Chapter 12: The Person Behind Everything
Claire didn’t answer the phone.
She just stared at the screen.
A tiny crack appeared in the confident mask she had worn all night.
“Who is it?”” I asked.
She put the phone away.
“Nobody.””
Daniel laughed.
“Nobody?””
His voice was bitter.
“You’re still lying.””
Claire looked at him.
“You don’t understand what you’re involved in.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“I understand enough.””
The tension between them changed.
They weren’t allies.
They were afraid of each other.
Maya noticed too.
“They’re both scared.””
She whispered the words.
And she was right.
For months, I had imagined Daniel as the monster.
But monsters didn’t usually look afraid.
“Claire,” I said, “who is controlling you?””
She didn’t answer.
Instead, she looked at Maya.
“Your father should never have involved you.””
Maya’s expression hardened.
“He didn’t involve me.””
“Yes, he did.””
“No.””
Her voice became stronger.
“He trusted me.””
Claire smiled sadly.
“You’re still protecting him.””
“And you’re still protecting yourself.””
For the first time, Maya sounded exactly like Thomas.
Claire looked away.
Then Ethan spoke.
“The phone.””
Everyone looked at him.
“What?””
“The call.””
He pointed at Claire.
“Whoever called her knew we were here.””
My stomach dropped.
Because he was right.
Someone had been watching.
Daniel immediately moved toward the basement stairs.
“We need to leave.””
Claire grabbed his arm.
“You don’t get to walk away.””
He pulled free.
“You lost control.””
“Because you’re weak.””
“Because you’re scared.””
Their argument revealed something important.
They had both been working for someone.
But neither was the person in charge.
Then the basement window shattered.
Everyone ducked.
A small object rolled across the floor.
A phone.
No.
A recorder.
It clicked.
A voice filled the basement.
A familiar voice.
“Hello, Renee.””
I stopped breathing.
Because I knew that voice.
I had heard it every holiday.
Every birthday.
Every family dinner.
The voice continued.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.””
My knees nearly gave out.
Maya looked at me.
“Mom?””
The recording played on.
“I wanted to tell you the truth myself.””
A pause.
“But Thomas made that impossible.””
My hand covered my mouth.
The voice belonged to my mother.
My own mother.
Evelyn Holloway.
Claire looked at me.
“You finally understand.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No, she died.””
Daniel looked confused.
“She’s alive.””
My entire world stopped.
“What?””
Ethan whispered:
“Renee…”
I looked at him.
“You knew?””
“I suspected.””
The recording continued.
“Renee, I know you’re angry. But everything I did was to protect this family.””
I laughed.
A broken sound.
“Protect?””
My mother’s voice continued.
“You were never supposed to find the evidence.””
The recorder clicked.
The message ended.
Nobody moved.
Then Maya whispered:
“Grandma is alive.””
And I realized something much worse.
If my mother was alive…
May you like
Then the woman who had raised me had been hiding from me.
For years.
