Chapter 13 - The Fire
No one was injured.
That was the only good news.
Aaron joined him.
"Digital backups are off-site."
Daniel nodded.
"Kyle knows that?"
"Maybe not."
"Thomas?"
"Definitely."
This time Thomas looked broken.
"Kyle said if the deal failed, he had insurance."
"The fire?" Daniel asked.
Thomas shook his head.
"No. Something on you."
"What?"
"I don't know. A recording. He called it the red file."
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Thomas leaned forward.
"I am telling you everything because I don't want to go down for what he did."
Daniel stared at him.
"You already went down for what you did."
Thomas looked away.
"We found the red file."
Daniel sat straighter.
Inside was an audio recording.
Daniel's voice.
"If anyone ever touched Lily, I swear I'd kill them."
Daniel remembered saying it.
He had said it at dinner.
As a terrified father.
Kyle had saved the clip.
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Context?"
"Recovered," Morales said.
The full recording contained Megan laughing and saying, "Daniel, every parent says that."
Daniel replying, "I know. I'm just scared."
Then Vanessa saying, "She's safe. Stop worrying."
"They built a library of fragments."
"Months?"
"At least a year."
Daniel stared through the glass wall.
A year of dinner conversations.
Arguments.
Private fears.
Harvested and cut into weapons.
His phone buzzed.
It was Lily's school principal.
Daniel answered.
"Mr. Reed, I need to tell you something about last semester."
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
"What?"
"We found an old visitor log during the police request."
"Okay."
"Kyle Mercer signed Lily out once."
Daniel stood.
"That is impossible."
"The log says Vanessa authorized it."
"When?"
"March 14."
Daniel remembered March 14.
He had been in Chicago.
"How long was she gone?"
"Three hours."
Daniel's mouth went dry.
"Where did he take her?"
The principal paused.
"We don't know."
From the doorway, Lily spoke.
"I do."
Daniel turned.
He crossed the room.
"Lily, where did Kyle take you?"
She looked at Morales.
"To the house with no furniture."
May you like
"What house?"
"The one where they told me to practice."
