Chapter 4: The Message That Came Too Late
Officer Brooks did not reach for Marcus's phone.
She simply stood beside him, reading the single message on the screen while the room seemed to grow colder around them.
Marcus held the device with both hands. His fingers trembled so violently that the light from the screen shook across his face.
"Tell me what it means," Danielle whispered.
Brooks kept her eyes on the phone.
"Before we draw any conclusions, I need to establish whether Mr. Reed recognizes this conversation.""
"I don't," Marcus said immediately.
"I've never seen this number. I don't remember sending anything to anyone that night.""
Danielle stepped closer.
"Then how did a message leave your phone while our daughter was dying?""
"I don't know!""
"Stop saying that!""
Marcus flinched.
Danielle pressed both hands against her chest, struggling to breathe through the pain that had become a permanent weight beneath her ribs.
"Every time I close my eyes, I see Lily looking for me. I hear the nurse telling me to keep talking to her. I remember telling our baby that Daddy was going to come, even though I couldn't get you on the phone either.""
Marcus's eyes filled again.
"Why didn't you tell me she was asking for me?""
Danielle stared at him in disbelief.
"Because I couldn't reach you!""
"I mean before that night. Why didn't you tell me she had been feeling sick?""
"She wasn't sick for days, Marcus! She was a little girl who needed help. Her teacher called because Lily asked her to.
That's what hurts the most. She believed you would answer.""
He lowered his head.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Officer Brooks finally broke the silence.
"Mr. Reed, do you remember anyone having access to your phone during the trip?""
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"My assistant sometimes arranged things when I was in meetings. But she never needed my personal passcode.""
"Who is your assistant?""
"Vanessa Cole. She started working for me a few months ago.""
"Was she traveling with you when the calls were made?""
"Yes.""
"Did she have physical access to your phone?""
Marcus hesitated.
"She could have. We were in the same hotel. We shared a rental car for part of the trip. Sometimes I'd leave my jacket in the conference room while we were working.""
Danielle looked at him sharply.
"You left your phone unattended?""
"I didn't think I had to guard my phone from someone I trusted professionally.""
"Did you trust her enough to give her your passcode?""
"No.""
The answer came quickly, but it didn't make Danielle feel any better.
Brooks took a careful note.
"I'm not suggesting Ms. Cole sent that message. I'm establishing opportunity, not guilt. We don't yet know who used the phone, who sent the message, or why.""
Marcus nodded without looking up.
"Can you find out?""
"With the appropriate records and cooperation, we can try to establish what happened.""
Danielle walked back toward Lily's photograph.
She touched the corner of the frame with one finger.
"My daughter was five," she whispered.
"She still needed me to cut the crust off her sandwiches. She slept with a stuffed rabbit because she was afraid of thunderstorms.""
Her voice cracked.
"And she thought her daddy would answer.""
Marcus turned away, pressing his knuckles against his mouth.
Officer Brooks closed her notebook halfway.
"Mrs. Reed, did Lily's teacher tell you whether the message arrived before or after Lily passed away?""
Danielle closed her eyes.
"She told me it arrived while I was holding Lily. She said she'd been trying to reach Marcus, and then his number finally responded.""
"Did she say exactly when?""
"No. Not precisely. I was at the emergency department. I couldn't think clearly enough to ask.""
"Do you have the teacher's contact information?""
"Yes. Her name is Mrs. Parker. She teaches Lily's kindergarten class.""
Brooks wrote down the name.
"Would you be willing to help us contact her?""
"Anything," Danielle said.
"I'll do anything if it means finding out why this happened.""
Marcus looked at the phone again.
"Can I call the number?""
"Not yet," Brooks replied.
"Don't respond to the message or delete anything. Preserve the device as it is, and let the appropriate investigators guide the next steps.""
He swallowed hard.
"What if the person who sent it knows we're looking?""
"Then preserving the evidence becomes even more important.""
Brooks asked Marcus to keep the phone secure and not alter the conversation. She explained that investigators would need to determine what records could lawfully be obtained and whether the message could be tied to a device, account, or user.
There were no promises.
No easy answers.
Only a trail of questions leading back to a night nobody in the room could bear to remember.
When Brooks finished speaking with them, she gave Danielle a moment to collect herself before returning to the doorway.
"I'll follow up after I speak with the appropriate people," she said.
"Please call if either of you remembers something that might help.""
Danielle nodded.
Marcus managed a quiet, "Thank you.""
The front door closed behind the officer.
For the first time since his return, Marcus and Danielle were alone.
He stood near the console, staring at the flowers.
"Danielle," he whispered, "I need you to believe me.""
She looked at him.
"I believe that you're hurting.""
"That's not what I asked.""
"I know.""
He took one step toward her.
"I never saw those calls. I never saw the teacher's number. If I had known Lily needed me, I would have come home.
I would have left every meeting. I would have—"
"Then why did your phone answer her?""
Marcus stopped.
His mouth opened, but the explanation he wanted didn't exist.
Danielle shook her head.
"I can't keep listening to you swear you didn't do something when I still have to live with what happened.""
She walked past him toward the hallway.
"Where are you going?"" he asked.
"To Lily's room.""
"Can I come with you?""
She paused.
For a moment, he thought she might say yes.
Then she answered without turning around.
"I don't know who came home with you tonight, Marcus. I don't even know whether I know the whole truth about that phone.""
She disappeared down the hall.
Marcus remained beside the white flowers.
His phone vibrated in his hand.
He looked down, expecting another notification.
Instead, he saw the unfamiliar number again.
A new message had arrived.
This time, it contained only seven words.
*Stop looking for the person who sent it.*
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
He read the sentence twice.
May you like
Then he looked toward the closed hallway door, suddenly aware that whoever had used his phone might know exactly what was happening inside his house.
And might be watching to see what he did next.
