned-toward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/?p=6964","title":{"rendered":"PART 3: \u201cMy nine-year-old son\u2019s barber leaned toward”"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART 3 \u2014 THE MAN WHO KNEW ABOUT DAVID
\n<\/span>The room seemed to shrink around me.
\n<\/span>Daniel Mercer.
\n<\/span>The name repeated inside my head while Detective Alvarez stood across from me, waiting for my reaction.
\n<\/span>I could barely hear the officers moving in the hallway anymore.
\n<\/span>All I could think about was David.
\n<\/span>My husband had been dead for three years.
\n<\/span>Three years of birthdays without him.
\n<\/span>Three Christmas mornings.
\n<\/span>Three years of Ethan asking questions about the father he could barely remember.
\n<\/span>Three years of me telling my son that his father had died in an accident.
\n<\/span>And now a man connected to that death had somehow found his way into my child\u2019s life.
\n<\/span>I looked at Detective Alvarez.
\n<\/span>\u201cWhy would he tell Ethan he knew his father?\u201d
\n<\/span>She didn’t answer immediately.
\n<\/span>Instead, she looked toward the evidence bag containing the tiny soccer-ball keychain.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cBecause whoever sent him knew your husband mattered to your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn’t answer my question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cIt doesn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n

She picked up her phone and studied the photograph again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel Mercer wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near your son’s school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why was he there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

An officer entered the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetective?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez turned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found something in the school footage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer looked at me before answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was another person with Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

He handed Alvarez a tablet.<\/p>\n

She watched the footage.<\/p>\n

Then she watched it again.<\/p>\n

Her expression became increasingly serious.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat am I looking at?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

She hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour son’s classroom corridor.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stepped closer.<\/p>\n

The footage showed a hallway inside Ethan’s school.<\/p>\n

It was grainy, recorded from above.<\/p>\n

Students moved through the corridor.<\/p>\n

Teachers walked past.<\/p>\n

Then Daniel appeared.<\/p>\n

He wasn’t alone.<\/p>\n

A second figure stood several feet behind him.<\/p>\n

The person was wearing a dark coat.<\/p>\n

Their face was partially hidden.<\/p>\n

But there was something familiar about the way they stood.<\/p>\n

I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you enlarge it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer did.<\/p>\n

The image became blurry.<\/p>\n

Still, I could see one detail.<\/p>\n

A hand.<\/p>\n

And on that hand was a silver ring with a blue stone.<\/p>\n

My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s the ring Ethan described.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen that’s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned toward her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at me carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to establish whether the person in the footage is actually Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you already showed me his photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what are you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

She lowered the tablet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m saying that Daniel Mercer may not be the man your son saw.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe footage shows someone whose height and build are consistent with Mercer, but the face isn’t clear enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Ethan identified him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe identified the photograph we showed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he could be mistaken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a frightened nine-year-old can remember details differently depending on how someone approaches him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Ethan told me about the scar before he ever saw that photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked at the officer.<\/p>\n

The officer nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat part is true.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned back to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we have two possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel Mercer is the man who approached Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr someone wanted us to believe he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

My skin went cold.<\/p>\n

Before I could answer, another officer rushed into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetective, we’ve got a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez immediately turned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMercer’s apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just detained.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m talking about his apartment. Someone got there before us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez’s face hardened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s missing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer left.<\/p>\n

I stood frozen.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone knew you were coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez didn’t deny it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s what we’re trying to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then my phone vibrated.<\/p>\n

I looked down.<\/p>\n

Unknown number.<\/p>\n

One message.<\/p>\n

STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n

Alvarez saw my expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I handed her the phone.<\/p>\n

She read the message.<\/p>\n

Her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you give anyone your number today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes anyone besides family have access to it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n

She took a photograph of the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn’t planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another message arrived.<\/p>\n

This time there was no text.<\/p>\n

Only a photograph.<\/p>\n

I opened it.<\/p>\n

And my entire body went numb.<\/p>\n

It was a picture of Ethan.<\/p>\n

Taken that morning.<\/p>\n

He was standing beside me outside the police station.<\/p>\n

Someone had photographed us from across the street.<\/p>\n

I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n

Alvarez immediately took the phone from my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere was this taken?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked through the glass toward the parking lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet everyone outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several officers moved immediately.<\/p>\n

One went toward the entrance.<\/p>\n

Another checked the parking area.<\/p>\n

A third pulled down the blinds.<\/p>\n

I grabbed Ethan and pulled him against me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

My voice shook.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay beside me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what’s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing you need to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a lie.<\/p>\n

Everything had changed.<\/p>\n

The moment that photograph arrived, I understood something terrifying.<\/p>\n

The person watching us didn’t need to enter our home.<\/p>\n

They didn’t need to confront us.<\/p>\n

They only needed us to know they could see us.<\/p>\n

And that was enough.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

That night, the police moved us to a temporary safe location.<\/p>\n

Ethan slept in the guest room.<\/p>\n

I sat in the living room with Detective Alvarez.<\/p>\n

A cup of untouched coffee sat between us.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said David was a mechanic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he ever work on police vehicles?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficially?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome local officers brought their cars to the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wrote something down.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember any of them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid David ever complain about anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

I thought for a moment.<\/p>\n

Then I remembered something.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was tall. Maybe late forties. He always wore a dark jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had a habit of tapping his fingers on the counter when he waited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid David dislike him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid was afraid of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sentence changed the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked David once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me not to worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn’t sound like your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid was never secretive with me before that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe started keeping the garage locked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he ever mention a name?\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n

Then something surfaced.<\/p>\n

A memory from a rainy evening.<\/p>\n

David had been standing beside the kitchen window.<\/p>\n

He’d been holding his phone.<\/p>\n

He looked pale.<\/p>\n

I had asked him who had called.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cNobody important.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hadn’t believed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see the screen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018If they ask about the blue ledger, I don’t have it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez stopped writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blue ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know what it meant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever see a blue ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ask him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She waited.<\/p>\n

I remembered David’s exact expression.<\/p>\n

He wasn’t laughing because something was funny.<\/p>\n

He was laughing because he was frightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me it was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez leaned back.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he keep financial records at home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly normal household bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything hidden?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour husband’s toolbox may be more important than we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one from the garage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou found something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why do you think it’s important?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the person who put the device on Ethan believed your husband left something behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt a chill move through me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked directly at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever search the toolbox after David died?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I couldn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n

She understood.<\/p>\n

I had avoided that toolbox for three years.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t just a box.<\/p>\n

It was one of the last things David had touched.<\/p>\n

Opening it felt like opening a door I wasn’t ready to walk through.<\/p>\n

But now I knew that door might contain the truth.<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

The next morning, two officers brought the toolbox into the safe house.<\/p>\n

It was battered.<\/p>\n

Scratched.<\/p>\n

Covered with years of grease.<\/p>\n

The lock was old.<\/p>\n

Alvarez placed it on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was recovered from your garage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

I recognized the dent on the corner.<\/p>\n

David had dropped it while carrying it into the garage years earlier.<\/p>\n

Alvarez called a technical officer.<\/p>\n

He examined the lock.<\/p>\n

Then the hinges.<\/p>\n

Then the bottom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere may be a false compartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at Alvarez.<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

The technician worked carefully.<\/p>\n

Minutes passed.<\/p>\n

Then there was a soft click.<\/p>\n

The lid opened.<\/p>\n

Inside were ordinary things.<\/p>\n

Wrenches.<\/p>\n

Screwdrivers.<\/p>\n

Old sockets.<\/p>\n

A flashlight.<\/p>\n

A roll of electrical tape.<\/p>\n

For one brief moment, I felt disappointed.<\/p>\n

Then the technician removed the bottom tray.<\/p>\n

He ran his fingers along the metal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s something underneath.\u201d<\/p>\n

My breathing stopped.<\/p>\n

He lifted the tray.<\/p>\n

A thin wooden panel had been installed beneath it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid did this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He carefully removed the panel.<\/p>\n

Underneath was an envelope.<\/p>\n

My name was written across the front.<\/p>\n

Not my maiden name.<\/p>\n

My married name.<\/p>\n

The handwriting was unmistakable.<\/p>\n

David.<\/p>\n

My knees nearly gave out.<\/p>\n

Alvarez caught my arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the envelope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s his handwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to open it?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

But before I could reach for it, Ethan entered the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned.<\/p>\n

He looked at the envelope.<\/p>\n

Then his face changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s Dad’s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He walked closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at the writing.<\/p>\n

Then he whispered something that made my heart stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve seen that before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat number.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed toward the corner of the envelope.<\/p>\n

There was a small handwritten marking.<\/p>\n

14-27-6.<\/p>\n

The same numbers he’d repeated.<\/p>\n

I looked at Detective Alvarez.<\/p>\n

She immediately called for the evidence team.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one touches that envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Ethan was staring at it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man told me Dad wrote those numbers for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez crouched beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he tell you where they came from?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said if I remembered them, he’d know I was Dad’s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt sick.<\/p>\n

Alvarez stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he ever tell you what the numbers meant?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Ethan frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said there was another number.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat number?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan thought hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201c14, 27, 6, and 32.\u201d<\/p>\n

I repeated them quietly.<\/p>\n

The technician suddenly looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was holding a sheet of paper he’d removed from the toolbox.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez took it.<\/p>\n

The page contained columns of numbers.<\/p>\n

Vehicle numbers.<\/p>\n

Dates.<\/p>\n

Payment amounts.<\/p>\n

And handwritten initials.<\/p>\n

She studied it.<\/p>\n

Then her face changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned the paper toward me.<\/p>\n

One line had been circled.<\/p>\n

14 \u2014 27 \u2014 6 \u2014 32.<\/p>\n

Beside it was a vehicle identification number.<\/p>\n

And beneath that was a name.<\/p>\n

I recognized the name immediately.<\/p>\n

Officer Grant.<\/p>\n

The same officer who had told me three years ago that David’s death was an accident.<\/p>\n

The same officer who had closed the case.<\/p>\n

The same officer whose name now appeared beside the numbers Ethan had been told to remember.<\/p>\n

I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n

Alvarez stared at the page.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow we know why someone wanted those numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do they mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n

Instead, she reached for her radio.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet me Grant’s personnel file.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, get me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Hours later, Detective Alvarez returned.<\/p>\n

She didn’t knock.<\/p>\n

She walked into the room carrying a thick folder.<\/p>\n

Her face told me everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething happened,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

She put the folder down.<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficer Grant resigned from the department eleven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence handling.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that’s only part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She opened the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an internal complaint involving missing evidence from several vehicle cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeven?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to the evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome was never recovered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the cases?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClosed.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike David’s?\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n

That was answer enough.<\/p>\n

Then she pulled out another document.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrant wasn’t the only officer assigned to David’s accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne was Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the other?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez slid the paper toward me.<\/p>\n

The second name belonged to someone I had never heard before.<\/p>\n

But the third name beneath it made my blood run cold.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Shaw.<\/p>\n

I remembered her.<\/p>\n

She had been the woman who called me after David died.<\/p>\n

She had sent the condolence card.<\/p>\n

She had told me the department was available if I needed anything.<\/p>\n

She had been kind.<\/p>\n

Patient.<\/p>\n

Helpful.<\/p>\n

I had trusted her.<\/p>\n

Alvarez watched my face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly from the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid she ever come to your house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid she know where you lived?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. She had my case file.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez closed the folder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Daniel Mercer’s phone contains repeated calls to a number registered to Rebecca Shaw.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re still verifying the records.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you saying no?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Rebecca helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe called me after David died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told me the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn’t answer.<\/p>\n

Because suddenly I remembered something.<\/p>\n

Three years earlier, after David’s funeral, Rebecca had stood beside me and said:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ever remember anything unusual about the week before your husband’s death, call me directly.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, I had thought she was being compassionate.<\/p>\n

Now another memory surfaced.<\/p>\n

She had asked me one strange question.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid David ever mention a blue ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n

I had forgotten.<\/p>\n

Until now.<\/p>\n

My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n

\u201cDetective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca asked me about a blue ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez went completely still.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day after the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you certain?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn’t you tell us this before?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at me.<\/p>\n

Then she reached for her phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet Rebecca Shaw’s current address.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd check every communication between her and Officer Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething tells me we’ve been looking at the wrong end of this investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

That evening, the police searched Rebecca Shaw’s former office.<\/p>\n

They found almost nothing.<\/p>\n

No blue ledger.<\/p>\n

No photographs.<\/p>\n

No files.<\/p>\n

No evidence connecting her directly to Daniel.<\/p>\n

But inside a locked desk drawer, they found a small notebook.<\/p>\n

The notebook contained names.<\/p>\n

Dates.<\/p>\n

Addresses.<\/p>\n

And beside some of the names were short notes.<\/p>\n

One entry had my name.<\/p>\n

Beside it were two words.<\/p>\n

STILL WATCHED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another entry contained Ethan’s name.<\/p>\n

Beside it:<\/p>\n

KNOWS CODE.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I stared at the photograph of the page.<\/p>\n

My hands shook.<\/p>\n

\u201cEthan never knew any code.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich means whoever wrote this believed he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause someone told them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she turned another page.<\/p>\n

There was one final entry.<\/p>\n

David Carter.<\/p>\n

Beside his name was a date.<\/p>\n

The date of his death.<\/p>\n

Underneath it were three words.<\/p>\n

MEETING CONFIRMED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n

Alvarez read the page twice.<\/p>\n

Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to talk to Rebecca immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n<\/div>\n

Rebecca Shaw was located that night.<\/p>\n

She agreed to come in.<\/p>\n

But before the interview began, something unexpected happened.<\/p>\n

An officer entered the room and whispered to Alvarez.<\/p>\n

Her face changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMercer wants to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe says he’ll only talk if the mother is present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez looked at me.<\/p>\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

She understood.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Daniel’s words echoed in my mind.<\/p>\n

He wanted to speak.<\/p>\n

About the people who had sent him.<\/p>\n

About Ethan.<\/p>\n

About David.<\/p>\n

About the secret that had followed our family for three years.<\/p>\n

I swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I should hear him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez’s expression hardened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t owe him anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I want to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stared at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n

Finally, she nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you stay beside me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n

We entered the interview room.<\/p>\n

Daniel Mercer was sitting at the table.<\/p>\n

His wrists were restrained.<\/p>\n

He looked nothing like the terrifying stranger I’d imagined.<\/p>\n

He looked ordinary.<\/p>\n

That almost made it worse.<\/p>\n

He lifted his eyes when I entered.<\/p>\n

For several seconds, he said nothing.<\/p>\n

Then he whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t know they were going to put the device on your son.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou approached him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou frightened him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou used my husband’s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they told me David left something with Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked toward Alvarez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re in no position to negotiate,\u201d Alvarez said.<\/p>\n

Daniel smiled weakly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat don’t we understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked directly at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re not afraid of the police.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart sank.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who hired me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI never met the person at the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who did you meet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez exchanged a glance with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel hesitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca Shaw?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve seen her name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel looked away.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wasn’t the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who was?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho gave you the instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel’s hands tightened.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the other times?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich woman?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel looked at me.<\/p>\n

Then he said something that made the entire room go silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

I leaned forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knew things about your family that nobody outside the investigation should have known.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour address.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s in the police file.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour son’s school.\u201d<\/p>\n

I froze.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s in the school records.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour daily routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stomach turned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s not in the police file.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at me.<\/p>\n

Then he whispered:<\/p>\n

\u201cYour neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur neighbor?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel didn’t answer.<\/p>\n

Instead, he looked toward the door.<\/p>\n

His expression suddenly changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

He leaned back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn’t have said that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez stood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho is your neighbor?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to leave your house.\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they know the police are getting close.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alvarez stepped toward him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel looked directly at me.<\/p>\n

Then he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe person who has been watching your son isn’t Daniel Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel’s face went pale.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s already been inside your home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room went silent.<\/p>\n

And then, from somewhere down the hallway outside the interview room, came three slow knocks.<\/p>\n

Knock.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knock.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knock.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alvarez immediately turned toward the door.<\/p>\n

Her hand moved toward her radio.<\/p>\n

Daniel stared at me.<\/p>\n

And in a voice barely louder than a whisper, he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked at the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel’s eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man who told me where your family lived.\u201d<\/p>\n

The handle began to move.<\/p>\n

And Detective Alvarez reached for her weapon….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUOUS READ FULL ENDING STORY PART\ud83d\udc49 (4): \u00a0\u201cMy nine-year-old son\u2019s barber leaned toward”<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART 3 \u2014 THE MAN WHO KNEW ABOUT DAVID The room seemed to shrink around me. Daniel Mercer. The name repeated inside my head while Detective Alvarez stood across from … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6967,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6964\/revisions\/6967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}