Chapter 8 - The Hidden FileDaniel spent the entire night searching his father's old belongings.
He opened boxes he hadn't touched in years.
Old bank records.
Photographs.
Letters.
Receipts.
Nothing.
Then Maria remembered something.
“Mr. Carter.”
Daniel looked up.
“Your father had a study?”
“Yes.”
“Was there a locked cabinet?”
Daniel nodded.
“It was removed after he died.”
Maria frowned.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I remember seeing it when I first started working here.”
Daniel stared.
“You did?”
“It was in the basement.”
They went downstairs.
The basement smelled of dust and cold stone.
Behind a stack of wooden crates, they found a wall panel.
Daniel pulled it loose.
A metal box was hidden inside.
He tried a key.
Nothing.
Then Maria noticed a symbol carved into the lock.
The silver triangle.
“Your watch.”
Daniel removed the watch.
There was a tiny pin hidden beneath the strap.
He pressed it.
The back cover opened.
Inside was a small brass key.
Maria looked stunned.
“You didn't know that was there?”
“No.”
Daniel inserted it into the metal box.
The lock clicked.
Inside was a thick file.
On the front:
THE CARTER CHILD
Daniel opened it.
Page after page described an old dispute involving his father.
There were records of money transfers.
Property purchases.
Private investigators.
And a family name Daniel had never heard before.
Vale.
Sarah looked confused.
“What does this mean?”
Daniel flipped through the pages.
Then stopped.
There was a photograph.
His father.
Grace Miller.
Ethan.
And a woman holding a baby.
Daniel stared at the baby.
He recognized the blanket.
The same pattern.
The same tiny embroidered moon.
His father's handwriting appeared underneath.
This child cannot remain in the house.
Daniel's hands trembled.
“That's Noah.”
Sarah looked at him.
“No.”
Daniel turned the photograph over.
A date was written there.
Eight years before Noah's birth.
Sarah looked confused.
“That can't be.”
Daniel shook his head.
“It doesn't make sense.”
Maria looked closer.
The woman holding the baby looked familiar.
Very familiar.
Then Maria realized why.
She was Sarah's mother.
Sarah covered her mouth.
“My mother.”
Daniel looked at his wife.
“You knew?”
“No.”
“You're telling me your mother was connected to my father?”
“I didn't know.”
The file contained another photograph.
This one showed Sarah's mother standing with Ethan.
Sarah collapsed into a chair.
“Ethan?”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
Why was his brother connected to her family?
Why was his father involved?
And why had nobody told him?
Then Olivia found a folded letter at the back.
She opened it carefully.
The letter was addressed to Daniel.
It had been written by his father.
Daniel,
If you're reading this, then someone has already tried to use your family against you.
Trust nobody who tells you the truth is simple.
There are people who believe Noah belongs to them.
They will use fear first. Then blame.
They may even sacrifice an innocent person to make you believe the threat is over.
Daniel looked at Maria.
His skin prickled.
The letter continued.
The woman they will target is the one your wife trusts most.
Sarah whispered,
“Maria.”
Daniel kept reading.
Protect her.
At that exact moment, the basement lights went out.
Someone screamed.
Then came a crash upstairs.
Daniel ran.
Maria followed.
May you like
When they reached the nursery, Noah was gone.
The crib was empty.
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