My Neighbor Asked Me to Watch Her Daughter for One Hour… She Didn’t Come Back Until Sunrise
Chapter 3
Daniel had never been inside Claire Bennett’s basement.
Nobody on the street had.
The house had always seemed normal from the outside: white siding, dark shutters, flower boxes beneath the windows.
But now Daniel stood at the top of his own basement stairs holding a flashlight while Sophie whispered behind him.
“The box is under the stairs.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Your mother said this?”
Sophie nodded.
“She said nobody could know.”
Lily stayed upstairs with the bedroom door locked.
Daniel had called the police.
But before he could explain everything, the phone line had gone dead.
That alone frightened him.
He tried his cell phone.
No signal.
He walked to the basement window.
Nothing.
Not even one bar.
That was strange.
The basement smelled of concrete and old cardboard.
Daniel descended slowly.
Sophie followed.
“You should stay upstairs.”
“I know where it is.”
Daniel didn’t argue.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sophie pointed.
“Behind that shelf.”
Daniel moved the shelf aside.
Nothing.
“Here.”
She pointed lower.
Daniel crouched.
There was a loose wooden panel.
He pulled it away.
Behind it sat a metal box.
Small.
Black.
Locked.
Sophie handed him the brass key.
Daniel inserted it.
The lock clicked.
Inside were three things.
A flash drive.
A photograph.
And a folded document.
Daniel picked up the photograph first.
It showed Claire.
Evan.
And Sophie as a baby.
They were standing in front of a large brick building.
Daniel turned the photograph over.
On the back were four words:
Trust no one in Springfield.
Daniel frowned.
Springfield was only twenty miles away.
He unfolded the document.
His eyes widened.
It was a legal agreement.
At the top was the name of a company.
Hawthorne Logistics Group.
Daniel recognized it.
Everyone in the region knew Hawthorne.
It was one of the largest transportation companies in Ohio.
Its founder, Richard Hawthorne, was a respected businessman who donated millions to local charities.
Daniel kept reading.
The document appeared to be a confidential settlement.
Then he saw Evan Bennett’s signature.
And below it:
Witnessed by Claire Bennett.
“What is it?” Sophie asked.
Daniel folded it.
“Something your mom wanted kept safe.”
“What happened to Daddy?”
Daniel looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
A sound came from upstairs.
A floorboard creaked.
Daniel immediately switched off the flashlight.
Sophie grabbed his hand.
Someone was inside the house.
Daniel whispered:
“Stay behind me.”
They heard footsteps.
Slow.
Measured.
The bedroom door upstairs opened.
A man’s voice called:
“Mr. Carter?”
Daniel recognized it.
Marcus.
He had returned.
Daniel’s eyes moved toward the basement window.
There was no escape.
Then another voice came from upstairs.
A woman.
“Daniel?”
He froze.
It was Claire.
“Daniel, it’s me.”
Sophie almost ran toward the stairs.
Daniel caught her.
“Wait.”
The woman’s voice sounded exactly like Claire.
“Please. I came back.”
Daniel stared at the ceiling.
Then he heard something else.
A quiet metallic click.
Like a gun being loaded.
His heart pounded.
He whispered to Sophie:
“Do not make a sound.”
The footsteps descended the stairs.
One.
Two.
Three.
Daniel gripped the flashlight like a weapon.
A shadow appeared.
Then a face.
Not Claire.
Marcus stood on the stairs.
He looked down at Daniel.
“You found the box.”
Daniel raised the flashlight.
“Stay back.”
Marcus sighed.
“If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn’t still be standing.”
“Where is Claire?”
Marcus didn’t answer.
“Where is she?”
“She went to meet someone.”
“Who?”
Marcus looked at Sophie.
“The man who knows what happened to her husband.”
Sophie began crying.
Daniel stepped between them.
“You’re not taking her.”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“I don’t want the child.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because someone else does.”
He pulled a folded photograph from his coat.
Daniel recognized the brick building.
Hawthorne Logistics.
Marcus pointed at the flash drive.
“That contains evidence that can destroy them.”
Daniel stared.
“Who?”
“Hawthorne.”
The name hung in the basement.
Marcus continued.
“Evan Bennett discovered something three years ago. He tried to expose it.”
“What happened?”
“He disappeared.”
“And Claire?”
“She’s been trying to finish what he started.”
Daniel looked at Sophie.
“Why leave her with me?”
Marcus’s expression changed.
“Because Claire knew exactly who she could trust.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You barely know me.”
Marcus gave him a strange look.
“Claire knows more about you than you think.”
Before Daniel could ask what that meant, headlights flashed through the basement window.
Marcus looked toward the street.
His face hardened.
“They found you.”
“Who?”
Marcus pulled out his phone.
“They aren’t here for the drive anymore.”
Daniel heard tires screech outside.
Marcus looked directly at him.
“They’re here for Sophie.”
