Chapter 6 - A Story with Missing Pages
Avery refused to go to the police station. Jonah drove her to a motel under a false name, while Sarah returned to Mrs. Alvarez’s house for Leo.He was sitting at the kitchen table, carefully arranging crackers into a line.“Mommy,” he said, “Daddy came by.”Sarah stopped.“When?”“After lunch. He asked if I wanted to go home.”Mrs. Alvarez wiped her hands on a towel. “I told him you had left instructions.”“What did he say?”“He said he was worried.”Sarah crouched beside Leo. “Did Daddy come inside?”“He stood on the porch.”“Did he give you anything?”Leo shook his head. “He asked about Fox.”The stuffed animal was tucked under Leo’s arm.“What about Fox?”“Daddy said I should leave him at home next time.”Sarah’s stomach tightened.She called Mark. He answered immediately.“I didn’t go inside,” he said.“You asked about Leo’s stuffed fox.”“I wanted to see him.”“Why tell him to leave it at home?”“I didn’t.”“He heard you.”Mark was silent.“Where are you?”“At the office.”“With Hal?”“No.”“Mark, someone followed us to Bellwether Road.”“I know.”“How?”“Because Hal knows you went there.”Sarah lowered her voice. “You need to tell me everything.”“Not over the phone.”“Then come somewhere public.”“I can’t.”“Why?”“Because if Hal thinks I’m talking, he’ll move the ledger.”“Maybe the ledger is a story Avery invented.”“I saw it.”“Where?”“At River House.”The call ended when another voice sounded near him.Sarah took Leo home only long enough to gather clothes. The house felt invaded by invisible footprints. She checked every window, every lock, and the space behind the dresser.There were no new marks.On the bedroom floor, however, the music box stood beside the bed.She had not left it there.It was a small wooden piano with painted roses on its lid. She lifted the cover. The tune began—four bright notes followed by a slower, descending phrase.Leo appeared in the doorway.“That’s the lady’s song,” he said.Sarah shut the lid. “Did she play it last Tuesday?”“She played it three times.”“What happened after the third time?”“Daddy knocked.”“How did he knock?”Leo tapped the doorframe: two quick knocks, a pause, then one.Sarah remembered the woman at the supermarket. She knows the secret knock.Sarah pressed the music box’s metal winding key. Beneath it, the wood gave slightly.A hidden compartment opened under the piano.Inside was a folded page.The paper held a list of dates, property numbers, and initials. At the bottom, in handwriting that did not belong to Mark, were five words:When the song ends, knock once.Sarah photographed the page and sent it to Jonah.The front doorbell rang.She froze.Through the window, she saw Mark standing on the porch.“Mommy,” Leo whispered.“Go to the closet under the stairs,” Sarah said. “Take Fox. Stay quiet.”“Are you coming?”“Right behind you.”She waited until Leo disappeared, then opened the door with the chain fastened.Mark looked exhausted. “Please let me in.”“Why?”“Because I saw Hal leave the office with a gun.”Sarah’s hand went cold on the chain.“Did he see you?”“I don’t know.”“How did you get here?”“I walked from the corner.”She studied his face. “What happened to the music box?”His eyes moved past her shoulder.“It was in the attic,” he said.“It was not.”“Sarah, we don’t have time.”“What does the note mean?”Mark’s expression collapsed.“You found it.”“You put it there?”“No.”“Avery?”“Claire.”Sarah opened the door another inch. “Claire has been missing for eighteen years.”“That doesn’t mean she’s dead.”From beneath the stairs came a soft scrape.Mark heard it.“Where is Leo?”“Safe.”The lights went out.Mark grabbed the door, but Sarah slammed it shut and turned the deadbolt. A car engine started outside.They stood in darkness.Then someone knocked on the door.Two quick knocks. A pause. One.Leo whimpered beneath the stairs.Sarah reached for her phone.Mark whispered, “Don’t answer.”The knock came again.This time, a woman spoke through the door.“Sarah, it’s Avery. Open the door.”
