Chapter 4 - The Man in the ReflectionMaria barely slept.
At six in the morning, she went straight to Olivia.
The girl was sitting at the kitchen island, eating toast.
“Olivia.”
She looked up.
“What happened?”
Maria put her phone down.
“I need you to see something.”
Olivia leaned closer.
The image was grainy.
The hallway reflected in the glass cabinet.
Sarah stood near the stairs.
Behind her, partially hidden by the darkness, stood a man.
Olivia stared.
“Who is that?”
“I don't know.”
Olivia zoomed in.
The face blurred slightly.
But the watch was visible.
A silver watch with a black face.
Olivia's expression changed.
“Dad has one like that.”
“I know.”
“Maybe it's Dad.”
Maria shook her head.
“No.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he was upstairs with Noah when I took the picture.”
Olivia frowned.
“Then who is it?”
Maria had no answer.
They heard footsteps.
Daniel entered.
“What are you two doing?”
Olivia quickly locked her phone.
“Nothing.”
Daniel looked suspicious.
Maria stood.
“Mr. Carter, may I speak with you?”
Daniel nodded.
They stepped into the hallway.
Maria handed him the phone.
Daniel looked at the image.
His face changed.
“Where did you get this?”
“I took the photo yesterday.”
“Who showed you this?”
“Nobody.”
Daniel zoomed in.
He stared at the man for several seconds.
Then he whispered,
“I know that watch.”
“Whose is it?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Maria waited.
Finally he said,
“My father's.”
“But your father is dead.”
“I know.”
Maria felt a shiver.
Daniel zoomed even closer.
There was a tiny scar near the man's wrist.
His hand trembled.
“My father had a scar there.”
“Then what does that mean?”
Daniel looked at her.
“It means this man may not be wearing his watch.”
Maria didn't understand.
“What?”
Daniel swallowed.
“My father gave that watch to someone else.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
“My brother Ethan.”
Maria stared.
“But Ethan hasn't been here.”
Daniel's voice dropped.
“That's what he told me.”
Before Maria could respond, Sarah appeared.
“Daniel?”
He quickly locked the phone.
“What?”
“Can we talk?”
Sarah looked between them.
Then at Maria.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Sarah didn't believe him.
Daniel took his wife into the dining room.
Maria returned to the kitchen.
Olivia was waiting.
“What did Dad say?”
“He thinks the man is connected to Ethan.”
Olivia's eyes widened.
“You think Uncle Ethan was here?”
“I don't know.”
“There's more.”
Olivia opened her laptop.
“I checked the house system.”
She turned the screen.
A map showed security access points.
“There was an access request from an outside device yesterday.”
“Where?”
Olivia clicked.
“Three hundred meters from the house.”
Maria's pulse quickened.
“So someone was nearby.”
“Yes.”
“Can you identify the device?”
Olivia nodded.
“Not exactly.”
Then she stopped.
“Wait.”
A new notification appeared.
The system had recorded another access attempt.
This one came from inside the house.
Location:
Maria's room.
Maria's mouth went dry.
“My room?”
Olivia nodded.
The access time was 6:12 AM.
Just minutes earlier.
Maria ran upstairs.
Her door was locked.
She opened it.
Nothing seemed wrong.
Then she saw her mattress.
There was a small envelope lying on top.
No name.
No stamp.
She opened it.
Inside was one photograph.
A picture of Maria holding Noah.
Taken from across the hallway.
On the back, someone had written:
YOU SAVED HIM ONCE.
NEXT TIME, DON'T.
May you like
Maria dropped the photograph.
And behind her, the bedroom door slowly began to close.
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