Chapter 3 - I didn't sleep that night.Neither did Madison.
She sat beside me on the bed, clutching the little black key with both hands.
“Where did Daddy give you this?”
“In the garage.”
“When?”
“Before the police came.”
I stared at her.
“Madison, your father was already in the ambulance.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Her answer was immediate.
“He was standing.”
My heart skipped.
“What?”
“He wasn't lying down.”
I tried to remain calm.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Madison looked toward the bedroom door.
“Daddy told me to hide.”
“Why?”
“He said Uncle Michael was looking for him.”
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Did you see Uncle Michael?”
She nodded.
“Where?”
“In the garage.”
“What was he doing?”
She squeezed the key.
“He was angry.”
“Did he hurt Daddy?”
Madison shook her head.
“He made Daddy take some medicine.”
Everything inside me went still.
“What medicine?”
“A little bottle.”
“What happened after?”
“Daddy fell.”
My hands began shaking.
“And then?”
“Uncle Michael put Daddy in the car.”
I couldn't breathe.
“But the police said Daniel was driving.”
Madison looked confused.
“Daddy wasn't driving, Mommy.”
That sentence changed everything.
I called Detective Harris.
He arrived forty minutes later.
He listened to Madison's statement without interrupting.
Then he asked gently, “Where was Uncle Michael standing?”
Madison pointed toward the garage door.
“He was over there.”
“And your father?”
“On the floor.”
“Did he say anything?”
Madison nodded.
“He said, ‘Find the red box.’”
Detective Harris looked at me.
“Red box?”
I shook my head.
“I don't know.”
Madison suddenly spoke again.
“Daddy said you would know.”
My blood ran cold.
“I would know what?”
She pointed at the key.
“He said Mommy knows where the red box is.”
I didn't.
At least I thought I didn't.
Detective Harris asked for the key.
I handed it over.
He examined it.
“Could belong to a safe.”
“A safe?”
“Yes.”
We searched the house.
Nothing.
The basement.
Nothing.
Garage.
Nothing.
Daniel's office.
Nothing.
Then I remembered something.
Our wedding photograph.
It hung above the fireplace.
Daniel had once joked that there was a secret compartment behind it.
I removed the frame.
There was nothing.
I almost laughed at myself.
Then Detective Harris noticed the molding.
He pressed it.
A click.
The wall opened.
Behind it was a narrow metal compartment.
Inside was a red box.
Madison gasped.
I stared.
Detective Harris opened it.
Inside were three things.
A passport.
A USB drive.
And a photograph.
The photograph showed Daniel standing beside another man.
I didn't recognize him.
But Detective Harris did.
His face went pale.
“You know him?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
He looked at me.
“Lucas Vane.”
“Who is that?”
“A forensic accountant.”
“What does he have to do with Daniel?”
Harris took the USB drive.
“We need to take this to the station.”
“No.”
He frowned.
“Renee.”
“Daniel said to find the red box. That means he wanted me to see it.”
Harris sighed.
“Fine.”
We opened the passport.
It belonged to Daniel.
Except the name wasn't Daniel Carter.
It was Daniel Hayes.
There were visas from three countries.
Turkey.
Switzerland.
Argentina.
My hands trembled.
“Why did my husband have another identity?”
Harris didn't answer.
Then he turned over the photograph.
Written on the back were six words.
PROJECT ORPHEUS STARTS WITH A DEATH.
My stomach twisted.
“What is Project Orpheus?”
Harris stared at the words.
“I've heard the name.”
“Where?”
“In a homicide investigation five years ago.”
“What happened?”
“The case disappeared.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone involved died.”
A silence settled over the room.
Then my phone buzzed.
It was the hospital.
“Mrs. Carter?”
“Yes.”
“Your husband is awake.”
My heart jumped.
“Can I see him?”
A pause.
“There is a problem.”
“What problem?”
“The police guard outside his room was found unconscious.”
I froze.
“What?”
“And your husband's room…”
May you like
The nurse's voice shook.
“It's empty.”
Related Stories
