Ben’s notebook.
The photographs.
The damaged phone.
The evidence he’d hidden before the trip.
“What did you do to my family?”
Aaron was silent.
Then he whispered:
“Ask Owen where Caleb is.”
My heart stopped.
I turned toward my son.
His face crumpled.
“Owen?”
He began crying.
“Mom, Caleb’s still with them.”
***
Aaron took another step.
I moved backward.
“Don’t come closer.”
He raised his hands.
“Rachel, I can help you.”
I stared at him.
“You had five years to help me.”
His expression changed.
For a moment, he looked genuinely ashamed.
Then he said something strange.
“Your brother-in-law is coming.”
Michael.
Ben’s younger brother.
The man I’d called that morning.
The man who’d warned me not to tell Aaron what I’d found.
My stomach tightened.
“How do you know?”
Aaron didn’t answer.
Then Owen whispered:
“Mom, there’s another way out.”
I looked at him.
He pointed toward the dark space behind the cabinet.
