The child was alive.<\/p>\n
That was the first thing Detective Alvarez told me.<\/p>\n
She was approximately eleven years old, severely dehydrated, frightened, and unable to give a clear account of how long she had been underground.<\/p>\n
Her name was Lily.<\/p>\n
She had been missing for six days.<\/p>\n
Her parents had reported her disappearance.<\/p>\n
The camp had never admitted she had been there.<\/p>\n
Renata listened from her hospital bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know Daniela?\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says Daniela helped her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My daughter covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Daniela do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave Lily food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile they were both being kept there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt dizzy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Daniela still there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLily says she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the edge of the chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Daniela was helping someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective's voice became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily says Daniela was moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho moved her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan she identify them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez didn't answer immediately.<\/p>\n
Then she said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Lowell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata shut her eyes.<\/p>\n
The pieces were beginning to fit.<\/p>\n
But the second person remained unknown.<\/p>\n
Lily was brought to a secure medical facility.<\/p>\n
Before she was moved, she told investigators one thing.<\/p>\n
Daniela had hidden a notebook.<\/p>\n
Not the notebook in the backpack.<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
It contained names.<\/p>\n
Places.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
And payments.<\/p>\n
I remembered the old records beneath the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of payments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStaff.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were paid to keep quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat appears to be one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective's careful wording told me she didn't want to make a conclusion before the evidence supported it.<\/p>\n
The search continued.<\/p>\n
The officers found a locked drawer in the hidden office.<\/p>\n
Inside were envelopes.<\/p>\n
Each contained cash.<\/p>\n
Each had a name.<\/p>\n
Some belonged to current employees.<\/p>\n
Some belonged to former staff.<\/p>\n
One belonged to a county official.<\/p>\n
Another belonged to a doctor.<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Renata's name there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela's?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why were they targeted?\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez looked at the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're still trying to answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they saw the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata's voice was stronger.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they saw the boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdults?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective didn't pressure her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked whether we could speak to Lily.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe needs medical care and rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Renata was ten.<\/p>\n
Lily was eleven.<\/p>\n
Neither should have had to know any of this.<\/p>\n
Later that afternoon, Detective Alvarez returned with an update.<\/p>\n
They had located Daniela's mother.<\/p>\n
Her name was Sofia.<\/p>\n
She arrived at the hospital looking as if she hadn't slept in days.<\/p>\n
When she saw me, she stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you Gabriela?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
She reached for my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows Daniela.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank God.\u201d<\/p>\n
We sat together.<\/p>\n
She told me she had known something was wrong three days earlier.<\/p>\n
The camp had called her.<\/p>\n
They said Daniela had become difficult.<\/p>\n
Then they said she had left.<\/p>\n
Then they said she was safe.<\/p>\n
Then they stopped answering.<\/p>\n
\u201cI called the police,\u201d Sofia said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me the camp had records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho gave them those records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeatrice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia's hands trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe showed them a form saying Daniela left voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Daniela?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to compare signatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia pulled an envelope from her purse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis came yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside was a letter.<\/p>\n
The handwriting was a child's.<\/p>\n
Daniela's.<\/p>\n
Sofia had kept it unopened because she had been afraid.<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez examined the envelope.<\/p>\n
Then opened it carefully.<\/p>\n
The letter was short.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, if they say I went home, don't believe them. I found where the names are kept. There are other children. Ask about the old house. Ask about the room under the laundry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia began crying.<\/p>\n
I held her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA second page.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled another sheet from the envelope.<\/p>\n
This one contained a list.<\/p>\n
Names.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
And initials.<\/p>\n
One name was circled.<\/p>\n
Beatrice.<\/p>\n
Another was underlined.<\/p>\n
Mr. Gray.<\/p>\n
The final name was unfamiliar.<\/p>\n
Thomas Vale.<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez recognized it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata, sitting nearby, looked at the paper.<\/p>\n
Her face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man Daniela was afraid of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata pointed to the name.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez asked, \u201cDo you know his last name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Daniela tell you what he did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he never came during the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause people would see him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective wrote everything down.<\/p>\n
Then her phone rang.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
She hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found the second notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the north room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one they told us not to find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd adults?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective looked at Sofia.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's listed as the person responsible for several payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sofia covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Then Renata whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn't the worst one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniela told me there was someone above him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she give you a name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Renata nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot a name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA title.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Alvarez waited.<\/p>\n
Renata whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Keeper.\u201d<\/p>\n
The child was alive. That was the first thing Detective Alvarez told me. She was approximately eleven years old, severely dehydrated, frightened, and unable to give a clear account 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-15264","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\/15264","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=15264"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15291,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15264\/revisions\/15291"}],"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=15264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}