THE MAN WHO NEVER KNOCKED

Chapter one

The first time I saw Daniel Hayes he was standing outside my apartment at 11:47 p.m., holding a photograph of me wish I could say that was the strangest thing that happened that night

It wasn’t

The rain had been falling for almost an hour, tapping against the windows of The Ivory Residence. I had just finished unpacking the last of my boxes when I heard three soft knocks i froze nobody knew I had moved into apartment 407 that morning Not even Olivia had managed to visit yet I glanced at the clock on my phone.11:47 p.m Who knocks on someone’s door at this hour I approached cautiously and looked through the peephole. A man stood outside. He was tall dressed in a black shirt with the sleeves folded neatly to his elbows. His dark hair looked slightly damp, and his expression was unreadable He wasn’t carrying anything Except a photograp My photograph I stepped back, my heart suddenly beating faster How did he get that I considered pretending I wasn’t home but before I could move away, he knocked again Who’s there I called Your neighbour.His voice was deep calm and surprisingly polite I hesitated before unlocking the door, leaving the security chain in place. Can I help you His eyes moved briefly over my face before settling on mine. My stomach tightened.How do you know my name He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he raised the photograph It was a picture of me standing outside a coffee shop, smiling at someone behind the camera i recognised the dress I was wearing But I had no memory of anyone taking that photographWhere did you get that i demanded He lowered it That’s not important Excuse me I need you to answer one question I folded my arms, trying to hide how uncomfortable I was becoming.You’ve got about ten seconds before I call security For the first time, something changed in his expression. It wasn’t anger. It was something closer to regret Have you ever met a woman named Claire Hayes I stared at him.

No He looked down at the photograph again Are you sure Look i don’t know who you are, and I certainly don’t know anyone named Claire. So if that’s all, I’d appreciate it if you left He remained still for another moment Then he slipped the photograph into his pocket My name is Daniel. Apartment 408 My eyes widened slightly The apartment next door Wonderfu My mysterious neighbour was already giving me reasons to regret moving here. Well Daniel from apartment 408, it’s nearly midnight Some of us have work tomorrow A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth I know. Before I could ask what he meant, he turned and walked towards his apartment. I watched him disappear behind the door. Then I locked mine. Twice. For several seconds, I stood in the middle of my living room listening to the sound of the rain. Something about that man unsettled me. Not just the photograph. Not even the strange question. It was the way he had looked at me, as though he had been searching for something in my face and had finally found it. My phone vibrated. It was a message from Olivia. Are you settling in well little sister I stared at the screen before typing. Yes. Everything is fine. I almost added something about my strange neighbour but decided against it. I didn’t want to worry her over something I couldn’t explain. I placed my phone on the kitchen counter and headed towards my bedroom. Then I heard it. Three knocks Not on my door this time. On the wall separating my apartment from Daniel’sI stopped A few seconds passed Then came a man’s voice, quiet enough to make me wonder whether I had imagined it.Goodnight Amara My blood ran cold. I hadn’t told him my name At least not tonight.And as I stood there in the darkness one thought settled heavily in my mind.

I stood in the middle of my apartment, staring at the wall that separated my room from Daniel Hayes’s. His final words kept repeating in my mind goodnight Amara I couldn’t understand how a man I had never met knew my name let alone why he was carrying a photograph of me I checked the door lock twice before returning to the sofa. My phone lit up with a message from Olivia Are you sure everything is okay I sighed and replied, Yes. I’m just tired. I’ll call you tomorrow I placed my phone beside me and tried to sleep, but my thoughts refused to settle. The photograph kept coming back to me. I remembered the dress I had worn and the place where it was taken, but I couldn’t remember when anyone had captured that moment Just as I was about to close my eyes, my phone vibrated An unknown number You should not have opened that door My heart began to race. Before I could reply, another message appeared Stay away from Daniel Hayes I quickly called the number, but it was switched off I stared at the screen, wondering who could possibly know what had happened in my apartment. I walked towards the window and pulled the curtain slightly. The street was quiet, but a dark vehicle was parked across the road I couldn’t see anyone inside I stepped away from the window and locked the curtains shut By morning, I had barely slept. I opened my door to collect the newspaper someone had left outside, but instead, I found a small white envelope lying on the floor There was no name on it Inside was a single piece of paper with five words written in black ink Some doors should remain closed I looked towards apartment 408 Daniel’s door was shut I had come to Brookhaven hoping to leave my past behind but something told me that my fresh start was about to become the beginning of something I wasn’t prepared for.