Chapter 6: The Person Behind the Lie
Nobody moved.
The entire room seemed frozen in place.
The broken device sat on the table, the shattered screen reflecting the Christmas lights above us.
But nobody cared about the damage.
Everyone was looking at the person standing near the hallway.
Detective Harris.
The same man who had walked in beside Ethan.
The same man who claimed he was there to reveal the truth.
Vanessa smiled.
A small, cruel smile.
“Tell them.””
Detective Harris stared at her.
“Stop.””
Daniel looked between them.
“What is happening?””
Ethan’s face had gone pale.
“Daniel…”
His voice was barely audible.
“Don’t trust him.””
Daniel looked shocked.
“You brought him here.””
Ethan swallowed.
“I thought he was helping.””
Vanessa laughed.
“That’s the problem with trusting people.””
Detective Harris stepped forward.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“No?””
She pointed at him.
“You were there.””
The room exploded with questions.
Mark looked at Ethan.
“What does she mean?””
Ethan didn’t answer.
He looked at Detective Harris with disappointment.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Betrayal.
Three years of pain suddenly had a new face.
Daniel stepped toward Ethan.
“Tell me.””
Ethan looked at his brother.
“I found Detective Harris after I escaped.””
“Escaped from what?””
Ethan looked at Vanessa.
“From her.””
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Still playing the victim.””
Ethan continued.
“I was hurt. I couldn’t walk far. I hid in an abandoned building near the old house.””
Daniel listened carefully.
“Then what?””
“A man found me.””
He looked at Detective Harris.
“Him.””
The detective remained silent.
“He told me he would protect me.””
Ethan’s voice became quieter.
“But he didn’t.””
Vanessa smiled.
“Because he knew the truth.””
Detective Harris suddenly looked angry.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.””
Ethan stepped closer.
“I know exactly what I’m saying.””
He pointed toward the broken device.
“The video showed everything.””
Daniel frowned.
“But it wasn’t complete.””
“No,” Ethan said.
“Because someone erased part of it.””
Everyone looked at Detective Harris.
The detective shook his head.
“This is ridiculous.””
Mia suddenly spoke.
“No.””
Everyone turned toward her.
She looked at Detective Harris.
“You were the person behind Vanessa.””
His face changed.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Daniel noticed.
“You know something, Mia?””
The little girl nodded.
“I saw him.””
Detective Harris stared.
“You’re lying.””
Mia shook her head.
“I saw him after Ethan fell.””
The room went silent.
She continued.
“He told Vanessa not to worry.””
Daniel’s eyes widened.
“What did he say?””
Mia looked down.
“He said…”
She paused.
“He said, ‘The boy won’t be a problem anymore.’”
Detective Harris moved suddenly.
Not toward Mia.
Toward the door.
Detective Harris grabbed his coat.
“I’m leaving.””
Daniel stepped in front of him.
“No, you’re not.””
The man stopped.
For the first time, his calm expression disappeared.
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.””
Daniel stared.
“My brother disappeared for three years.””
His voice shook.
“My family suffered.””
He pointed toward Vanessa.
“She lied.””
Then toward the detective.
“And you helped her.””
Detective Harris looked at Ethan.
“You should have stayed quiet.””
Ethan’s face changed.
Because those words confirmed everything.
Detective Harris had been involved from the beginning.
But then Vanessa suddenly laughed.
Everyone looked at her.
She was crying.
Not from sadness.
From frustration.
“You’re all so close.””
Daniel frowned.
“Close to what?””
Vanessa wiped her face.
“To the truth.””
She looked at Ethan.
“You still don’t know why I pushed you.””
Ethan froze.
Daniel noticed.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa slowly smiled.
“Because Ethan wasn’t the only person in danger that night.””
Nobody spoke.
She looked directly at Mia.
And whispered:
“The little girl saw more than she remembers.””
Mia stepped backward.
I grabbed her hand.
Daniel’s voice turned cold.
“What are you talking about?””
Vanessa looked at the teddy bear.
“The camera didn’t only record what happened to Ethan.””
A pause.
“It recorded why.””
The room fell silent.
Then Vanessa said the one thing nobody expected:
“The person who ordered everything…”
May you like
She looked at Daniel.
“…was someone you call family.””
