Chapter 6
Laura’s case file was supposed to be closed.
It was not supposed to breathe again.
But by noon, Aaron had pulled every public record he could legally access.
The crash report.
Witness statements.
Weather data.
Hospital notes.
The truck driver’s toxicology.
Everything pointed one way.
Accident.
Except one thing.
Laura had called me twenty minutes before she died.
I never answered.
I had been in a meeting.
She left a voicemail.
I deleted it years ago because hearing her voice made me feel like I was being torn open.
But the phone company still had metadata.
The voicemail lasted fifty-three seconds.
Aaron looked at me carefully.
“Do you remember what she said?”
I did.
God help me, I did.
Not all the words.
Just fear.
“Ethan, I need to talk to you. Something is wrong. I think someone has been near Sophie’s daycare.”
I had called back after the meeting.
No answer.
Two hours later, police came to my office.
I sat down slowly.
“Vanessa worked at the daycare fundraiser.”
Aaron nodded.
“She volunteered there. Three months before Laura died.”
I felt sick.
Vanessa had told me we first met after Laura’s death.
At a grief support event.
She said she had seen me across the room and felt my pain.
Maybe that was true.
Maybe she had already been watching.
Dr. Patel entered quietly.
“Sophie is sleeping.”
I thanked her.
She looked at the file.
“Is this about Laura?”
I nodded.
Her face changed.
“There’s something I should have told you.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“Laura asked me about changing Sophie’s emergency contacts a week before she died.”
“Why?”
“She said a woman had been calling the daycare pretending to be family.”
The room went silent.
“Did she give a name?”
“No. But she was scared.”
My hands shook.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Dr. Patel’s eyes filled.
“You were destroyed. The police called it unrelated. I thought bringing it up would only hurt you.”
I wanted to be angry.
But grief makes cowards of good people too.
I knew that better than anyone.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A woman’s voice whispered, “Stop digging into Laura.”
“Who is this?”
A pause.
Then, “Vanessa is not the only one who wanted your wife gone.”
The call ended.
Aaron grabbed the phone from my hand.
But the number was blocked.
I looked toward the stairs where Sophie slept.
May you like
This was no longer only about Vanessa.
And my daughter was still in danger.
