Chapter 2 - The Voice Behind the Wall
Natalie stepped away from the bedroom door.
She had not announced her full name when she entered the house.
Only dispatch knew which officer had responded.
The voice inside should not have known.
“Ashley,” Natalie whispered, “did your father ever talk about me?”
The girl shook her head.
Natalie used her radio.
“Dispatch, confirm no one has contacted the residence since my arrival.”
Static answered.
Then the radio went dead.
The storm had knocked out the local signal.
Or someone had blocked it.
Natalie guided Ashley back toward the kitchen.
The girl moved slowly, as if weak.
Natalie noticed the medicine bottle.
The label had been peeled away.
“How much did you take?”
“Daddy gives me medicine every night.”
“Did he give you this one?”
Ashley looked at the bottle.
“No. It tasted different.”
Natalie’s concern deepened.
She took the bottle and smelled it.
Sweet.
Chemical.
Ashley suddenly swayed.
Natalie caught her before she fell.
At that moment, the bedroom door slammed from the inside.
A man shouted, “Get her out of the house!”
Natalie pulled Ashley close.
“Andrew?”
The voice answered.
“Don’t trust the note.”
Then another voice came from the same room.
Calmer.
Closer to the door.
“Officer Reed, the child is confused.”
Natalie went still.
There were two people inside.
One sounded like Andrew.
The other sounded almost identical.
Ashley whispered, “That’s the bad one.”
Natalie looked toward the kitchen window.
A black sedan sat across the street with its lights off.
She had not noticed it before.
Inside the house, something heavy struck the bedroom floor.
The first voice cried out.
May you like
Then the second voice said, “You should have left when you had the chance.”
👉 Natalie now knew Andrew might still be alive, but someone inside the room was determined to make sure neither he nor Ashley reached the police.
