Chapter 7 - Someone Came Back
Nathan was out of the chair before Ruiz finished saying his name.
They reached the house in twelve minutes.
The front door was open.
Mrs. Alvarez stood across the street with Lily and Noah behind her. Lily was barefoot, clutching Noah's hand.
Nathan ran to them.
"Are you hurt?"
"No," Lily said. "We were at Mrs. Alvarez's. I saw a man go in through our backyard."
Ruiz drew her weapon and entered with two patrol officers.
Nathan waited outside because she ordered him to.
Those five minutes felt longer than the year since Emma died.
Finally Ruiz came out.
"Clear. Whoever it was is gone."
Inside, Emma's desk drawers were dumped out, closet boxes ripped open, and Lily's room searched.
"They went through my daughter's things."
Ruiz scanned the untouched electronics. "This wasn't a burglary. They wanted something specific."
Lily stood at her bedroom doorway.
"The blue box."
Nathan turned. "What blue box?"
"Mommy's box. The one Victoria asked me about."
Nathan crouched. "When did she ask?"
"Yesterday. Before you came home. She said Mommy gave me a blue box and I had to tell her where it was. I said I didn't know."
"Do you know?"
Lily nodded.
She walked to her bookshelf, pulled out a worn copy of The Secret Garden, and opened the back cover.
A small paper square had been taped inside.
Nathan unfolded it.
It was a hand-drawn map of their backyard.
An X marked the old cedar playhouse Emma had built for the kids.
Under the X were four words.
For Lily. When she remembers.
Ruiz looked at Nathan.
They crossed the yard and pried up a loose floorboard inside the playhouse.
Beneath it sat a blue metal box.
The brass key from Emma's notebook fit the lock.
Inside was no money.
No jewelry.
Just a phone wrapped in plastic.
May you like
And taped to the phone was a note.
Lily saw more than I did.
