CHAPTER 5: THE TRACES
The FBI brought in a team.
They took over the house.
They scanned every surface.
They confiscated every device.
And they found things I never knew existed.
A burner phone hidden in the attic.
A passport with Daniel's photo under the name "James Morrison."
A safety deposit box key from a bank I'd never visited.
Special Agent Marcus Webb was the lead investigator. He was younger than I expected. Maybe mid-forties. Sharp eyes. The kind of focus that came from years of chasing monsters.
"Mrs. Harper, I need you to be honest with me," he said. "Did you suspect anything? Any red flags?"
"No. Nothing."
"Any late nights? Secretive phone calls? Trips he didn't explain?"
"He worked late sometimes. But he always told me."
"And you never followed up?"
"I trusted him."
Agent Webb nodded slowly.
"You're not the first person to say that. Trust is what they count on."
"I'm sorry?"
"The people who do this. They build trust. They build entire lives. And then they use that trust to destroy everything."
I tried to process the words.
They.
My husband was a "they."
A stranger who had worn Daniel's face.
"Where is my daughter?" I asked.
"We're working on it. The safety deposit box might give us more information."
"Then let's go."
"I can't take you, Mrs. Harper. This is an active investigation."
"I don't care. That's my daughter. I'm going."
Agent Webb looked at me.
He must have seen something in my eyes.
Because he didn't argue.
"Fine. But you stay behind me. And you don't touch anything."
The bank was on the other side of town.
The safety deposit box was in the vault.
Agent Webb used the key Daniel had hidden.
The box opened.
Inside was a folder.
Thick. Heavy. Stuffed with documents.
I watched as he pulled them out.
Bank accounts. International transfers. Property deeds.
And a photo.
A photo of Emma.
She was sitting on a beach somewhere. Smiling. Playing in the sand.
She looked happy.
But the photo wasn't recent.
It was from two years ago. Our family vacation to Florida.
The photo had been doctored.
The background had been changed.
The beach wasn't Florida.
It was somewhere else.
I pointed at the photo.
"Where is this?"
May you like
Agent Webb studied it.
"I don't know. But we're going to find out."
