Chapter 7 - The Phone Call
Daniel stepped onto the back patio where nobody could overhear him.
He scrolled through his contacts until he reached one name he had not called in nearly a decade.
Samuel Brooks.
Attorney.
Friend.
Former military investigator.
The phone rang once.
"Daniel?"
"I need you."
Samuel immediately recognized something was wrong.
"Where are you?"
"Home."
A pause followed.
"I thought you'd be celebrating."
"So did I."
Daniel briefly explained everything.
No exaggeration.
Only facts.
Lily's condition.
The hidden room.
The staged photographs.
The missing money.
The surveillance cameras.
Samuel interrupted only once.
"Don't accuse anyone yet."
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good. Because if what you're describing is accurate, this is much bigger than family abuse."
Daniel looked through the kitchen window.
Rebecca was laughing with her children as though nothing unusual had happened.
Lily quietly continued washing dishes alone.
Samuel spoke again.
"I'll be there tomorrow morning."
"Bring every document you still have."
"And Daniel..."
"Yes?"
"If they've lied for fifteen years..."
"They've probably prepared for the day you came home."
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time...
He realized Rebecca hadn't looked surprised for very long when she saw him.
Almost...
As if she had expected this day to arrive eventually.
May you like
The question was no longer whether she had hidden the truth.
The question was how long she had been preparing for his return.
