Chapter 2: The Room Nobody Knew Existed
I spent the next five minutes trying to convince myself there was a reasonable explanation.
There had to be.
Houses made noises.
Children misunderstood things.
Grief made people see patterns where none existed.
That was what I told myself.
But I couldn’t explain Elena’s face.
My sister wasn’t confused.
She was afraid.
“Maya,” I said, picking my daughter up, “let’s go outside for a minute.””
“No.””
Her little arms wrapped around my neck.
“Daddy, he’s scared.””
I looked at Elena.
She was standing perfectly still.
Too still.
“Elena,” I said quietly, “what did she mean?””
My sister blinked.
“David, you can’t seriously believe this.””
“I didn’t ask what I believe.””
Her jaw tightened.
“You’re grieving. Maya is grieving. You’re both looking for Leo everywhere.””
That sentence hit me harder than I expected.
Because part of me had feared she was right.
Maybe I had become desperate enough to hear anything.
Maybe I wanted answers so badly that I would accept impossible ones.
Then Maya pointed toward the floor.
“She’s lying.””
Elena’s eyes snapped toward her.
“What did you say?””
Maya hid her face against my shoulder.
“She said you’re lying.””
The silence afterward felt heavier than anything else.
I carried Maya into the kitchen and set her on a chair.
The kitchen smelled like vanilla and expensive coffee. Everything was spotless.
A place designed to look safe.
A place designed to hide messes.
I walked back into the living room.
“Elena, I need you to tell me something.””
She crossed her arms.
“What?””
“When you replaced this floor… who did the work?””
Her expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“Contractors.””
“What contractors?””
“David.””
“What were their names?””
She looked away.
That was when I knew.
“Elena.””
She sighed.
“You’re making this into something it isn’t.””
“Then prove it.””
Her eyes flashed.
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.””
I stared at my sister.
The woman who had hugged me after my son vanished.
The woman who had cried with us.
The woman who had told police she would do anything to help.
My phone buzzed.
I looked down.
It was a message from Sarah.
My wife.
*How is Maya? I had another nightmare. I dreamed Leo was trapped somewhere.*
My stomach twisted.
I looked back at the floor.
“Maya has been saying things.””
Elena went pale.
“What things?””
The question came too quickly.
Not concern.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Before I could answer, there was a knock at the front door.
Elena flinched.
Nobody else seemed to notice.
I walked toward the entrance.
A man stood outside wearing a faded work jacket.
He looked around sixty.
Gray beard.
Weathered face.
He held a small toolbox.
“Can I help you?”” I asked.
He stared past me.
Straight at Elena.
Then his face changed.
Like he had just seen a ghost.
“David?”” he asked.
“How do you know my name?””
The man swallowed.
“Because I know what happened here.””
Elena stepped forward.
“Frank, leave.””
My eyes moved between them.
“You know him?””
The man ignored her.
“I installed the first floor in this house.””
The air seemed to disappear.
“Elena said she replaced the flooring.””
Frank shook his head slowly.
“She replaced some of it.””
My hands curled into fists.
“What does that mean?””
The old contractor looked at the hardwood beneath us.
Then he lowered his voice.
“There was a space underneath this room.””
My heart started pounding.
“What kind of space?””
Frank hesitated.
“A hidden storage area.””
Elena’s voice cracked.
“Frank, don’t.””
He looked at her.
And there was anger in his eyes.
“You told me nobody would ever come looking.””
I stepped forward.
“Looking for what?””
Frank reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
His hand trembled as he gave it to me.
“I found this behind the wall when I was installing the new boards.””
I unfolded it.
It was old.
Creased.
Covered in dirt.
But the handwriting was unmistakable.
Because I had seen it every day for eight years.
It was Leo’s handwriting.
A child’s messy letters.
Four words written across the page.
*DAD, PLEASE FIND ME.*
I looked up.
Elena was crying now.
But not because she was scared.
Because she knew the truth was finally coming out.
May you like
Then Frank whispered:
“There’s something else under that floor.””
