Chapter 3: Six Inches Away
His fingertips stopped less than six inches from my face.
I couldn't breathe.
Dust burned my nose, and every instinct screamed at me to pull away. But if I moved even an inch, the floorboards would creak.
The man's hand remained perfectly still.
Then it slid a little farther beneath the bed.
My heart pounded so hard I was certain he could hear it.
His fingers brushed against something.
A small cardboard box.
He pulled it toward him.
I silently thanked God.
The box had been sitting near the foot of the bed, hidden in the shadows. If it hadn't been there, his hand would have reached my arm.
He stood.
"I'll leave this here," he said.
The metallic object clinked against the wooden floor.
"The key?"
Lily asked nervously.
"Don't lose it."
"I won't."
"You'll need it next Friday."
"What happens next Friday?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
His answer was calm, almost cheerful.
It chilled me more than if he'd shouted.
The man walked toward the bedroom door.
"Remember," he said without turning around. "No phone calls. No messages. No mistakes."
"I understand."
The bedroom door opened.
A few seconds later, I heard footsteps descending the stairs.
The front door closed.
Silence.
Neither of us moved.
I waited nearly a full minute before hearing a quiet sob.
Then another.
Lily collapsed onto the floor beside her bed.
She cried as though she'd been holding it in for weeks.
I couldn't stay hidden any longer.
"Lily."
She froze.
Slowly, I crawled out from beneath the bed.
The moment she saw me, every trace of color disappeared from her face.
"Mom?"
Her voice cracked.
She stumbled backward until she hit the wall.
"No..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"No, no, no... you weren't supposed to be here."
I stood up, brushing dust from my clothes.
"Honey..."
"You have to leave!"
She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bedroom door with surprising strength.
"You have to go right now!"
"Lily, listen to me."
"No!"
Her entire body was shaking.
"If he finds out you were here..."
"He won't."
"You don't know that!"
She looked toward the window as though expecting someone to be watching the house.
Her breathing became rapid.
"He always knows."
I gently held her shoulders.
"Lily, who is he?"
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I can't tell you."
"He threatened you."
"I know."
"He threatened to kill me."
Fresh tears rolled down her face.
"I know."
I stared at my daughter.
She wasn't acting like a rebellious teenager caught in a lie.
She was terrified.
Completely terrified.
I wrapped my arms around her.
For several seconds she resisted.
Then she finally collapsed against me, sobbing into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for."
"I should've told you."
"You can tell me now."
She pulled away and wiped her eyes.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because he wasn't lying."
"Lily..."
"He proved it."
Those three words sent another wave of fear through me.
"What do you mean?"
She looked toward the closed bedroom door before answering.
"Three months ago, I came home from school and found an envelope on my bed."
"What was inside?"
"A picture."
"What kind of picture?"
She swallowed hard.
"It was you."
I frowned.
"Me?"
"You were leaving work."
A cold sensation spread through my chest.
"He had pictures of you getting coffee."
She nodded.
"Pictures of you shopping."
Another nod.
"And one of you sleeping on the couch through the living room window."
Every hair on my arms stood up.
Someone had been watching me.
Watching us.
For months.
"He wrote one sentence on the back."
"What did it say?"
Lily's lips trembled.
"'If you ever tell your mother about me, she'll never wake up again.'"
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
I had thought I was protecting my daughter.
In reality...
She had been carrying this nightmare alone.
"For three months?" I whispered.
She nodded.
"He kept giving me instructions."
"What kind of instructions?"
"Small things at first."
She counted them on her fingers.
"Leave the back door unlocked."
"Put certain papers in the mailbox."
"Take pictures of people's houses."
My stomach twisted.
"And when I tried to stop..."
"He reminded you about me."
She nodded again.
"He always knew where you were."
I looked toward the bedroom window.
Across the street sat a dark blue SUV.
Its engine was running.
The windows were tinted.
I hadn't noticed it before.
A man sat behind the steering wheel.
Even from that distance...
I could feel him watching our house.
My blood ran cold.
Slowly, the driver's side window rolled down.
The driver didn't wave.
He didn't smile.
He simply raised a cell phone.
A second later...
My own phone vibrated inside my pocket.
Unknown Number.
Hands trembling, I answered.
A familiar voice spoke.
"I told Lily exactly what would happen if she let you find out."
My heart stopped.
The voice continued.
"Now look out your front window."
I did.
The man in the SUV smiled.
Then he slowly pointed toward the elementary school at the end of our street...
Where dozens of children were playing outside for recess.
Including my six-year-old nephew, Noah, who attended school just two blocks away.
"You have five minutes," the man said calmly.
"Come outside alone."
May you like
"Or the next family to lose someone won't be yours."
The line went dead.
