Chapter 4: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Frank stared at the photograph on Officer Harris's phone.
His brother was alive.
After twenty years of unanswered questions, funeral prayers without a body, and birthdays spent wondering whether Daniel was somewhere waiting to come home, there he was.
Standing outside an abandoned medical facility.
Beside an eight-year-old boy.
Ethan Carter.
Frank enlarged the photograph with trembling fingers.
Daniel looked older. His hair had turned gray around the temples, and his face was thinner than Frank remembered. But the scar above his left eyebrow was unmistakable.
He had gotten it when they were teenagers, after Frank accidentally knocked him off a motorcycle.
Frank had laughed for three days.
Daniel hadn't spoken to him for a week.
Now Frank couldn't stop looking at that scar.
“That's him,” he whispered.
Ray stood beside him.
“Frank, we need to slow down.””
“That's my brother.””
“I know.””
“He's alive.””
“I can see that.””
Frank handed the phone back to Officer Harris.
“Where was this photograph taken?””
“Security footage from the property. The image was captured yesterday afternoon.””
“Can we get there?””
Officer Harris shook her head.
“Not without authorization. It's a potential crime scene, and we have to coordinate with the missing-persons investigators.””
Frank pointed at the screen.
“My nephew is inside that building.””
“We don't know that he's inside.””
“He's standing beside my brother at a building owned by Dean Miller. What else do you need?””
“I need evidence that will hold up in court.””
Ray placed a hand on Frank's shoulder.
“Let her do her job.””
Frank turned away.
He was trying.
God knew he was trying.
But somewhere in that old building, a little boy was waiting for someone to come get him.
And Frank had already lost twenty years with his brother.
He wasn't about to lose another day with the children Daniel had left behind.
Officer Harris made several calls.
She contacted the missing-persons unit, requested an emergency welfare check, and sent the photograph to investigators.
Then she turned toward Lily.
“Sweetheart, we're going to take you somewhere safe while we investigate.””
Lily clutched Frank's leather vest.
“Can he come?””
Frank crouched.
“I'll be right behind you.””
“Promise?””
“I promise.””
She studied his face.
Then she nodded.
An hour later, the police arranged temporary accommodation through a local child protection service. Ray volunteered to accompany her, while Frank remained with Officer Harris.
Before Lily left, she reached into her backpack.
“Mr. Frank?””
He turned.
“Yeah, sweetheart?””
She handed him a small silver key.
“Mom told me to give this to you if I ever found the Steel Ravens.””
Frank examined it.
There was a tiny engraving on the handle.
*D.C. — 11/02.*
November second.
Tomorrow.
“Do you know what it opens?””
Lily shook her head.
“She said it was something my dad left behind.””
Frank closed his fingers around it.
“Your dad?””
“Daniel.””
Frank looked toward the photograph.
His brother had been alive all this time.
And apparently, he had been leaving messages for a daughter he had never met.
At 10:40 that evening, Frank received a call.
It was Officer Harris.
“Mr. Callahan, we've got something.””
Frank sat upright.
“What happened?””
“The investigators traced the property transfer. Dean purchased the former Willow Creek facility through a company registered under a different name.””
“Can you arrest him?””
“That's being handled separately. But we found something else.””
“What?””
“The building's electricity was reconnected three months ago. There are recent deliveries, food purchases, and medical supplies.””
Frank felt his stomach tighten.
“Someone's living there.””
“Possibly.””
“Ethan?””
“We don't know.””
Frank stood and grabbed his jacket.
“Where are you?””
“At the station. The missing-persons detective is on his way.””
“I'm coming.””
“Frank, listen to me. Do not go near that property.””
He paused.
“I'm not going to do anything stupid.””
“That's exactly what every person says before doing something stupid.””
Despite everything, Frank almost smiled.
“I'll see you soon.””
At the station, Detective Laura Mitchell was waiting.
She was in her late forties, with tired eyes and a folder full of photographs.
She didn't waste time with introductions.
“Mr. Callahan, I've reviewed the information. We have reason to believe Dean Miller has been concealing information about Emily Carter's disappearance.””
“Then why isn't he in handcuffs?””
“We're building a case. His guardianship documents are questionable, the insurance beneficiary change is suspicious, and now we have evidence connecting him to a property where two missing people may have been seen.””
Frank placed the silver key on the table.
“This came from Lily.””
Mitchell examined it.
“Where did she get it?””
“Her mother gave it to her.””
The detective turned the key over.
“D.C. Eleven-two.””
“Daniel Callahan. Tomorrow's date.””
Mitchell looked up.
“Your brother?””
“He disappeared twenty years ago.””
“Have you had any contact with him since?””
“No.””
She studied the key again.
“Then perhaps tomorrow is significant.””
Frank leaned forward.
“Detective, I don't care about tomorrow. I want to know where that little boy is tonight.””
Mitchell opened another folder.
“There's one more thing you need to see.””
She slid a photograph across the table.
It showed Daniel entering the Willow Creek building.
This time, his face was clear.
But there was something else in the image.
A second person stood behind him.
A woman.
Her face was partially hidden by a hood.
Frank stared.
“Emily?””
Mitchell nodded.
“Possibly. The image was captured three days ago.””
Frank felt his chest tighten.
Three days ago.
Emily might still be alive.
Before he could speak, Mitchell's phone rang.
She answered, listened for several seconds, and slowly stood.
“What do you mean the property is empty?””
Frank looked at her.
“What happened?””
Mitchell covered the phone.
“Officers have arrived at Willow Creek.””
“And?””
“They found the building unlocked.””
Frank waited.
“They found a child's jacket, an empty food container, and blood on the floor.””
His stomach dropped.
“Where's Ethan?””
Mitchell looked at him.
“There's no sign of him.””
Then the detective listened to the caller again.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
She slowly lowered the phone.
Frank stepped closer.
“What did they find?””
Mitchell looked directly at him.
“A message written on the wall.””
“What did it say?””
She hesitated.
Then she answered.
“FRANK CALLAHAN KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED IN 2006.””
Frank went completely still.
Because in 2006, his brother hadn't disappeared.
May you like
He had done something that neither of them had ever spoken about again.
And apparently, someone else remembered.
