Chapter 3 - THE RED TRAIN IN MY SON'S BEDROOM
My husband had hidden something inside Leo's favorite toy.
For eighteen months, that toy had sat on a shelf above his bed.
A little red wooden train.
One wheel missing.
The number seven painted on its side.
Daniel had given it to Leo on his third birthday.
I remembered him saying, “Take care of this one, buddy. It's special.”
I'd thought he meant it was sentimental.
Now I wasn't so sure.
Peter arranged for Sam and Rose to receive medical care. He also contacted the police about the men watching the diner.
I refused his offer to move into his mansion.
“I don't know you,” I said.
Peter nodded.
“Fair enough.”
But when he offered to have an officer accompany me home, I accepted.
I wasn't thinking about Peter's reputation anymore.
I was thinking about Leo.
Thirty minutes later, we entered my apartment.
The front door was locked.
The lights were off.
Everything seemed normal.
Until I reached Leo's bedroom.
His toy shelf was empty.
I froze.
The red train was gone.
My stomach dropped.
“No.”
Leo pushed past me.
“Mommy, where's Daddy's train?”
I couldn't answer.
His stuffed dinosaur lay on the floor.
His blanket had been moved.
One dresser drawer stood slightly open.
Someone had been inside.
An officer immediately checked the apartment and called for additional assistance.
I stood in the hallway, holding Leo.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
“Mara Ellis?”
“Yes?”
“You should have stayed out of Castiglione business.”
My blood turned cold.
“Who is this?”
“Your husband made the same mistake.”
I gripped the phone.
“What did you do to Daniel?”
The man laughed softly.
“Daniel was offered a chance to forget what he found.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“He wouldn't.”
“No,” the man said. “He wouldn't.”
Then the call ended.
I began crying.
For eighteen months, I'd believed Daniel's death was a terrible accident.
Now I was hearing a stranger speak as though someone had punished him for protecting people.
The officer preserved the call information.
Then another message arrived.
A photograph.
The red train.
Sitting on a metal table.
Beneath it were six words.
YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.
I stared at the photograph.
Then noticed something strange.
The missing wheel had been repaired.
My breath caught.
Daniel had never fixed that wheel.
Which meant this wasn't Leo's original train.
Someone had made a copy.
I looked toward Leo.
“Sweetheart, did Daddy ever give you another train?”
Leo nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
He pointed toward my bedroom.
“Daddy said to hide it where you keep your happy pictures.”
My heart nearly stopped.
Because I knew exactly what he meant.
May you like
My wedding album.
And I hadn't opened it since Daniel died.
