Chapter 6 - The Envelope on the Porch
The envelope appeared on Emily’s porch three days after Noah’s first birthday.
There was no stamp.
No return address.
Only her name written across the front in uneven black letters.
EMILY BENNETT.
She stared at it through the window while Noah played beside Colonel James Bennett on the living-room floor.
“Dad,” she called quietly.
James heard something in her voice and stood immediately.
He examined the envelope before opening it with a kitchen knife.
Inside was a single photograph.
Emily was leaving the grocery store with Noah in her arms.
The picture had been taken that morning.
On the back, someone had written:
Ryan wasn’t the only person watching you.
Emily’s knees weakened.
James caught her before she fell.
“Who took this?”
“I don’t know.”
He looked through the front window, scanning every parked vehicle and shadowed doorway.
Then something else slipped from the envelope.
A photocopy of Noah’s birth certificate.
Someone had circled the father’s name in red.
Ryan Walsh.
Underneath it were five words.
He is coming for his son.
James immediately locked every door.
May you like
But across the street, a dark sedan slowly pulled away from the curb.
And neither of them saw the man sitting in the back seat.
