THE MAN WHO NEVER KNOCKED

Chapter Five 

I could not take my eyes off Daniel His last words had left me speechless He was the last person who had seen Claire alive yet he had allowed me to believe that he was simply a worried brother searching for his missing sister I wanted to ask a hundred questions but my mind was struggling to process everything What do you mean you were the last person who saw her alive I finally asked Daniel placed the photograph on the table and ran a hand through his hair The night Claire disappeared she called me She sounded frightened and she begged me to meet her at an old house outside the city She said she had something important to tell me And you went I asked Yes What happened when you got there Daniel looked towards the window She was already waiting when I arrived She kept looking over her shoulder as though someone was following her I asked what was wrong but she refused to explain until we were somewhere safe Before I could get her into my car another vehicle pulled up My stomach tightened Who was inside I asked I could not see clearly The headlights were shining directly at us Claire told me to leave but I refused We argued for a few seconds and then someone got out of the vehicle I remember hearing a loud noise When I looked back Claire was gone I stared at him Gone Just like that He nodded slowly I searched everywhere I called her name checked the road and even searched the nearby bushes There was no sign of her I reported everything to the police but they could not find anything that helped the investigation Why did you not tell the police about the other vehicle I asked I did But I could not identify it or the person driving it I lowered my eyes And you never told your mother Daniel gave a tired smile My mother knew I had met Claire that night but she never knew the full story She blamed me for not protecting my sister Sometimes I blame myself too For a moment I felt sorry for him Despite his secrets I could see the pain he had carried for three years But sympathy could not erase the fact that he had watched me from a distance and deliberately hidden the truth Why did you bring me into this I asked Because Claire trusted you Whatever she discovered she believed you were the only person who could help her But I do not remember helping her with anything I replied That is what I cannot understand I moved towards the sofa and sat down My thoughts returned to the memory I had experienced earlier The rain the streetlight and the womans voice begging me to keep something safe I closed my eyes trying to remember more but the memory remained incomplete Daniel sat opposite me You should rest We have had a difficult morning I looked at him Do not tell me what I should do Daniel You have kept enough secrets from me already He nodded accepting my anger without arguing Before either of us could speak again someone knocked on the door Three slow knocks Daniel immediately stood up I looked at him confused Are you expecting someone He shook his head Stay here He walked towards the door and looked through the peephole His expression changed Who is it I whispered Daniel did not answer Instead he opened the door slightly A young man stood outside wearing a grey jacket and holding a brown envelope He looked nervous and his eyes moved between Daniel and me Mr Hayes he asked Yes Who are you My name is Samuel I was asked to deliver this to you Daniel took the envelope but did not open it immediately Who sent you Samuel hesitated A woman What woman I do not know her name She paid me to bring it here and leave immediately Daniel looked at him suspiciously When did she give it to you About an hour ago Daniel reached into his pocket and brought out some money but Samuel shook his head She already paid me Before Daniel could ask another question the young man turned and hurried down the staircase Daniel closed the door and examined the envelope My heart was beating faster Open it I said He carefully removed a folded sheet of paper There was only one sentence written inside The truth is buried where the moon meets the water Beneath the sentence was the same crescent moon symbol we had found on the key Daniel stared at the paper for a long moment Do you know what it means I asked He shook his head Not yet I reached for the silver key on the table Maybe this belongs to something Daniel examined it again Claire used to wear a necklace with this symbol She said it represented something important to her Did she ever mention a place connected to the moon or water I asked He thought for a moment before answering There was an old boathouse near the lake outside Brookhaven She used to go there when she wanted to be alone I looked at the note again Where the moon meets the water Daniel nodded slowly It could be a clue I stood up Then we should go there Absolutely not I turned towards him Excuse me Amara whoever sent that message knows where you live Someone has already tried to enter your apartment I am not taking you somewhere that could put you in danger I folded my arms You do not get to make that decision for me I am not trying to control you Then stop treating me like someone who cannot think for herself He stared at me and for a moment neither of us spoke Then his expression softened I know you are frightened I am too But I cannot risk losing another person because of Claires disappearance His words surprised me I looked away suddenly aware of how close we were standing There was something different about Daniel when he stopped hiding behind his cold expression Beneath his confidence was a man who had spent years carrying guilt and unanswered questions I wanted to understand him but I was afraid of what understanding him might cost me Eventually we agreed to visit the lake the following morning Daniel insisted that we should inform someone he trusted about our plans He called Marcus his business partner and explained what had happened Marcus arrived less than thirty minutes later He was dressed casually with his usual confident smile but it disappeared when Daniel showed him the note Where did you get this Marcus asked Someone delivered it Daniel replied Marcus examined the crescent symbol carefully I have seen this before Daniel immediately looked at him Where In Claires old apartment There was a wooden box with the same symbol engraved on it I stepped forward What was inside the box Marcus looked at me before answering I do not know Claire never allowed anyone to open it Daniel frowned Why did you not tell me about this before Because I thought it was just one of her personal belongings I did not know it had anything to do with her disappearance Daniel turned away clearly frustrated Marcus looked at me You must be Amara I nodded Yes He offered a small smile I have heard about you I raised an eyebrow I hope nothing embarrassing He laughed softly Nothing I can repeat in front of Daniel For the first time that morning I almost smiled But the moment passed when Marcus added There is something else you should know Claire was not the only person who disappeared around that time Daniel looked at him sharply What are you talking about Marcus lowered his voice A few weeks before Claire went missing a woman who worked with your mother suddenly left Brookhaven Nobody heard from her again Who was she I asked Marcus looked directly at Daniel Her name was Rebecca Daniels expression changed Rebecca was my mothers personal assistant Exactly Marcus replied And I remember Claire arguing with her shortly before she disappeared The room fell silent I looked at Daniel waiting for an explanation but he seemed just as surprised as I was Why would Claire argue with my mothers assistant he asked Marcus shook his head I do not know But I remember hearing Claire say that Rebecca had discovered something she was not supposed to know I felt a chill move through my body Another woman another disappearance and another secret connected to Daniels family Suddenly the mystery seemed much bigger than Claire Before Marcus could continue my phone vibrated again I looked at the screen This time the message came from a number I recognised Ethan Cole My hands went cold as I opened it It has been a long time Amara We need to talk Stop listening to Daniel He does not know the whole truth I read the message twice Daniel noticed my expression and approached me What is wrong I slowly turned the screen towards him His jaw tightened as he read Ethans name Marcus let out a quiet breath Well this just became more complicated Daniel looked at me Do not reply to him Why I asked Because I do not trust him I stared at the message again Despite everything Ethan had done to me seeing his name brought back memories I had tried so hard to bury I remembered the way he used to make me laugh the promises he made and the night he walked away without giving me a proper explanation I had convinced myself that I was finally free of him Now he was reaching into my life again bringing questions I was not ready to answer Another message arrived I know what happened to Claire And I know what you were asked to keep My breath caught in my throat I looked at Daniel then at Marcus Neither of them spoke For the first time I realised that Ethan might know something about my forgotten past that even Daniel had never discovered And whatever Claire had trusted me to protect three years ago someone was becoming desperate to find it.