Chapter 5: The Woman Who Knew His Schedule
Marcus didn't sleep that night.
He sat at the kitchen table until sunrise, his phone resting beside an untouched cup of coffee. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Lily's yellow dress in the photograph. Every time he opened them, he saw the seven words that had appeared on his screen.
Stop looking for the person who sent it.
He had not answered.
He had not deleted the message.
He had taken screenshots for his own reference and followed Officer Brooks's instruction to preserve the device. Before doing anything else, he had contacted the appropriate authorities about the threatening message and asked how to protect the evidence.
But he couldn't stop thinking about Vanessa.
She had been beside him throughout the trip.
She had known his schedule, his meetings, the hotel where he stayed, and the hours when he would be unavailable. She knew when he left his jacket in the conference room and when he handed his phone to a colleague to check a reservation.
She also knew Lily existed.
He had shown Vanessa a photograph of his daughter during her first week at the company.
He remembered the moment clearly now.
Vanessa had smiled and said, "She's adorable, Marcus. She has your eyes.""
He had smiled back.
He had trusted her.
That morning, Danielle entered the kitchen wearing the same gray dress and charcoal cardigan. Her braids were still gathered in a loose bun, and her eyes looked even more swollen than they had the night before.
She stopped when she saw him.
"You didn't sleep.""
"No.""
"Neither did I.""
Marcus pushed the coffee cup away.
"I received another message.""
Danielle stiffened.
"What message?""
He showed her the screen.
She read the words, then looked at him.
"Who sent that?""
"I don't know.""
"Could it be Vanessa?""
"I don't know, Danielle.""
She returned the phone to the table.
"That's becoming your answer to everything.""
"I can't invent an answer just to make this easier.""
"I'm not asking you to invent anything. I'm asking you to understand that somebody may know what happened to our daughter, and somebody may be trying to stop us from finding out.""
Marcus stared at her.
"I understand.""
"Do you?""
Her voice was quiet, but the question hurt more than another scream would have.
"Because you were away for weeks. You came home expecting everything to be normal. And now you want me to believe that the person who traveled with you might have had access to your phone, but you never noticed anything unusual.""
"I didn't know there was anything to notice.""
"Then start noticing now.""
Danielle turned toward the sink, gripping the edge of the counter.
Marcus rose slowly.
"I want to help you.""
She looked back at him.
"Then help me find out what happened. Don't ask me to comfort you while I'm still trying to understand how to live in a house where my daughter's bedroom is upstairs and she will never come down those stairs again.""
He had no answer.
At nine that morning, Marcus called the company and requested that Vanessa not be given access to his personal devices or accounts while the matter was being reviewed. He did not accuse her of sending the message. He did not tell his colleagues that she was guilty of anything.
He simply wanted the facts.
At ten, Officer Brooks called.
"Mr. Reed, I understand you've received another message.""
"Yes.""
"Have you replied?""
"No.""
"Good. Please preserve the original message and the surrounding conversation. We'll need to document the new contact and determine what investigative steps are available.""
"Can you trace the number?""
"That depends on the available records and the appropriate legal process. I don't want to promise you a result before we know what information can be obtained.""
Marcus pressed his free hand against his forehead.
"Officer, I need to know who had my phone.""
"We're working on that. I also need you to remember that access alone doesn't establish who sent a message.""
"I know.""
"And don't confront anyone based on a suspicion.""
He glanced toward the stairs.
"Understood.""
After the call, Marcus drove to his office.
He had almost turned around twice.
The building looked exactly as it had before the trip: glass doors, polished floors, receptionists greeting employees, the faint smell of fresh coffee drifting from the break room.
That ordinary world made him feel sick.
His colleagues offered condolences. Some hugged him. Others stood awkwardly near his office door, uncertain what to say to a man whose little girl had died.
Marcus thanked them without really hearing their words.
Vanessa wasn't there.
He called her work number.
She answered on the fourth ring.
"Marcus?""
"Where are you?""
There was a brief silence.
"At home. Why?""
"I need to speak with you.""
"About what?""
"The phone.""
Her breathing changed.
"What about it?""
"The messages. The calls. The fact that you sometimes handled my devices while we were traveling.""
"I already told you I didn't know anything about Lily.""
"Then help me understand the timeline.""
"Marcus, I'm not comfortable discussing this over the phone.""
"Neither am I. Can you meet me at the office?""
"I don't think that's a good idea.""
"Why?""
"Because you're grieving, and everything I say is going to sound suspicious to you.""
He closed his eyes.
"Vanessa, I'm asking you for information, not a confession.""
"I have nothing to confess.""
"Then meet me.""
Another silence followed.
Finally, she said, "I'll come in tomorrow.""
"Why not today?""
"I have things to take care of.""
"What things?""
"Personal things, Marcus.""
He nearly asked another question, but stopped himself.
Officer Brooks had told him not to confront anyone based on suspicion. He needed to remember that Vanessa was a person who might have information, not a suspect whose guilt had already been established.
"Tomorrow," he said.
"Tomorrow.""
She ended the call.
Marcus remained at his desk, staring at the darkened phone screen.
A few minutes later, an email arrived from the company's IT department. It confirmed that his work account had been accessed during the trip from more than one authorized device.
That was not unusual by itself. Vanessa was his secretary. She had legitimate access to his calendar and certain work systems.
But one detail caught his attention.
A login had occurred late Wednesday evening, outside the hours he remembered working.
He forwarded the email to the appropriate company security contact and made a note of the time for investigators.
Then he noticed something else.
A calendar appointment he didn't remember creating had been added during the same period.
It was titled simply: *PERSONAL — DO NOT DISTURB.*
Marcus clicked on it.
The appointment contained no description and no location.
Only one attendee had been added.
Vanessa Cole.
He stared at the screen.
His first instinct was to call her again.
Instead, he took a screenshot, preserved the original record, and contacted the company security team to ask them to retain the relevant logs.
He still didn't know what the appointment meant.
It could have been a mistake.
It could have been an ordinary scheduling entry.
But why had it been created on the same night Lily's teacher was calling his phone?
Marcus leaned back in his chair, his heart pounding.
Then his work email refreshed.
A new message appeared from Vanessa's company account.
There was no greeting, no explanation, and no signature.
Only one sentence.
*If you want to know what happened Wednesday night, ask your wife what she hasn't told you.*
Marcus read it once.
Then again.
He felt as if the floor had shifted beneath his feet.
May you like
For the first time since Lily's death, his suspicion moved away from the woman who had traveled with him.
And toward the woman who had been holding their daughter when the final message arrived.
