Chapter 8 - What Noah Found
Noah had found the USB two days earlier.
A section of molding near the old laundry room had cracked when workers forced the door.
Behind it was a narrow cavity.
Inside sat a small plastic container.
Noah, curious and unaware of its importance, opened it.
There were two items.
A USB drive.
And a handwritten note.
He took the USB because he thought it might contain games.
The note remained hidden.
When Emily asked where the drive was now, Noah pointed upstairs.
"In my backpack."
Margaret immediately moved toward the staircase.
Daniel blocked her.
"Why do you want it?"
"I don't."
"You just ran."
"I was surprised."
Daniel stared at her.
Margaret stopped trying.
Noah brought the USB downstairs.
Daniel connected it to an offline laptop.
The drive contained seven folders.
Most were encrypted.
One opened immediately.
Video.
Daniel clicked.
The footage was grainy.
Old.
Converted from analog tape.
Timestamp: November 18, 1999.
The old laundry room appeared.
Daniel stopped breathing.
The camera must have been hidden high in one corner.
Margaret entered.
Younger.
Forty years old.
Claire followed.
She wore the yellow sweater.
Daniel whispered, "Claire."
Emily touched his shoulder.
In the video, Claire climbed into a laundry basket while Margaret folded sheets.
Normal.
Domestic.
Then a man entered.
Thomas.
Daniel had never seen him before, but the resemblance to Richard was unmistakable.
Thomas grabbed Margaret's arm.
There was no audio.
They argued.
Claire began crying.
Thomas pointed at her.
Margaret stepped between them.
Thomas shoved Margaret.
Claire ran.
Thomas caught her.
He dragged her toward the washing machine.
Emily covered her mouth.
Margaret stood behind them watching her own past.
Thomas opened the machine door.
Claire screamed silently.
Margaret grabbed a metal iron.
She struck Thomas.
He fell.
Exactly as she described.
Claire ran from the frame.
Margaret knelt beside Thomas.
Thirty seconds passed.
Then Margaret ran after Claire.
The room remained empty.
Emily leaned closer.
"Watch."
Thomas moved.
He slowly stood.
Then something impossible happened.
Another person entered the room.
A woman.
Margaret gasped.
"No."
Daniel turned.
"You know her."
Margaret stared at the screen.
"No."
"You reacted."
The woman helped Thomas stand.
They spoke.
Then Thomas pointed toward the hall.
The woman followed him.
Neither returned.
The recording continued for twelve minutes.
Margaret came back alone.
Panicked.
Searching.
Then Richard entered.
The video ended.
Daniel replayed the mysterious woman's entrance.
"Who is she?"
Margaret shook her head.
"I don't know."
Mrs. Lewis whispered:
"I do."
Everyone turned.
The housekeeper stared at the frozen image.
"That's Evelyn Reed."
Margaret frowned.
"The nanny?"
Mrs. Lewis nodded.
Daniel looked at his mother.
"You had a nanny?"
"For Claire."
"Where was she that night?"
Margaret stared at the screen.
"She told police she went home early."
Emily whispered, "She lied."
Mrs. Lewis nodded.
"Evelyn disappeared from Connecticut three days after Claire."
Daniel felt a new possibility forming.
"She helped Thomas take Claire."
Margaret looked sick.
"Maybe."
Daniel searched the drive.
Another folder opened.
Letters.
Scanned documents.
Payments.
Photographs.
One image showed Evelyn and Thomas outside a motel in 2001.
Claire stood between them.
Alive.
Daniel gripped the desk.
Another photograph.
Claire older.
Another.
No longer a little girl.
Then the photographs stopped.
The final accessible file was a text document.
Three words.
FIND EVELYN FIRST.
Daniel looked at his mother.
"Who created this USB?"
Margaret whispered, "Richard."
"How do you know?"
"Because he used that phrase."
"What phrase?"
"Find Evelyn first."
"When?"
"The week before he died."
Daniel stared.
"You never told me."
"He was confused from medication."
"Or he finally found something."
Emily looked at the encrypted folders.
"We need someone to open these."
Daniel nodded.
Noah stood beside them.
His expression had changed.
"What?"
Emily asked.
He looked toward Margaret.
"Grandma knows the password."
Margaret froze.
Daniel slowly turned.
"How would Noah know that?"
May you like
Noah whispered:
"Because I saw her open it yesterday."
