Chapter 6: The Message I Never Expected

I spent the next two days at Becca's apartment.

For the first time in years, my mornings were quiet.

No breakfast to prepare, no shirts to iron, no messages asking me where something was.

It felt strange.

It also felt peaceful.

Cole continued calling, but I kept my phone on silent.

On the third morning, Becca placed a cup of coffee beside me and frowned at my phone.

"He's still calling?"

"Twenty-three times since midnight."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What could possibly be that urgent?"

"Probably nothing."

I put the phone facedown.

A few minutes later, a message appeared from an unknown number.

"Mara, please call me. It's about Elise."

I stared at the screen.

I didn't recognize the number, but the message made my stomach tighten.

Before I could decide whether to ignore it, another message arrived.

"She disappeared last night."

I immediately stood up.

"Who is this?"

The reply came almost instantly.

"Wes."

I frowned.

Wes had never contacted me privately before.

"What happened?"

"Cole is looking everywhere for her. Her phone was found near the river, and the police think she may have gone there because of Cody."

I sat back down.

For a moment, an old instinct rose inside me.

I wanted to call Cole.

I wanted to help.

Then I remembered the last five months.

I had spent too long being responsible for problems that weren't mine.

"I'm sorry. I hope she's found safely."

I sent the message and put my phone away.

Becca watched me carefully.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

"You don't believe her story, do you?"

I looked at her.

"Why would you say that?"

Becca hesitated.

"Because I saw Elise three nights ago."

My heart skipped.

"Where?"

"At a hotel downtown."

I stared at her.

"She wasn't alone."

"Who was with her?"

Becca shook her head.

"I don't know. I only saw them from a distance. But it wasn't Cole."

A strange uneasiness settled over me.

If Elise had really been afraid of Cody, why had she been meeting someone secretly?

And why had she disappeared now?

Before I could think further, my phone rang again.

This time, it was Cole.

I almost declined the call.

Then I remembered Becca's words.

I answered.

"What?"

There was silence on the other end.

Cole's voice sounded exhausted.

"Mara, I need your help."

"I can't help you."

"Please. Just listen to me."

I said nothing.

He took a shaky breath.

"The police found Elise's phone, but they also found something else."

"What?"

"A note."

My fingers tightened around the phone.

"What did it say?"

Cole was silent for several seconds.

Then he whispered, "It said that if anything happened to her, you were responsible."

I froze.

The room suddenly felt unbearably quiet.

"That's impossible."

"I know."

"Why would she write my name?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

I stood by the window and looked out at the street.

For months, Elise had been the person Cole protected from everything.

Now, somehow, she had left behind a message that placed the blame on me.

"Send me a photo of the note."

Cole hesitated.

"Mara..."

"If you want my help, send it."

A few seconds later, an image appeared.

I opened it.

The handwriting was messy, but the message was clear.

"Mara knew everything."

I stared at those four words.

Something about them felt wrong.

I zoomed in on the photograph.

At the bottom of the page was a small symbol drawn in blue ink.

I had seen that symbol before.

It was printed on the envelope of a document Elise had once asked me to deliver for her.

My pulse quickened.

This wasn't random.

Someone had been planning this long before Elise disappeared.

I looked at Becca.

"I think I've just been pulled into something much bigger than a breakup."