Chapter 3 - Daniel Knew
Rachel had been married to Daniel for eleven months.
She knew the small signs he was upset.
The muscle that jumped once near his jaw.
The way his left hand went still.
The careful voice he used when he was trying not to sound scared.
She saw all three now.
“Why do you know what this is?” she asked.
“I don’t.”
“That was fast.”
“Rachel.”
“You walked in, saw a black USB drive, and immediately told me to hand it over.”
Daniel glanced at Sophie.
“Not in front of the kids.”
Rachel laughed once.
“Your mother slapped my child in front of the kids.”
Margaret cut in. “Do not twist this.”
Rachel turned on her.
“Get out.”
“You need to calm down.”
“You have thirty seconds before I call the police.”
Daniel finally looked at his mother.
“Mom. Go.”
Margaret stared at him.
“Daniel—”
“Go.”
For a moment, Rachel felt relief.
Then Margaret walked to the door and stopped beside Daniel.
She whispered something Rachel could not hear.
Daniel’s face changed.
Margaret left.
Rachel waited until the door shut.
“What did she say?”
“Nothing.”
“Another lie.”
Daniel rubbed a hand over his face.
“Can we please just sit down?”
“No.”
“Rachel, that drive could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know it’s dangerous?”
He had no answer.
Sophie spoke from behind Rachel.
“Mom?”
Rachel softened immediately.
“Yes?”
“Dad was looking for Bunny too.”
Daniel froze.
Rachel looked down.
“When?”
“Last night.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Sophie continued.
“I woke up and he was in my room. He said he dropped his phone.”
Rachel stared at her husband.
Daniel’s silence said more than anything else could have.
“You went into her room looking for this?”
“No.”
“Then what were you looking for?”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Rachel, please. Put the drive somewhere safe and give me five minutes.”
“No.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because every person in this room except Sophie seems to know something about her rabbit that I don’t.”
Rachel picked up her laptop.
Daniel’s face sharpened.
“Don’t plug it in.”
That was answer enough.
She walked toward the study.
Daniel followed.
“Rachel.”
She closed the door and locked it.
Sophie slipped inside with her before it shut.
Daniel knocked once.
“Rachel, listen to me.”
She opened the laptop.
Inserted the drive.
Nothing happened.
Then one folder appeared.
No password.
No label.
Just a single video file.
The date was three years old.
Rachel clicked it.
A woman appeared on-screen.
Dark hair. Hollow eyes. A bruise near her temple.
Rachel knew her face from photographs.
Claire.
Lily’s mother.
The woman Daniel said had abandoned them.
Claire stared into the camera and whispered:
“If anything happens to me, Daniel did it.”
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