Chapter 3
There was a ripping sound.
The rough burlap tore open without any resistance.
The smell of old, musty stuffing poured out, along with just a hint of blood.
I didn't stop; I kept going, cutting the whole belly open with the scissors.
Black and yellow stuffing spilled out, looking just like cheap innards.
I frantically jabbed the scissors into the stuffing, stirring it up like a madwoman.
Suddenly, my fingertips hit something cold and solid.
My heart clenched.
I carefully pushed aside the stuffing and pinched it out with my fingers.
It was tiny, barely bigger than my thumbnail.
It was pitch black, shaped like an irregular, square-ish block, with a smooth surface, it looked like some kind of electronic component.
On one side, a tiny red dot was blinking steadily.
Was this... some kind of listening device?
Or maybe a tracker?
My mind was reeling.
Did Michael put this thing inside the doll?
What the hell was he trying to pull?
Was he trying to spy on Lily and me?
The thought made my blood run cold.
He ignored us for three years after the divorce—so why would he suddenly do something like this now?
Wait...
That woman's plea for help...
If this was a bug, then the voice must be coming from someone on the other side.
Someone was reaching out for help through this device!
I felt like I'd been tossed into a freezer—chilled to the bone, fear crawling all over me.
My hands were still shaking uncontrollably.
I tried to steady myself and kept digging through the stuffing.
If someone was asking for help, there had to be more hidden inside.
Sure enough, as I dug deeper into the doll, my fingers brushed against something else.
It wasn't solid.
It was soft—a thin, flimsy piece.
I fished it out and unfolded it.
It was a tiny scrap of paper, folded up into a small square.
The paper was rough, like it had been torn straight out of a notebook.
The handwriting was messy, the letters all twisted and shaky, like the person who wrote it was scared out of their mind—but one could still make out what it said.
There was just one sentence.
[Help me. He's watching me.]
I couldn't tear my eyes away from that sentence, and it felt like my blood had frozen solid.
It was word-for-word what I'd heard through the listening device.
This wasn't a hallucination.
This was real.
A woman was crying out for help, using the doll Michael sent.
Who could it be?
Was it Michael's new bride?
That woman in the photo, the one with that big, happy smile?
Why would she be asking me for help?
Was Michael controlling her?
My mind was spinning out of control, a thousand chaotic thoughts exploding all at once.
This was way beyond just some family drama now.
This was about illegal surveillance, possibly even holding someone against their will.
I couldn't just brush it off as some twisted joke anymore.
I stared at the bug and the note in my hands, then my eyes landed on the gutted doll lying on the floor, its insides spilled everywhere.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
I grabbed my phone and called 911 without a second's hesitation.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Hello, this is the emergency dispatch center," the operator said.
I did my best to keep my voice steady, even though I was shaking inside.
"I want to report something.
"I think... I think someone's using a rag doll for something illegal. Someone might be in danger," I said, my voice trembling.
I quickly laid out everything that had happened for the police, not leaving out a single detail.
From the moment I received the doll, to Lily acting strangely, and finally to discovering the listening device and that desperate note begging for help.
The operator's voice immediately grew serious.
"Ma'am, please don't panic.
"Can you tell me your exact location?
"Please preserve the scene and do not touch any evidence.
"We'll send someone over right away!"
After hanging up, I sat on the couch, arms wrapped around myself, feeling like all the strength had been sucked out of me.
Outside, the darkness was suffocating.
How much evil was quietly brewing in the shadows of this city?
I never thought that one day, evil would knock on my door in such a bizarre, chilling way.
About twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
I looked through the peephole and saw two uniformed police officers outside.
I opened the door.
Leading the way was an older officer; his expression was stern, but there was a gentle look in his eyes.
He flashed his badge for me to see.
"Hi, are you the one who called?" he asked.
I nodded and stepped aside to let them in.
The younger cop glanced around the living room, taking everything in at a glance.
Their eyes finally settled on the pile of stuffing and the torn doll lying on the floor.
The older officer slipped on gloves, crouched down, and carefully inspected the gutted doll.
"Where's the listening device and the note?" he asked.
I handed him the bug and the note, both wrapped in a tissue.
He took them and examined them closely.
The younger officer started asking me about the details.
"Are you sure this doll was sent by your ex-husband, Michael?" he asked.
"I'm sure. The address on the package was his new wife's place," I replied.
"Have you and your ex-husband had any conflicts lately?" he asked.
"We haven't spoken in three years," I said, shaking my head. "The only issue is that he's never fulfilled his duties as a father to my daughter."
The older officer stood up, his expression serious as he looked at me.
"Ms. Evans, this might be a lot more complicated than you think," he said.
He held up the evidence bag containing the listening device.
"This is a professional-grade bug. One can't just buy something like this off the shelf.
"And it's a short-range bug, meant for close-proximity surveillance.
"That means the receiver must be somewhere close by," he said.
My heart skipped a beat.
Close... How close?
He didn't answer me directly. Instead, he hit me with a question that made my skin crawl.
"Besides your ex-husband, is there anyone else who might've gotten their hands on this doll?" he asked.