Chapter 5 - WHAT LINDA WAS HIDING
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Ellie was still in the hospital.
Her burns were being treated, but every time she woke, she cried for me.
So I stayed beside her.
At 1:08 a.m., my phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
YOUR HUSBAND ISN'T TELLING YOU EVERYTHING.
I stared at it.
Another message arrived.
ASK HIM ABOUT THE KITCHEN.
I didn't reply.
I showed Rachel.
She immediately said:
"Screenshot it."
I did.
"Don't respond."
Then another message arrived.
HE DIDN'T JUST WATCH.
I felt cold.
Rachel took the phone.
"Whoever this is wants you to react."
"Should I ask who they are?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if they're legitimate, they'll come forward."
"And if they're not?"
"They're trying to manipulate you."
I nodded.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that someone knew something.
At 7:30 the next morning, Ben came to the hospital.
He looked different.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
He sat beside me.
"I need to tell you something."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"My mother has been asking about your father."
I frowned.
"What does Dad have to do with this?"
"I don't know."
"Then why are you telling me?"
"Because she keeps saying he is behind everything."
I almost laughed.
"My father didn't throw coffee at Ellie."
"I know."
"Then what is she talking about?"
Ben pulled out his phone.
"She thinks your father has been trying to get you away from our family."
"For years."
He nodded.
"She says he's manipulating you."
I stared at him.
"Did you believe her?"
"I don't know what I believe anymore."
That was the first honest thing he'd said.
Then he showed me another message.
It was from Linda.
IF SHE SHOWS THAT VIDEO, WE'RE FINISHED.
I looked at Ben.
"Why would she say that?"
He swallowed.
"Because she knows what it shows."
"Exactly."
He rubbed his hands together.
"There was something else."
"What?"
"Before the coffee."
I waited.
"Mom and Ellie argued."
"Ellie is two."
"I know."
"So what do you mean?"
"Mom had been angry because Ellie kept refusing to sit with her."
I felt a chill.
"What happened?"
"Mom grabbed her."
"Where?"
"Her arm."
"How hard?"
"I don't know."
"Ben."
He looked away.
"Hard."
My heart pounded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought it was nothing."
I stood.
"You thought your mother grabbing our two-year-old hard enough to leave marks was nothing?"
"She didn't leave marks."
"How do you know?"
"I checked."
The room went silent.
"You checked?"
He nodded.
"When?"
"That morning."
"Why?"
"Because Ellie was crying."
I stared at him.
"Ben, what else aren't you telling me?"
He looked toward the hallway.
"I found something in Mom's kitchen."
"What?"
"A note."
"What kind of note?"
He hesitated.
"About Ellie."
My pulse accelerated.
"Where is it?"
"I don't have it."
"Where is it?"
"Mom took it."
"What did it say?"
Ben looked at me.
"She wrote that Ellie needed to be taught boundaries."
I felt sick.
Rachel entered the room at that moment.
She saw our faces.
"What happened?"
I looked at Ben.
"Tell her."
He did.
Rachel's expression hardened.
"Where is the note now?"
"At Linda's house."
"Then we need to preserve that information."
Ben nodded.
Rachel pulled out her phone.
"Mr. Carter, I need you to understand something. From this point forward, you cannot rely on memory alone."
"I understand."
"No. I don't think you do."
She looked directly at him.
"If your mother has documented hostility toward your daughter, that could become important."
Ben stared at the floor.
Then his phone rang.
Linda.
He answered.
"Mom?"
Her voice was loud enough that I could hear it.
"Where are you?"
"At the hospital."
"With her?"
Ben closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Linda began crying.
"She is turning you against me."
He didn't answer.
Then Linda said something that made him sit upright.
"You promised me you wouldn't tell her about the note."
I looked at Ben.
He looked at me.
Linda realized her mistake.
The line went silent.
Then she hung up.
Rachel slowly said:
"Well."
Dad, who had just entered the room, looked between us.
"What happened?"
I answered.
"Linda just confirmed the note exists."
Dad nodded.
"Then we find it."
But before we could say anything else, Ben's phone buzzed.
A message from Gary.
GET HOME NOW.
Then another.
YOUR MOTHER MADE A MISTAKE.
I looked at the screen.
"What mistake?"
Ben didn't know.
May you like
Then a third message appeared.
SHE LEFT SOMETHING IN THE CAMERA ROOM.
