The light danced around the inside of the container, bringing it to life inย ๏ฌashes and shadows, moving as Bel did, stepping up into it.
The walls and ceiling were lined with some kind of insulation, panels of corrugated foam. Theย ๏ฌoor too, underneath rugs and blankets.
There was a mattress in the far corner, pillows and more blankets. A camping toilet the other side, with a removable tank. An electric fan, cable wound around its base. A lamp too, unplugged. Piles of ragged clothes and old towels. Giant vats of bottled water, some empty. A chaotic orbit of food; packets and cans and boxes. A lonely fork lying across an opened can of sweet corn. Toiletries, wet wipes, a box of batteries.
And Dad sitting against the far wall, between the toilet and the bed. There was a metal cu๏ฌย around one of his ankles, a chain that snaked around him, disappearing through a small hole in the container wall, attached outside somewhere.
โBel.โย He stood up, chain hissing as he did, unraveling, following him. He only got two-thirds of the way to her before it pulled tight, stopping him. A dark shape in his hand. He clicked it on. Aย ๏ฌashlight, much brighter than hers. He rested it against a box of crackers, pointed at the ceiling,
lighting up the room.
โItย isย you,โย Dad said, voice steadier now, a shadow of dark stubble on his face that the light couldnโt touch.ย โThank God itโs you, Bel. Not her.โย Another shadow crossed his eyes.ย โThought I heard voices. Talking. Is someone with you?โ
โItโs Ash.โย She looked back for him. He was peering inside, a slow blink, like this all might disappear if he didnโt look too long.
โWho?โ
โAsh, from theย ๏ฌlm crew,โย Bel said, louder,ย ๏ฌnding her voice.
Dadโs face shifted, a strange and unfamiliar look, lit from below.ย โSend him away, Bel. He needs to leave, now.โ
Bel glanced between the two of them, pinned in the middle.
โYou need to leave,โย Dad barked at Ash instead.ย โGo away, you hear?
And do not call the police. No police. This is family business.โย Ash looked at Bel.ย โI donโt think I should leave you.โ
โGo!โย Dad pointed with a raggedย ๏ฌnger, his wedding band missing from that hand.
โWait.โย Bel held up her ownย ๏ฌnger.ย โAsh, come with me.โ
She stepped out of the container, down the steps made of old tires, Ash at her side.
โBel,โย he whispered.ย โWhat the fuck? Iโm not leaving yโโ
โI can do this on my own.โย She took his hand.ย โHeโs my dad. Theyโre my parents. My family. I need the truth, all of it.โ
Bel couldnโt hide behind theย ๏ฌlm crew forever.ย โI canโt leave you alone with him, whaโโ
โIโve been alone with him my whole life. Me and Dad, just the two of us. Heโs lied to me, Ash. I have to know what he did, what part he played. He owes me the truth, no one else. He wonโt talk with you here, but maybe heโsย ๏ฌnally ready to talk to me.โ
Ash glanced up at the container, glowing in the middle of the metal maze.ย โAre you sure?โ
โFamilyย ๏ฌrst, huh,โย she said. The trouble was knowing who deserved to be family at the end of it all.ย โIโll be OK. I need to do this. Can youย ๏ฌnd your way back to the car?โ
He slid hisย ๏ฌngers between hers.ย โIโm not worried about me.โ
โDonโt call the police, Ash,โย Bel said, not because Dad had told them. She needed the truthย ๏ฌrst, before she decided what to do with it. Her family. Her parents. Her decision.ย โGo back to the hotel. Iโll call you when itโs done. OK?โ
Ash didnโt answer. He pulled her into him, arms tight, the camera trapped between them. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the tick of his heart.ย โBe safe,โย he whispered, lips grazing her ear.
โI will.โย Dad was chained up; he couldnโt do anything to her. Then another thought, overlapping that one: Dad wouldnโt ever do anything to her anyway, right?
Ashโsย ๏ฌngers trailed down her arm as he turned away, raising his phone, lighting up the hulking shapes of saws and rusted-out cars, picking his way through.
Bel watched him disappear, the maze swallowing him.
She inhaled the darkness. She was ready, counting herself down as she climbed up.
Inside the container, across from her dad.ย โHeโs gone.โ
โNo police?โย Dad said, the question urgent enough to reach his eyes.ย โHe wonโt call the police.โ
โGood.โย He shifted, the chain singing as he did.ย โGod am I glad to see you, kiddo. Donโt know how you found me, but youโve got to get me out of here.โ
โDadโโย Bel began, but he cut her o๏ฌ.
โSheโs crazy. Rachel,โย he said, spitting the name, eyes wide with panic.ย โShe locked me in here for no reason. Told me in the middle of the night she had something to show me. Brought me here, into the truck. Before I knew what was happening, she locked this cu๏ฌย around my ankle. How long has it been, kiddo? Sheโs brought food and water a couple times, but wonโt tell me why she did this, said that giving me any answers would be aย kindness.ย Youโve got to help me. Rachel has the key to this.โย He gestured at
his ankle, raw where the metal hugged the skin.ย โMaybe you canย ๏ฌnd a handsaw in the junk. Help me, kiddo.โ
Bel didnโt move.ย โRachel did this?โย she said, using ignorance as a mask.
She knew a lot more than Dad expected her to.
โYes,โย he said, voice pleading.ย โRachelโs crazy. Something must have happened to her while she was gone, made her lose her mind. She locked me in here for no reason.โ
โWhy would she do that to you, lock you in here, if you didnโt do something to herย ๏ฌrst?โ
Dadโs eyes snapped open.ย โWhat are you talking about, kiddo? Iโve never done anything to her. It doesnโt make sense.โ
Bel chewed her lip.ย โHm, you know what else doesnโt make sense?โย Dad stared at her.
โIf Rachel is crazy, if she locked you up in here for no reason, why donโt you want me to call the police?โ
He took a step back, eyes spinning.ย โBecause,โย he held on to the word, giving himself more time.ย โBecause you know how the police in Gorham are. Dave Winter would probablyย ๏ฌnd some way of making this my fault. Arrest me again.โ
โMaybe he should.โ
โWhat are you talking about, kiddo?โย he said, that last word sharp enough to cut her.ย โCome on, you need to look for a way to get me out of this cu๏ฌ. Force it open, cut the chain. Go look for something. Now!โ
โNo,โย Bel said, wincing at the look on his face. Sheโd never saidย noย to him like that before, she always relented, anything to keep him happy, to keep him from leaving because everyone left, eventually. Except maybe that was never true to begin with.ย โNo, Dad. Iโm sorry, but I need to know why Rachel put you in here.โ
His mouth gaped, open and shut, shifting the shadows on the ceiling.ย โI donโt know, kiddo. Thatโs the honest truth. She must have lost her mind when she was gone, because thisโโ
โShe wasnโt gone, Dad. Rachel was never gone. She was right here, in this red truck, in this container. Chained by the ankle. This is where she was
all those years. Right here.โ
Dad looked around like he was seeing it all for theย ๏ฌrst time. Bel couldnโt trust his eyes, not anymore.
โAnd I know who put her here.โย Bel hardened her gaze.
Dad shook his head, the chain rattling behind.ย โWhy are you looking at me like that? It wasnโt me. I had nothing to do with this.โ
He lied too easily, rolling o๏ฌย the tongue. Maybe because heโd been practicing all her life.
โIt was Grandpa.โย Bel studied him, for any twitch of the truth.ย โGrandpa is the one who took Rachel. He kept her here, on his yard, in this container. Brought her food and water. Brought her books to read to pass the years. All that time she was right here.โย She breathed out some of that darkness.ย โYou knew.โ
โNo!โย His voice cracked, eyes pulling wider, new folds in his skin.ย โI didnโt know. I swear to you, kiddo. You have to believe me.โ
โI always believed you,โย Bel said, hers trying to crack too. She built a new wall over it.ย โYou were innocent. You were the only person who really cared about me, who would never leave. I did believe you. I defended you, told everyone they were wrong about you. Because you had an alibi, you couldnโt have had anything to do with Rachelโs disappearance, right?โ
โYes, thatโs right. Please. You have to get me out of here.โ
โAnd it was almost a good alibi, wasnโt it?โย Bel kept going, ignoring the plea in his eyes.ย โAlmost worked. You cut your hand at work at exactly two oโclock. Because thatโs the time youโd agreed with Grandpa, when he would abduct Rachel. A bad cut, needed stitches. Meaning youโd be at the hospital, on the security cameras there, a solid alibi for the next few hours so they could never suspect you.โ
Dad was shaking his head, blinking.
โOnly Grandpa didnโt take her at two oโclock, did he? He was late, because Rachel went to the mall in Berlin. Grandpa couldnโt intercept until Rachel got to that road where me and the car were found. He didnโt take her until six oโclock, right at the tail end of your good alibi. So it wasnโt so good anymore, was it? Left just enough time, a few spare minutes, for there to be
some doubt, and the police jumped on it.โย Belโs hand dropped to her side, trigger-๏ฌnger ready.ย โYou never planned to be arrested, but you were because Grandpa was late.โ
โBel, listen to me.โ
โNo, you listen! Someone overheard you, Dad. Talking to Grandpa.โ
A twitch by his mouth, too late for him to hide it. He wanted to ask who, but he couldnโt do that, and they both knew it.
โYou planned it all with Grandpa. Rachelโs disappearance. You knew she was here!โ
โNo!โย he shouted, hands trembling as he held them up.ย โI didnโt. I didnโt know she was here!โ
His eyes widened, slipping o๏ฌย her face, mouth dropping open. Couldnโt even look at her as he lied.
โYes youโโ
โHe didnโt,โย a voice said behind Bel, a voice so familiar it almost sounded like her own.
