Chapter 15: The Person Behind the Search
Nobody spoke.
My phone was in my hand.
Elena’s phone was ringing.
And the screen showed my name.
For several seconds, everyone stared at it.
Then Detective Morgan reached out.
“Don’t answer.””
Elena nodded.
The ringing stopped.
A second later, a message appeared.
Unknown sender.
Everyone watched as Elena opened it.
One sentence.
*YOU’RE GETTING TOO CLOSE.*
My blood ran cold.
Detective Morgan immediately took the phone.
“This isn’t spoofed.””
“What does that mean?””
“It means someone accessed your number.””
I looked around the church.
The empty windows.
The dark corners.
The feeling of being watched returned.
“He’s here.””
Morgan shook her head.
“Who?””
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know anymore.
Michael.
Sarah.
Elena.
Everyone had secrets.
Everyone had lied.
Maybe the truth was worse than I imagined.
Detective Morgan looked at Elena.
“You said someone else was searching for Emma.””
Elena nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
She looked at me.
And hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than anything.
“Say it.””
She swallowed.
“It’s someone from your family.””
My chest tightened.
“My family?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Elena closed her eyes.
Then whispered:
“Your father.””
I stared at her.
“No.””
“David—”
“No.””
My father had been the one who hosted the barbecue.
The last person to see Leo before he vanished.
The person who always said he would never stop looking.
“You’re lying.””
“I wish I was.””
Detective Morgan looked between us.
“Your father had contact with Michael.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
Elena pulled out another document.
A bank record.
I looked at it.
A transfer.
From my father.
To Michael.
My hands went numb.
“Why?””
Elena’s voice was barely audible.
“Because your father knew about Emma.””
The room felt like it was closing in.
“What did he know?””
“That Emma was alive.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“And he helped hide it.””
The memories came rushing back.
My father acting strangely after Leo disappeared.
The way he avoided certain questions.
The way he always changed the subject when investigators mentioned witnesses.
I had thought it was grief.
Maybe it wasn’t.
Detective Morgan looked at me.
“David, where is your father now?””
I froze.
“I don’t know.””
“When was the last time you spoke to him?””
I tried to remember.
A few days ago.
No.
A week ago.
No.
I couldn’t.
Because suddenly every conversation felt different.
Every word had another meaning.
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
This time from my father’s number.
I opened it.
Only one sentence.
*I HAVE LEO’S SISTER.*
My hands started shaking.
Detective Morgan grabbed the phone.
“Leo’s sister?””
Elena whispered:
“Emma.””
A second message appeared.
A location.
An old family property.
My grandfather’s abandoned estate.
The same place where Leo disappeared.
I looked at Detective Morgan.
“We need to go.””
She nodded.
But before we moved, Elena grabbed my arm.
“David.””
I looked back.
Her eyes were full of fear.
“There’s something else.””
“What?””
She swallowed.
“The night Leo disappeared…”
A pause.
“He wasn’t the only child who was there.””
I stared.
“What are you saying?””
Elena’s voice dropped.
“Emma was at that barbecue too.””
The church went silent.
And suddenly, the missing night from fourteen months ago wasn’t a mystery anymore.
It was the beginning of something much bigger.
May you like
Something my family had buried for years.
Something waiting for us back at the old estate.
