Chapter 8: What Vanessa Remembered
The flash drive contained one video.
No more.
One.
The file was dated seventeen years earlier.
Vanessa sat beside me in the police station interview room.
Officer Miller stood behind us.
I inserted the drive.
The screen turned black.
Then an image appeared.
A teenage girl.
Vanessa.
Seventeen years old.
She was sitting at a kitchen table in the farmhouse.
Across from her sat her mother.
The camera angle was fixed.
Hidden.
Vanessa watched herself.
Her mother spoke.
“You want your father back?””
Young Vanessa nodded.
“Then you do exactly what I say.””
“What?””
“You will sign the papers.””
“Which papers?””
“The guardianship papers.””
Young Vanessa looked frightened.
“Why?””
“Because your father is going to hurt us.””
“He wouldn't.””
Her mother smiled.
“You still believe that?””
“Yes.””
“He left you.””
“He came back.””
“And now he's going to take you away.””
Young Vanessa shook her head.
“No.””
Her mother leaned closer.
“You have to choose.””
“Choose what?””
“Your father or your mother.””
The video stopped.
Vanessa covered her face.
“I don't remember.””
I stared at her.
“You don't remember any of this?””
“No.””
“Why?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Officer Miller spoke quietly.
“Trauma can affect memory.””
Vanessa looked at her.
“My mother told me my father abandoned us.””
“Did you believe her?””
“Yes.””
I leaned back.
“And the signature?””
Vanessa stared at the frozen screen.
“I remember signing something.””
“What?””
“I don't know.””
The door opened.
Another officer entered.
“We found the mother.””
Vanessa looked up.
“Where?””
“Two streets away.””
“Is she in custody?””
“Yes.””
I exhaled.
For the first time in days, I felt like we might actually be safe.
Then the officer continued.
“She wants to speak with David.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“She says she has information about your father.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She nodded.
“Go.””
I followed the officer into another room.
Her mother sat at a table.
Her hands were cuffed.
She looked completely calm.
“You've caused enough damage,” I said.
She smiled.
“You think I caused this?””
“You installed cameras.””
“I didn't.””
“You threatened my children.””
“No.””
“You controlled Vanessa.””
“Yes.””
The answer stopped me.
She leaned back.
“That's different.””
“How?””
“I never forced her.””
“You manipulated her.””
“She was weak.””
“She was seventeen.””
“She was old enough to understand.””
“You told her to choose.””
“Yes.””
“Between her parents.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because your father was going to expose me.””
I stared at her.
“What did he know?””
“Everything.””
“Then tell me.””
She looked toward the camera in the corner.
“Turn that off.””
“No.””
“Then you'll never know.””
I walked out.
Officer Miller stopped me.
“She's playing you.””
“I know.””
“She wants something.””
“I know.””
“Don't give it to her.””
I returned to the room.
“What do you want?””
She smiled.
“The trust.””
“You can't have it.””
“I don't want the money.””
“Then what?””
“The evidence.””
“What evidence?””
“Your father hid everything inside the trust.””
“I know.””
She looked surprised.
“You found it.””
“Yes.””
“Then you know what he did.””
“What did he do?””
She leaned forward.
“He recorded everything.””
“About you.””
“About all of us.””
I waited.
“He knew I was using Vanessa.””
“You admitted it.””
“I used her because she trusted me.””
“You destroyed her.””
“No.””
She smiled.
“She destroyed herself.””
I stood.
“Where is my father's body?””
Her smile vanished.
The room went silent.
“You knew?””
She looked away.
“You knew what happened to him.””
“Yes.””
“Where is he?””
“I don't know.””
“Liar.””
She looked at me.
“Your father wasn't killed.””
I stopped.
“What?””
“He disappeared.””
“You said he was going to expose you.””
“He did.””
“How?””
“He sent copies of the evidence to someone.””
“Who?””
She smiled.
“Your grandmother.””
“My grandmother is dead.””
“No.””
My heart stopped.
“She died when I was twelve.””
“That was what you were told.””
I looked at Officer Miller through the glass.
She was listening.
“Where is she?””
The woman laughed softly.
“Closer than you think.””
I felt dizzy.
“What does that mean?””
“She has been watching the trust.””
“For how long?””
“Since the beginning.””
I returned to the children.
Noah was asleep.
Lily was coloring.
She looked up.
“Daddy?””
“Yeah?””
“Did you find Grandma?””
I froze.
“What?””
Lily continued coloring.
“The nice grandma.””
I knelt.
“What nice grandma?””
“The one who comes when Mommy is crying.””
My blood ran cold.
“Lily, when did you see her?””
“She comes at night.””
“How many times?””
“Lots.””
Vanessa stood behind me.
“What are you saying?””
Lily pointed toward the window.
“She told me not to tell Mommy.””
I looked at Vanessa.
Her face had gone white.
“What did she look like?”” I asked.
Lily picked up a crayon.
“Like the picture.””
“What picture?””
“The one in Daddy's box.””
I knew exactly what she meant.
My grandmother.
The photograph from the trust documents.
I sat beside Lily.
“Did she ever talk to you?””
“Yes.””
“What did she say?””
“She said Daddy would come back.””
My throat tightened.
“Did she say when?””
Lily nodded.
“When the bad lady was gone.””
Vanessa began crying.
“What bad lady?””
Lily looked at her mother.
“Grandma said you weren't bad.””
Vanessa stopped.
“What?””
“She said you were scared.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Lily continued coloring.
“She said Mommy forgot.””
“Forgot what?””
Lily looked at me.
“The night Daddy went away.””
I stared at her.
“What night?””
“The night Mommy was crying.””
Vanessa backed away.
“No.””
I looked at her.
“What happened that night?””
“I don't remember.””
Lily looked up.
“She does.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.””
Lily pointed to the television.
“There.””
I followed her finger.
A small black device sat beneath the television.
A camera.
But unlike the others, this one had no red light.
I picked it up.
There was a memory card inside.
I inserted it into the laptop.
The footage showed our living room from six months earlier.
The date was clear.
Vanessa was sitting on the couch.
Lily was beside her.
Vanessa was crying.
A man stood in the doorway.
I couldn't see his face.
But his voice was clear.
“Vanessa, you have to remember.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I can't.””
“You signed it.””
“I didn't know.””
“You have to tell David.””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because she'll hurt the children.””
The man stepped closer.
“You're not protecting them.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“I am.””
“No. You're protecting her.””
The video cut.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Who was that?””
She couldn't answer.
The next clip began.
Same room.
Different night.
The man was closer.
This time I could see his face.
I stopped breathing.
Vanessa whispered:
“My father.””
The man on the screen was older than the photograph.
But it was unmistakably him.
He looked directly into the camera.
And said:
“David, if you're watching this, your father is alive.””
The footage ended.
Nobody moved.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice said:
“David?””
I couldn't breathe.
“Who is this?””
The voice replied:
“You've been looking for me.””
I knew that voice.
I had heard it in the recording.
I whispered:
“Dad?””
A pause.
Then:
“Yes.””
My knees nearly buckled.
“Where are you?””
“Not where you think.””
“Are you safe?””
“No.””
“What do you want?””
His voice became urgent.
“You need to get the children out of that house.””
“Why?””
“Because your wife's mother isn't the person you should be afraid of.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Then who?””
My father's voice dropped to a whisper.
May you like
“Your grandmother.””
The call ended.
