Chapter 3
The next morning, I woke up to loud knocking.
It was the maid. She looked annoyed. "Mrs. Carter wants you in the living room."
I checked my phone. 6:20 AM.
"This early?" I asked.
"Emily has breakfast at 7 AM every day. Mrs. Carter watches the cook make it. She's calling you while she waits."
I got up, shoved the knife under the mattress, and followed her.
In the living room, Grace was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine. Emily wasn't there. She was probably still asleep.
"Sit," Grace said without looking up.
I sat.
She turned a page. Then she spoke. "Emily had nightmares last night. Cried all night."
"I see," I replied, my tone flat.
"She said you went to her room and scared her."
"I didn't go anywhere," I said. "I was in the cupboard all night."
Grace finally looked up. Her eyes were sharp. "She has a mark on her neck."
"Really," I said. "Probably a mosquito bite."
"Sophie." She put down the magazine. "I don't care what kind of life you had before. But in this house, you don't bully Emily. She's fragile. She can't take being scared."
"I'm fragile too," I said. "I can't take being hungry."
She blinked.
"Last night I only had two pieces of beef. The greens were too bland. I couldn't eat them," I said. "Can I order takeout?"
"What?"
"Takeout," I repeated. "I know how to use delivery apps. I have my own money. But I was kidnapped when I was three, so I don't have a bank account. And you haven't given me any allowance."
Grace's expression flickered. Anger turned into something more complicated. Embarrassment, probably.
"Richard will handle it," she said. "Just wait a few days."
"Okay," I said. "Can I get an advance? Twenty bucks is fine. Just for breakfast."
She frowned, pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her wallet, and threw it on the coffee table.
"Make it last," she said.
I took the money without saying thank you. Then I turned and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Grace called after me.
"To get breakfast," I said. "And look around."
I didn't go get breakfast.
I went to the internet cafe across the street.
The guy working there was middle-aged. He was eating a sandwich. I knocked on the counter. He looked up and stared.
"Internet?" he asked.
"Research," I said. "How much per hour?"
"Two bucks."
I gave him the hundred. "All day. Give me change."
He took the money and stared at my face a little longer. "You look familiar."
"Common face," I said. "Just turn on a computer."
I sat in the corner, opened a browser, and logged into an email account.
Three unread messages. All from the same person.
Me: [Find anything?]
["Richard Carter, owner of Carter Building Materials. Eighteen years ago, his daughter was kidnapped. He never stopped looking. Three months ago, someone sent an anonymous tip saying you were found.]
Me: [Anonymous?]
[Yes. The tip pointed to a specific location. Even a specific house. Richard sent people to check. They confirmed it was you. Then they came to get you.]
Me: [Who sent the tip?]
[Can't find them. They used seven proxies. The final IP was overseas.]
I stared at the screen. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Someone wanted me found. Why?
Me: [Anything else?]
[Carter Building Materials is having cash flow problems. They need an investment. The investor is Shaw Holdings. The condition is marriage. Emily and Nathan's engagement was set three months ago.]
Three months ago. Exactly when I was found.
Me: [What's Nathan's background?]
[Only son of Shaw Holdings. Twenty-six years old. On the surface, a young entrepreneur. But actually, his last fiancée disappeared a year ago. They never found her.]
I narrowed my eyes.
Me: [Got a photo?]
They sent one. In the photo, a man in a suit smiled warmly. But his eyes had something dark in them.
I'd seen him before. Last night at dinner, he sat next to Emily. The way he looked at me was like he was inspecting merchandise.
Me: [Keep digging, especially the relationship between Emily and Nathan. And that missing fiancée.]
[What about payment?]
Me: [Same as always. After it's done.]
They sent a smiley face. [How big are you planning to play this now that you're back?]
Me: [As big as it gets. I've got nothing to lose.]
I logged off, shut down the computer, and walked out of the internet cafe.
The sun was bright. I bought a loaf of bread and ate it on my way back.