Chapter 2 - Someone Had a Key
The entire house went black.
Sophie screamed.
I grabbed her and backed away from the broken glass. "Stay with me."
Vanessa's voice came from the darkness. "Ethan, don't move. I'll get the breaker."
"No."
I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight.
Vanessa was already near the hallway.
"Where are you going?"
"To help."
"Stand still."
I called our security company. The guard at the gate answered after one ring.
"Mr. Cole, we just lost the camera feed."
"Power failure?"
"No, sir. House power is still showing active. Someone manually killed the interior security network."
She shook her head. "Don't look at me like that."
"Then give me your phone."
"Excuse me?"
"Your phone."
She laughed once, sharp and nervous. "You can't be serious."
Sophie buried her face in my side.
"Security will escort you to the guesthouse," I said. "You will not be alone with Sophie again."
Vanessa stared at me. "You are throwing away two years because a traumatized child told you a ghost story?"
"I'm ending our engagement because my daughter has your fingerprints on her arm."
Her jaw tightened.
Vanessa's face changed. The softness vanished.
"Fine," she said. "But when Claire destroys you, remember this moment."
"What does that mean?"
She smiled without warmth. "Ask your dead wife why she disappeared instead of coming home."
Security arrived and took Vanessa outside.
I carried Sophie upstairs. She clung to me like I might vanish too.
"How does Mommy get in?" I asked gently.
Sophie pointed toward her closet.
Behind Sophie's dresses was a service door I thought had been sealed during renovation.
The passage led to a locked exterior door near the beach path.
The lock was new.
On the floor sat Sophie's stuffed rabbit.
I picked it up. Something crackled inside.
A cut had been made along the seam and stitched closed by hand.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
Ethan,
If Sophie gives you this, it means Vanessa knows I survived.
Do not call the police from your phone.
Do not trust Martin Vale.
And whatever you do, do not let anyone take Sophie to St. Catherine's.
Claire
I read it twice.
Martin Vale was my attorney.
He had handled Claire's estate.
He had signed the papers declaring her dead.
And he was Sophie's godfather.
May you like
My phone rang.
Martin's name appeared on the screen.
