Chapter 2 - The Email From My House
I showed Vanessa the message.
Her face lost every bit of color.
“Who is sending these?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You knew she was dead.”
“I knew there was a certificate.”
“That is not the same sentence.”
Noah stood behind me, one hand wrapped around Lily’s shoulder.
Vanessa looked at the kids and lowered her voice.
“Send them upstairs.”
“No.”
“Daniel—”
“No more private conversations.”
I opened the email header on my phone. Claire had taught me years ago how to check one because she never trusted anything that arrived in an inbox.
The message had not come from overseas.
It had not come through some anonymous relay.
It had come through my home network.
I looked at the router on the shelf.
Then at Vanessa.
“You sent it from here.”
“I didn’t.”
“The message came from this house.”
“That doesn’t mean I sent it.”
“Who else is here?”
Noah spoke quietly.
“Aunt Claire.”
Every adult in the room turned toward him.
“What did you say?” I asked.
He swallowed.
“I heard her.”
Vanessa snapped, “Noah, stop.”
I stepped between them.
“When?”
“Last night.”
My skin went cold.
“Where?”
“In your office.”
Vanessa laughed too quickly.
“He had a nightmare.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Noah looked at me.
“I came down for water. Somebody was in the office. I heard a woman say, ‘Daniel can’t know yet.’”
My eyes moved to Vanessa.
She said nothing.
“Did you see her?”
“No. The door was almost closed.”
“Did you hear anything else?”
Noah hesitated.
“She said Marcus was scared.”
Vanessa’s phone rang.
MARCUS HALE.
I took it before she could.
“Marcus.”
Silence.
Then Hale said, “Vanessa?”
“No. Daniel.”
Another silence.
I looked at the death certificate in my hand.
“I have a document with your signature saying my sister died thirteen months ago.”
Hale’s breathing changed.
“Where did you get that?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because that copy should not exist.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Did Claire die?”
He did not answer.
Instead, he said something worse.
“Daniel, if you found the certificate, leave the house with the children. Right now.”
The kitchen window shattered behind me.
---
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://vibe.treeiq.biz
May you like
New stories are posted daily, so check back for updates.
