Bel was awake before her eyes opened, forced out of sleep with a gasp in her throat.
She sat up in bed. Checked the phone on the nightstand: 2:04 a.m. Something must have woken her, but was she pushed out or was she pulled? A bad dream orโ
There was a noise downstairs. A rustle, a quiet press of steps.
Rachel was awake, moving around.
She must be trying to go somewhere, thinking Bel would sleep through.
Well, Bel hadnโt, drinking too much co๏ฌee today, and the last two nights, to make sure she slept shallowly, dipping in and out. To make sure Rachel wasnโt going anywhere in the middle of the night. But now she was.
Bel swung her legs out of bed, moving as quietly as she could.
She thought Rachel might try something like this. Bel hadnโt given her another choice; sheโd been her constant companion the last two days. Faked a cough to stay home sick from school, wouldnโt let Rachel leave the house on her own.
โI have to go to the bank.โ โIโll come tooโ.
If Rachel caught on, she never showed it, never hesitated.
โThatโs OK, B-Bel. I donโt like being on my own either.โ
Bel heard another hushed swipe of shoes downstairs. A muted thud; something picked up and put down.
She threw on a hoodie and grabbed her phone, navigated to her message thread with Ash; they hadnโt texted since Tuesday. She typed:
Hope this wakes you. Rachel is sneaking o๏ฌย somewhere, Iโm going to follow her. Meet me with the camera. I think this is it.
She slid the phone into the front pocket of her hoodie and tiptoed to the door, feet as light as Rachelโs.
Though Rachel wasnโt silent now; Bel could still hear her, shu๏ฌing around down there, skulking, shaping the darkness with the sound of her feet. She must have thought she didnโt need to, with Bel being asleep and Dad being gone.
Bel opened her door slowly, cursing where the bottom edge scu๏ฌed against the carpet. She stepped out into the hallway. Rachel would be heading toward the front door soon, Bel was sure. Then probably her car, which was Belโsย ๏ฌrst problem. But she could follow on her old bike; it was in the garage and she could be fast, she had everything to lose if she wasnโt. Or if Ash left right now, maybe heโd get here in time with a car, pick her up and follow Rachelโs trail.
See, she could make plans too.
Bel was a shadow among shadows, a dark shape among dark shapes, standing at the top of the stairs. She walked down them, weight in her toes before lowering her heels, a quiet sound among quiet sounds.
She stepped over the one that creaked and stopped three from the end.
Looked toward the living room.
Rachel was in there still, the scratch of shoes on the rug, the rustle of fabric, the beating of Belโs heart inside her own ears.
If Bel headed to the kitchen, she could circle around, try see what Rachel was up to, from the open doorway that adjoined the rooms. Get herself ready to follow as soon as Rachel left.
Bel crept down theย ๏ฌnal steps, across the hall and into the kitchen, the tiles cold through her socks. It was pitch-black in here too, no lights on
downstairs, only the weak silver glow of the moon. If Rachel thought Bel was asleep, why hadnโt she put on a light?
She slid along the counter, hidden from Rachel by the wall between them, past the dining table, stepping over chair legs. Bel pressed herself against the wall, wrapped threeย ๏ฌngers around the edge of the open archway. Leaning into them, she pulled herself closer, silently, headย ๏ฌoating just around the corner, eyes wide and searching.
Rachel was standing with her back turned, by the TV cabinet. She was holding something in both hands, looking down at it. Bel recognized the swirling gold photo frame. She knew exactly what picture that was: her and Dad, taken during a family meal out at Rosaโs Pizza, his arm draped on her shoulder. Carter was a blur, walking through the background.
Why was Rachel so interested in this photo now? Sheโd had weeks to study it if she wanted.
Rachel bent to replace the photo, a gentle clunk as it touched down.
She straightened up in the darkness, standing tall, too tall, half a foot too tall, her shoulders shifting, growing wider than they should.
Belโs heart broke free, theย ๏ฌush of itsย ๏ฌght-or-๏ฌight heat beneath her skin. She blinked to break apart the darkness, to see what she was scared sheโd see. Moved out a little farther to be sure.
It wasnโt Rachel, it was a man.
Bel couldnโt help it, the noise in her throat, her sock slipping under her.
The man whipped around, head snapping her way. He looked just the same, darkness stealing all sense of direction. They stared at each other, these two dark shapes, her here, him there, frozen and unmoving.
Until Bel did move, instinct taking over. Eyes still on theย ๏ฌgure, she snaked her hand along the wall,ย ๏ฌngertips alighting on the cool plastic of the light switch.
A briefย ๏ฌash of hope before theย ๏ฌash of light, that the shadow standing in front of her would be Dad,ย ๏ฌnally home.
Sheย ๏ฌicked the switch, eyes watering in the sudden yellow glare. Bel blinked.
It wasnโt Dad.
But it wasnโt a stranger either; she knew that face, that look in his eyes.
A man in hisย ๏ฌfties, ten years older than the last time she saw him. Dark close-shaved hair, graying in orbits around his long ears, covered with a baseball cap. The wide-set eyes with too much white that made him look forever shocked.
โYouโre not supposed to be here.โย Bel tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She failed.ย โWe have a restraining order against you, Phillip.โ
Phillip Alves smiled,ย ๏ฌnally coming to life in the light, unlocking his arms, swinging them at his sides.
โOops,โย he said, splitting into a laugh that sounded like a dog in pain, wheezy and unnerving.ย โIn my defense, you werenโt supposed to be here either. Thought the house was empty.โ
Empty? The wordย ๏ฌipped over in Belโs head. The house wasnโt empty, and Bel wasnโt alone, because if Rachel wasnโt the one sneaking around the living room, then she had to be upstairs, in bed.
โRachel,โย Bel called, across the kitchen, toward the hall.ย โRachel!โย Louder now.ย โMom?!โ
โSheโs not here,โย Phillip said. Heโd moved closer, while Belโs eyes werenโt there to hold him in place.
โMom?!โ
โRachelโs not here, I said.โย Phillip raised his voice, over her shouting.ย โI wish youโd listen. I saw her drive away twenty minutes ago.โ
Bel stalled, lips half formed around the nextย Mom,ย swallowing it down, thick and gelatinous. Rachel wasnโt here. Rachel had snuck out, and Bel had missed it, missed her chance. Rachel was gone and now Bel wished she wasnโt for a di๏ฌerent reason.
โYou been watching the house again, Phillip?โย Bel lowered her voice, softening the edges, almost friendly, trying to undo the damage her shouting had caused. The air pulsed with the presence of this man, pushing against her ears. Bel didnโt know what he was capable of, and she didnโt know if her sharp tongue would set him o๏ฌ.
He nodded.ย โSince Rachel returned.โ
Bel nodded too, cursing Ms. Nelson for being right, herself for not believing her.
โOK, well, as you said, Rachelโs not here right now, so maybe you can come back another time.โ
That wheezing, hitching laugh again, eyes frozen nightmare-wide.ย โHowโs she been, your ma?โย he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
โSince sheโs been back?โ
โUmโฆโย Bel didnโt know what to do, how to make him leave. Maybe she should keep him talking, keep it friendly. Sheโd texted Ash and he might be on his way here right now. Unless he was asleep, his phone on silent. Or maybe good old Ms. Nelson had seen Phillip breaking in and already called the cops. Fuck, no, Bel had just told her to stop watching their house, to stick her nose out. She hadnโt realized sheโd need it so soon, lashed out and only hurt herself.
โHello?โย Phillip waved at her.
โSorry.โย Bel swallowed. She shouldnโt keep him waiting. She could talk about Rachel while sheย ๏ฌgured out what to do, speak his language. An obsession sixteen years couldnโt shake, because here he was again, right where they started.
โSheโs beenย ๏ฌne,โย Bel said.
โFine?โย Phillip didnโt like that answer.
โItโs been an adjustment,โย Bel said, reusing everyoneโs word.ย โBut sheโs OK.โ
โOK?โย The word cracked open in Phillipโs mouth. Didnโt like that answer either.
โWell,โย she said, trying,ย โit hasnโt all been good. Itโs strange, someone coming back after all that time. Thereโs been disagreements, old things coming back up, you know.โ
Phillip made a sound in the back of his throat.ย โShe told you anything?
About where she was?โ
โShe was kept in a basement.โย Bel swallowed.ย โShe didnโt know the man who took her.โ
Phillip laughed again.ย โOK, OK,โย he said, hands up,ย ๏ฌngers twitching.ย โAnd what about where sheย reallyย was?โ
Bel scratched the back of her head, gave herself time to think. What did
Phillip want to hear? What would make him go away?ย โShe was in a basement.โ
โOK,โย he said, cartoonish and mean, mocking her, head bouncing around on his neck.ย โSo whyโd your dad run away, then, huh?โย He took a step toward her.ย โRachel Price comes home and then a week later Charlie Price takes o๏ฌ. Seems suspicious, donโt it? Donโt tell me you think thatโs just a coincidence, thought you were a smart girl.โ
Bel felt the red-hot surge in her gut, told it that now wasnโt the time. She had to keep a cool head.
โMy dad didnโt run away,โย she said, coolly.
โYes-he-did,โย Phillip retorted, words in one quick slur, enjoying himself. Bel took a breath to slow her heart. Come on, Ash, please be awake,
please be close.ย โNo he didnโt. He wouldnโt do that.โ
Phillip pressed his lips together, like he was trying not to laugh again.
Thank God he didnโt.
โYes he did,โย he said.ย โI saw him.โย Bel abandoned her next sentence.ย โWhat did you say?โย she asked.
Heย ๏ฌashed those strange eyes.ย โNow youโre listening.โ
โWhat do you mean you saw him?โย Bel took a step forward now, regretted it.
โI was watching the house,โย he said, simply.ย โIt was late, around two a.m., and I saw your dad, walking out the front door. Heโd packed a bag. Closed the door real slow, like he didnโt want to wake anyone.โ
Bel shook her head.ย โWhen was this?โ
โYou know when. The night your dad left, Saturday before last. He got into his truck and drove away. I was across the street. Thought he might have spotted me, thought heโd be coming back, so I left.โ
Bel was still shaking her head, hadnโt stopped.ย โNo, thatโs not right. His truck was still here in the morning, how could he have driven away in it?โ
Phillip shrugged, hands hanging in the air by his ears.ย โI donโt believe you,โย she said.
โJust telling you what I saw.โ โWas he on his own?โ
โHe was on his own.โย A swipe of his tongue, wetting his lips.
Bel still didnโt believe him. Phillip was a liar. Of course he was a liar: he was a stalker, unhinged, lost everything because he couldnโt let the mystery of Rachel Price go. Still couldnโt. Still had more to lose.
โSo tell me why you think your dad ran away?โย Phillip perched on the lip of the sofa, settling in.
โHe didnโt.โ
โRachel must have told you something.โ
Bel shifted her weight onto her other leg.ย โShe told me a man took her and kept her in a basement for sixteen years, then he let her go.โ
โBullshit,โย Phillip spat in that whisper-yell Bel remembered.ย โYou must know something.โ
โI donโt,โย Bel said. But she did, she knew a lot more than something. But why did Phillip Alves deserve those answers when no one had given them to her? Fuck him.
โTell me.โย He jumped up again, scratching his neck, leaving a swipe of four angry red lines.
โI donโt know anything!โย She was that eight-year-old girl again, sitting in the backseat, a stranger dressed up as a police o๏ฌcer screaming in her face.
โCome on,โย Phillip said in that breathy shout of his, so much worse than if he just screamed.ย โYouโve been living in this house with both of them. You must know something. Seen something, heard something?โ
โNo.โย Bel watched the change in Phillip, the rage, red spreading from the scratches up his face.
Come on, Ash. Come on, Ms. Nelson. No one was coming, were they?
Bel was on her own.
Not quite on her own: her phone was right here, in the front pocket of her hoodie. Could she call 911 without Phillip seeing? Not really, it was
touchscreen, she couldnโt try without seeing the screen. Still, she slid one hand into the pocket, touching the phone, to know it was there.
โYou have to know something. I need to know what really happened.
Iโve waited so long.โ
He hadnโt waited as long as Bel, it wasnโt his parents, it wasnโt his life falling apart. Aย ๏ฌash of anger, building in the knot in her gut, but she couldnโt let it out, she listened to her fear instead.
โWhy donโt you believe what Rachel says happened to her?โย Bel asked instead, trying to calm him down.
โI need a better answer. The truth. If her story was true, your dad wouldnโt have taken o๏ฌ.โ
โOr maybe Rachel did something to him?โย Bel said, the truth escaping anyway.
โWhy would she do something to him, if he hadnโt done something to herย ๏ฌrst?โย Phillip grinned, thinking heโd trapped her with that one.ย โI saw him leave, remember. She wasnโt with him.โ
Bel exhaled.ย โMy dad didnโt have anything to do with Rachelโs disappearance, Rachel has said that herself. He had an alibi.โ
โSure.โย Phillip mocked her again.
โHe was found innocent,โย Bel said, holding it in when she wanted to explode at him, this man whoโd made her story his own, who didnโt deserve any part of it.ย โYou didnโt see his face when Rachel returned. He didnโt know she was alive, I can promise you that. I know him better than anyone. He was at the hospital that day, then he drove home. He wasnโt involved.โ
Phillip lurched forward, doubling over with that terrible, wheezing laugh, the sound creeping through her.
She gripped the phone harder.
โWhat are you laughing at?โย she asked, not sure she wanted to know, scared that Phillip Alves was the end point of the way sheโd chosen for herself. Did she sound like this when she talked about Rachel?
โYou know,โย Phillip said, still laughing,ย โthis isnโt theย ๏ฌrst time Iโve been inside this house. Almost got caught then too.โ
โWhat are you talking about?โย Bel shifted her weight again, legsย ๏ฌzzing.
โI was here sixteen years ago. Got in the same way. The catch on that window is broken, by the way.โย He pointed over his shoulder.ย โYou should get thatย ๏ฌxed. Anyway.โย His eyes stretched wider somehow, unblinking.ย โI thought Iโdย ๏ฌnd some clues while nobody was in. The police were starting to look at your dad, April I think, before his arrest. I knew it was supposed to be me, toย ๏ฌnd out who killed Rachel. I was in the kitchen when I heard a car pull up. I didnโt have time to make it outside, so I went upstairs. Into theย ๏ฌrst door I saw. Turned out to be your bedroom, a crib in the corner.โ
Belโs safe place. Maybe it had never really been all that safe.
โI hid in your room, listening. Charlie came in the front door. He was with someone, another man. I didnโt recognize his voice. I couldnโt hear everything but they were arguing about something.ย Shh, donโt wake Annabel,ย your dad said, so you must have been there too.โ
Phillip wasnโt looking at her, he was staring at a point just beyond her shoulder, lost in the memory. Maybe now was Belโs chance, while he was distracted. She shu๏ฌed back, hiding one arm behind the archway into the kitchen, swapping the hands in her front pocket.
โI didnโt hear a lot, they were being quiet for your sake,โย Phillip said, like it was her fault. Bel closed herย ๏ฌngers around her phone, started to drag it slowly out the other side.
โBut Charlie was angry, because he knew the police were looking at him as their main suspect. He shouted one thing and I heard. Iโd never forget.โ
Phillip still hadnโt blinked, his strange eyes watering over. Bel glanced down, sliding the phone screen clear of her pocket. It couldnโt see her face, asked for a passcode instead, but Bel thumbed the emergency button.
Phillip still wasnโt watching, clearing his throat for the next part.ย โYour dad said,ย I donโt care if youโre sorry. We agreed two oโclock. You didnโt keep to the time and now look whatโs happened.โ
The keypad was open. Bel pressedย 9,ย thumbย ๏ฌoating toward theย 1,ย eyes
darting up to check she was clear.
She wasnโt.
She sti๏ฌed a gasp, turned it into a cough. Phillip was staring at her, waiting for a response. But he couldnโt see what her left hand was doing
behind this wall.
โThat could have been about anything.โย Bel held his gaze, but she wouldnโtย ๏ฌnd theย 1ย without her eyes.ย โHe was probably talking about something that day, someone being late for lunch or something.โ
Phillipโs neck cricked, a one-sided twitch in his cheek.ย โThey were talking about Rachel. About the police investigation,โย he said, like he thought heโd trapped her again.
โRachel disappeared around six oโclock,โย she countered, eyes itching to look down, watering. She let them,ย ๏ฌnding theย 1,ย pressing it twice as she returned her gaze.
โBut your dadโs alibi began at two oโclock, didnโt it?โย Phillip smiled.ย โThatโs when he cut his hand.โ
Bel pretended to think about that, dropping her eyes, but they didnโt reach theย ๏ฌoor, catching on her phone instead. She found the call button at the bottom, thumb following her gaze to it.
โHey! What are you doing there?โ
A rush of heavy feet and Phillip was on top of her. He slammed his hand down into hers and the phone crashed onto the tiles.
โWhat were you doing there, trying to call the police?โย His eyes were onย ๏ฌre now,ย ๏ฌngers gripped around Belโs wrist, squeezing too hard.
โNo.โย Bel struggled against his iron grip, the adrenaline hiding the pain from her.ย โI was trying to show you something. Evidence I found. About Rachel.โ
โOh.โย Phillip pulled back, mouth still formed around the ghost of the sound as he let her go. He turned to where the phone had skidded, reached down for it.
โFuck you,โย Bel growled, locking her bones and charging at Phillip. He shouldnโt have turned his back on her, she wasnโt eight anymore, or that abandoned baby in the backseat. She shoved him and he fell, rolling with the momentum.
Bel didnโt wait to see the look of shock in his eyes. Sheย ๏ฌew toward the back door, forcing the handle down.
Phillip had got up too fast; she felt the disturbed air behind her.
She pulled the door as he grabbed her ponytail, jerking her head back, exposing her neck.
Belโs arm shot up, elbowย ๏ฌrst. She slammed it into his face, right between those eyes. Heard a crunch.
Phillip shrieked, slapping his hands to his bleeding face.
Bel slipped outside the open door, into the dark night. Crossed the patio in three strides, onto the wet grass, soaking through her socks.
โHelp!โย she screamed.ย โHelโโ
Her ponytail jolted back again, ripping at her scalp.
She slipped with the force of it, falling to the grass, the air knocked out of her in one desperate rasp.
Phillip dropped too, pinning her wrists to the ground.
โWhat evidence do you have?โย he panted, blood dripping from his nose onto her face, sliding into her hair.ย โWhat do you know?โ
โHelp!โย Bel screamed.ย โMs. Nelsonโโ
Phillip let go of one of her wrists, slapping his palm against her mouth to silence her, the salt of blood and his clammy hands. But he couldnโt hold her mouth and both her hands at the same time. She reached up,ย ๏ฌngers outstretched, scrabbling at his strange eyes. Her nails scraped something soft and wet.
Phillip screeched, squinting, holding both her wrists again, releasing her mouth.
โTell me what you know!โย he roared.
โI donโt know anything!โย She pushed against the grass, trying to buck him o๏ฌ. Come on, Ms. Nelson. Come on, Ash. Help her. Please.
โI need to know!โย His scream pulled at the tendons on his neck, sinewy and red-raw.
โFuck you,โย Bel spat in his face, forced a knee into his chest.ย โYou donโt need to know. I do! Why the fuck do you deserve the answers?โ
โTell me!โ
โNo!โ
A scream. But it wasnโt Bel and it wasnโt Phillip. Two pale hands shot out of the darkness.
Phillip was thrown o๏ฌย her, rolling in the moonlit grass. Bel looked up, breath fast and ragged.
Rachel was standing there, against the starless sky.
Her eyes were glittering and mean, mouth bared, showing all her teeth. She glared down at Phillip and roared again. A desperate, terrible sound, but Bel wasnโt afraid anymore, wasnโt alone.
โIโll kill you!โย Rachel screamed. She doubled back, grabbing the rake from the patio.ย โTouch my daughter, Iโll fucking kill you!โย She raised the rake above her head, stumbling toward Phillip.
She was going to do it, she was.
Rachel swung but Phillip scrabbled back, the rake catching one of his ankles. He screeched. Rachel dragged it back to go again.
Phillip didnโt give her the chance. He pushed up to his feet and bolted, across the dark grass, into the trees at the back, disappearing into the night.
Rachel dropped the rake. Bel sat up.
Rachelโs eyes whipped back to her, not mean anymore, still glittering.
She hurried over, falling to her knees at Belโs side.
โAre you OK?โย she said, gently holding the sides of Belโs head.ย โYouโre hurt.โ
Bel glanced down at her gray hoodie, stained with spatters of red.ย โItโs not mine,โย she said.ย โThink I broke his nose.โ
โAre you OK?โย Rachel asked again, and maybe she didnโt mean the blood after all.
โFine.โย Belโs voice cracked.ย โWhere were you?โ
โIโm sorry.โย Rachel pulled Bel closer, arms around her, one hand pressed to the back of her head, like it was made toย ๏ฌt right there.ย โIโm sorry.โ
Bel wanted to push her away, but she also wanted to stay like this for a moment longer, exhausted, the shakes coming on, Rachel warm against them. Belโs body betraying her, forgetting that it was Rachel they were supposed to be scared of.
โIt was Phillip Alves,โย she said, giving herself a reason to pull away.ย โThe police told you about him, right? The one who was obsessed with you,
with the case. The one who took me when I was eight.โ
Rachel watched her closely. No stars in the sky but there were in her eyes.
โI wonโt let him near you again, I promise,โย Rachel said.ย โMy job to protect you.โ
โYou werenโt here.โย Belโs voice shrank.
โI need to call the police,โย Rachel said, wiping her eyes. She rubbed a hand down Belโs sleeve and straightened up.ย โThen weโll get you inside, OK?โ
Rachel swiped at her phone, raised it to her ear.
Bel could hear the dial tone ringing, splintering the quiet night like their screams must have done.
A click.
โO๏ฌcer Winter?โย Rachel turned, facing the back of their house.ย โItโs Rachel Price. Itโs an emergency. Phillip Alves was just in our house. He attacked Bel.โ
โIโmย ๏ฌne,โย Bel called in the background, standing up, wiping wet grass from her legs.
โYes,โย Rachel said, an answer to some unheard question.ย โYes.โย Another.ย โHe ran o๏ฌย through the backyard. Send o๏ฌcers now. You have to get him.โ
Rachel turned back, eyes picking Bel out of the darkness. The yellow glow of inside lit up half her face, the gray light of the moon on the other. She breathed in.ย โItโs him, Dave. Phillip Alves. The one youโre looking for. The man who took me.โ
