Chapter 5 - THE BLACK NOTEBOOKI ran to Caleb.
“Baby!”
His eyes fluttered open.
“Mom?”
I grabbed his hand.
“I’m here.”
He looked around.
“Where's Aunt Amber?”
My chest tightened.
“Why?”
Caleb frowned.
“She told me not to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
He looked frightened.
“About the man.”
“What man?”
“The man in the black car.”
Miller crouched beside him.
“Caleb, can you tell me what happened at the park?”
Caleb nodded weakly.
“Mommy's sister gave me juice.”
“Then what?”
“She told me to drink it.”
“Did she say why?”
“She said it would make me sleepy.”
I looked toward Amber.
She was crying.
Caleb continued.
“Then a man came.”
“What man?”
“I don't know.”
“What did he look like?”
“Black jacket. Gray hair.”
Miller's face changed.
“Did he talk to Amber?”
Caleb nodded.
“They argued.”
“About what?”
Caleb looked at me.
“He told Aunt Amber she was supposed to bring me somewhere.”
Amber covered her mouth.
I turned toward her.
“You were supposed to hand him my son?”
“No!”
“You just said—”
“I changed my mind!”
“Why?”
Amber broke down.
“Because he threatened Lily.”
Miller asked:
“What did he want with Caleb?”
Amber whispered:
“The notebook.”
Everyone looked at Caleb.
He was holding it.
The black notebook.
Daniel's missing notebook.
I stared at it.
“Where did you get that?”
Caleb looked confused.
“I found it in Aunt Amber's car.”
Amber covered her face.
I slowly took the notebook from my son.
The cover was old.
Worn.
A tiny silver mark had been scratched into the corner.
Daniel's initials.
D.C.
I opened it.
The first pages contained names.
Companies.
Bank accounts.
Dates.
Then I saw one sentence written in Daniel's handwriting:
IF I DIE, THE PERSON WHO HAS THIS NOTEBOOK WILL BE NEXT.
My blood ran cold.
Miller read over my shoulder.
“Keep going.”
I turned another page.
There were photographs.
Receipts.
Copies of bank transfers.
And one handwritten list of names.
I recognized nearly every person.
Victor Hale.
David Morgan.
Amber Carter.
I stopped.
Amber's name was circled.
Twice.
I looked at her.
“What is this?”
She shook her head.
“I can explain.”
“Your name is in Daniel's evidence file.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because he suspected me.”
“Were you working with Victor?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Amber began crying.
“Because I helped him.”
“Helped who?”
“Daniel.”
“What does that mean?”
“He gave me documents to hide.”
“Why?”
“Because someone inside the company was watching him.”
“Who?”
Amber looked at David.
David looked at Amber.
Neither spoke.
Miller slammed his hand onto the table.
“Enough.”
He turned to me.
“Sarah, look at the final page.”
I flipped to the back.
One sentence was written in red ink.
THE PERSON WHO DRUGGED CALEB KNOWS WHERE THE ORIGINAL FILE IS.
My throat tightened.
Then I noticed something.
A second line had been scribbled underneath.
It was only four words.
ASK SARAH ABOUT THE BABY.
My blood ran cold.
I stared at the sentence.
“What baby?”
Amber's face became completely white.
May you like
And David whispered:
“Oh God.”
