Chapter 2 - The House Behind UsEvery instinct told me to run.
Take Emily.
Climb the fence.
Get into my truck.
Drive until Sarah’s house disappeared in the rearview mirror.
But Emily had just whispered five words that changed everything.
Mommy tried to stop him.
“Is your mother inside?” I asked.
Emily’s face disappeared against my shoulder.
“I don’t know.”
“Emily, sweetheart, I need you to tell me.”
Her body trembled.
“He got mad.”
“Jason?”
She nodded.
Behind me, something moved inside the house.
I turned.
The back door stood half open now.
I could see part of the kitchen.
A chair had been knocked over.
One cabinet door hung open.
“Daniel!”
Mrs. Harris called from the fence.
“The police are coming!”
“Good.”
I carried Emily toward her.
“Can you take her?”
Emily instantly panicked.
“No!”
She tightened both arms around me.
“Daddy, don’t leave me!”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You’ll go inside.”
Her reaction told me she knew exactly what I was considering.
“I need to know whether your mom is in there.”
“No.”
“Emily—”
“Please.”
She began crying again.
I held her closer.
“Okay. I’m staying.”
That promise cost me more than she could understand.
Whatever happened between Sarah and me, she was still Emily’s mother.
And if she was hurt inside that house, every second mattered.
But I had already ignored enough warning signs.
I wasn’t going to abandon my daughter again while chasing another problem.
Mrs. Harris reached through the fence.
“Give her to me.”
Emily shook her head.
Then Mrs. Harris said softly, “Sweetheart, I’m staying right here where your daddy can see you.”
Emily looked at me.
“Are you coming back?”
“I’m not going anywhere until the police arrive.”
That was when sirens became audible in the distance.
Relief rushed through me.
“They’re almost here.”
I remained in the yard with Emily until officers entered through the front gate.
Two police cars arrived first.
Then an ambulance.
I told an officer about the enclosure, the pool, and Emily’s statement.
Everything changed immediately.
One officer crouched near Emily while another radioed for additional units.
“Sir, I need you to stay here.”
“My ex-wife may be inside.”
“We’ll check.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
The officer’s voice was firm without being confrontational.
“Your daughter needs you right now.”
He was right.
I hated him for being right.
Two officers entered the house.
The rest of us waited.
Those next minutes seemed endless.
Emily sat wrapped in a blanket provided by the paramedics.
She refused to release my hand.
A medic checked her pulse and dehydration while asking simple questions.
“When did you last eat?”
Emily stared at me.
“It’s okay.”
“Yesterday.”
“What did you eat?”
“A sandwich.”
“Who gave it to you?”
Emily looked toward the house.
No answer.
The paramedic didn’t push.
Another officer began photographing the metal enclosure.
The bolt cutters remained beside the broken lock.
Then someone noticed the pool.
A detective who had just arrived walked slowly toward the edge.
“Everybody stay away from the water.”
Emily heard him.
Her grip tightened.
“Don’t.”
I turned her away.
“You don’t have to look.”
She whispered, “He said nobody would find them.”
My blood went cold.
“Find what?”
Emily realized she had said too much.
Her mouth closed.
I didn’t push.
A minute later, one of the officers emerged from the house.
“Back bedroom clear.”
“What about Sarah?” I asked.
The officer ignored the question and spoke into his radio.
Then another officer came outside.
His expression gave nothing away.
“No occupants located.”
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean?”
“The house is empty.”
“That’s impossible.”
They searched again.
Garage.
Closets.
Basement.
Attic.
Nothing.
Jason’s SUV was outside.
Sarah’s car was gone.
But neither Sarah nor Jason was inside.
Then the detective approached.
“Mr. Miller?”
“Daniel.”
“I’m Detective Reyes.”
He glanced toward Emily.
“We’re going to have specialists examine the pool.”
I looked at the black shapes beneath the water.
“How many bags?”
“At least four visible.”
“What’s inside?”
“We don’t know.”
Emily began crying again.
Detective Reyes immediately lowered his voice.
“We won’t discuss that near her.”
I nodded.
Paramedics wanted to take Emily to the hospital.
I rode with her.
Before the ambulance doors closed, I glanced once more toward the backyard.
Investigators were arriving.
Yellow tape had been stretched around the property.
Mrs. Harris stood near her porch with both hands covering her mouth.
And the pool waited beneath the pale morning sky.
At the hospital, doctors examined Emily.
Dehydrated.
Exhausted.
Bruised wrists from gripping the bars.
But physically stable.
The doctor asked me to leave briefly while a child specialist spoke with her.
That was the first moment I had been separated from Emily since opening the enclosure.
I stood in the hallway and felt something inside me collapse.
I thought about every time she had asked to stay another night.
Every time she had become quiet when Jason was mentioned.
Every vague answer.
Every moment I had told myself not to make trouble.
I had confused peace with safety.
My phone rang.
Detective Reyes.
“Daniel, are you somewhere private?”
That question terrified me.
“Yes.”
“We opened the first bag.”
I closed my eyes.
“What was inside?”
There was a pause.
“Clothing.”
I exhaled.
“What kind?”
“Women’s clothing.”
My relief disappeared.
“Sarah’s?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“What about the others?”
“One contained several damaged phones and personal items.”
“And the others?”
“We’re still processing them.”
“Is there a body?”
“No human remains have been found.”
I leaned against the wall.
“Thank God.”
“But there’s something else.”
“What?”
“We found blood inside the house.”
My knees nearly gave out.
“How much?”
“Enough that we’re treating Sarah as a potentially endangered missing person.”
I pressed a hand against my forehead.
“Jason?”
“Also missing.”
“Do you think he hurt her?”
“I’m not making conclusions yet.”
“But you’re looking for him.”
“Yes.”
The hospital door opened.
Emily’s counselor stepped out.
“She wants you.”
I ended the call.
Inside, Emily sat beneath a blanket.
She looked impossibly small.
I sat beside her.
“Hey.”
“Are the police still there?”
“Yes.”
“Did they look in the pool?”
I hesitated.
“They’re taking care of everything.”
Her eyes filled with fear.
“Mommy’s not in the bags.”
It wasn’t a question.
I chose my words carefully.
“They haven’t found your mom.”
Emily looked down.
“I know where she went.”
My heartbeat stopped.
“What?”
She raised her eyes.
“Jason made her leave.”
“When?”
“The night before he locked me outside.”
“Where did they go?”
Emily’s breathing became shallow.
“He put Mommy in the car.”
“Was she awake?”
Emily nodded.
“Was she hurt?”
Another nod.
“Did Jason leave with her?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did he come back?”
Emily looked confused.
“He came back in the morning.”
“Without Sarah?”
“Yes.”
“What happened next?”
Emily swallowed.
“He started putting Mommy’s things into black bags.”
That explained the pool.
Maybe Jason wanted everyone to believe Sarah had disappeared voluntarily.
Or maybe he was destroying evidence.
“Emily, did Jason say where your mother was?”
She shook her head.
Then she remembered something.
“He was talking on his phone.”
“What did he say?”
Emily stared at the wall.
“He said, ‘She’ll stay quiet until Monday.’”
Today was Sunday.
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
Emily looked directly at me.
“He said he had to go back before she got loose.”
I stood so quickly the chair scraped the floor.
Sarah wasn’t just missing.
She might still be alive.
And somewhere, Jason might be returning to wherever he had taken her.
May you like
The police weren’t searching for a body anymore.
They were racing against a clock.
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