Chapter 3 - The Package on the Porch Three days passed.
No calls.
No messages.
No appearances.
The silence almost felt normal.
Almost.
On Thursday evening, rain tapped softly against the windows.
Leah sat on the couch with one hand resting over her belly.
David was preparing dinner when the security system chimed.
MOTION DETECTED — FRONT PORCH.
His stomach tightened.
He opened the camera feed.
His mother stood beneath the porch light.
She wasn't knocking.
She wasn't calling.
She was simply staring directly into the camera.
In her hands was a small brown package.
David's blood ran cold.
He activated the speaker.
"Leave."
His mother smiled.
Then she placed the package on the welcome mat.
She leaned toward the camera.
Her lips moved.
David couldn't hear her.
Then she walked away.
Twenty minutes later, he retrieved the package with gloves.
Inside was a beautiful baby blanket.
Hand-knitted.
Soft.
Almost innocent.
Leah touched the edge.
"It's beautiful."
David noticed something caught inside the stitching.
A dried green leaf.
He photographed it.
Then he called Detective Miller.
When the detective arrived, he studied the blanket without touching it.
"Your mother knows you have cameras."
David nodded.
"Then why leave something behind?"
Miller looked at him.
"Maybe she wants you to know she can still get close."
David stared toward the dark window.
For the first time, he understood.
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His mother wasn't trying to come back into his life.
She was reminding him that she believed his life still belonged to her.
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