The officers searched the underground corridor again.<\/p>\n
This time they were looking for red.<\/p>\n
Not blood.<\/p>\n
Not paint.<\/p>\n
Anything deliberately placed.<\/p>\n
They found the first mark near the bottom of the stairs.<\/p>\n
A tiny red thread caught on a nail.<\/p>\n
Then another twenty feet farther.<\/p>\n
Then another beside a broken pipe.<\/p>\n
Renata was right.<\/p>\n
Daniela had left a trail.<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez photographed each piece before anyone touched it.<\/p>\n
The trail continued toward the retreat house.<\/p>\n
I watched the photographs arrive on my phone.<\/p>\n
Each one was ordinary by itself.<\/p>\n
Together, they formed a direction.<\/p>\n
The officers followed it.<\/p>\n
The passage narrowed.<\/p>\n
At one point, they had to crouch beneath a beam.<\/p>\n
Then they reached a concrete wall.<\/p>\n
There was no door.<\/p>\n
Only another red thread.<\/p>\n
An officer ran his hand along the wall.<\/p>\n
Something shifted.<\/p>\n
A section opened inward.<\/p>\n
Behind it was a small chamber.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
Except for a child's shoe.<\/p>\n
Red.<\/p>\n
Renata saw the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's hers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez asked, \u201cAre you certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wore them every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective searched the chamber.<\/p>\n
There was a small wooden shelf.<\/p>\n
On it sat three empty bottles and a plate.<\/p>\n
The food on the plate was still fresh.<\/p>\n
My heart began racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was that food placed there?\u201d<\/p>\n
The forensic team examined it.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata whispered, \u201cShe's alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one contradicted her.<\/p>\n
The officers moved deeper into the passage.<\/p>\n
Then they found something unexpected.<\/p>\n
A second staircase.<\/p>\n
This one led upward.<\/p>\n
At the top was a door.<\/p>\n
The door opened into a storage room inside the retreat house.<\/p>\n
The camp had been evacuated.<\/p>\n
No children remained.<\/p>\n
No staff were supposed to be there.<\/p>\n
Yet the room smelled faintly of bleach.<\/p>\n
The same smell I had noticed on Renata.<\/p>\n
Alvarez called.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're inside the retreat house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it empty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a hidden office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of office?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFiles. Computers. Locks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything about Daniela?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name appears in several places.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're still reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
A moment later, Alvarez sent another photograph.<\/p>\n
A typed sheet.<\/p>\n
At the top:<\/p>\n
SUMMER SESSION \u2014 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT.<\/p>\n
Below it were instructions.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaintain consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLimit parent communication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemove unauthorized photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDocument injuries as accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
I asked Alvarez whether this was enough for arrests.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst Beatrice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mrs. Lowell?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the caretaker?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's where things get complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found records showing Elias Ward had access to the property under several names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the message.<\/p>\n
Then another came through.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's a security log.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it show?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone entered the underground level tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system lists an access code.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice's.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Renata.<\/p>\n
She whispered, \u201cShe came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officers searched the house again.<\/p>\n
They found a basement door open.<\/p>\n
Beyond it was another corridor.<\/p>\n
At the end was a room with a desk.<\/p>\n
On the desk sat a phone.<\/p>\n
It was still receiving messages.<\/p>\n
Alvarez called.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe phone belongs to Beatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
One message read:<\/p>\n
THE GIRL HAS BEEN MOVED.<\/p>\n
Another:<\/p>\n
DO NOT LET THEM FIND THE NORTH ROOM.<\/p>\n
And a third:<\/p>\n
THE MOTHER KNOWS TOO MUCH.<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez didn't answer.<\/p>\n
I knew.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
A final message arrived.<\/p>\n
THE BLANKET IS NOT THE ONLY COPY.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're trying to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Renata spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela made another copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave it to someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich teacher?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez asked through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould it have been Mrs. Lowell?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hated Mrs. Lowell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about another teacher?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Evans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez wrote the name down.<\/p>\n
I remembered him from the camp orientation.<\/p>\n
A quiet man who had barely spoken.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Daniela give him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA memory card.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn't find a second card.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn't have it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the person she trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said her mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt my heart stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela's mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe mailed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore camp.\u201d<\/p>\n
That didn't make sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she mailed it before camp, how could it contain what happened there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe mailed something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective asked, \u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know the address?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Daniela tell you what she wrote?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata's eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she wrote, \u2018If they tell you I ran away, don't believe them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n
The police now had a second direction.<\/p>\n
Daniela's mother.<\/p>\n
If she had received the letter, she might know why the child had been targeted.<\/p>\n
Alvarez began searching public records.<\/p>\n
Then she called back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot where she lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe reported Daniela missing three days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a shock run through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the camp told everyone Daniela went home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid the mother know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried to report it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe local office told her the camp had confirmed Daniela left voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho confirmed it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela's mother has been receiving anonymous letters for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThreats?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWarnings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez read one.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop asking about the children.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
The entire story had been bigger than Renata.<\/p>\n
Bigger than Daniela.<\/p>\n
It had begun long before either girl knew what was happening.<\/p>\n
Then a scream came through the detective's radio.<\/p>\n
She pulled the phone away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer found a hidden room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs anyone inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela?\u201d<\/p>\n
The radio crackled.<\/p>\n
The officer's voice came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Daniela.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata heard it.<\/p>\n
She whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
The officers searched the underground corridor again. This time they were looking for red. Not blood. Not paint. Anything deliberately placed. They found the first mark near the bottom of … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15253,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15290,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263\/revisions\/15290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}