Chapter 7 - THE MIDNIGHT CALL
By eleven o'clock, the storm had turned into a full-scale blizzard, howling through the eaves of the old house. Maya was fast asleep in Sophie's childhood bedroom upstairs, tucked beneath a mountain of patchwork quilts, her oversized red coat draped neatly over the radiator.
Anna sat at the kitchen table, wrapped in one of Peter’s old woollen cardigans that Clare had retrieved from the cedar chest. A plate of warmed turkey, roasted carrots, and potatoes sat empty in front of her. For the first time all night, the frantic tension in her shoulders had softened into deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
Daniel sat across from her, turning a mug of black coffee between his hands. His earlier indignation had vanished, replaced by an uneasy guilt.
"I'm sorry," Daniel mumbled, not looking up. "For what I said when I walked in. I was... stressed."
Anna gave a faint, fragile smile. "You don't need to apologize. If a stranger with a black eye showed up in my mother’s house on Christmas Eve, I’d ask questions too."
"My dad was a good lawyer," Daniel said softly, glancing at the framed photo of Peter. "He wasn't around as much as I wanted when I was a kid, but... he was honest. If he was helping you, you were in the right."
Clare came down the stairs, carrying a fresh pot of chamomile tea. As she set it on the table, her mobile phone rang.
The screen read: *Sophie.*
Clare answered immediately, putting it on speaker. "Sophie? Are you all right, love?"
A burst of hospital background noise came through the speaker—beeping monitors, running footsteps, the sharp bark of a doctor calling for an orderly.
"Mum," Sophie gasped, her voice sounding ragged and exhausted. "Mum, are you home? Are you safe?"
"Yes, Daniel is here, and—"
"Mum, listen to me," Sophie interrupted, her tone sending a bolt of fear through Clare’s chest. "I'm on duty in A&E. The police just brought in three men who were in a multi-car collision on the bypass. Two of them had broken ribs, but the third man... Mum, he’s private security. When we cut off his jacket to treat his shoulder, he had a file with a photograph of a woman and a little girl. And Peter's old business card with your home address circled in red ink."
Anna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
Daniel sat bolt upright. "What did you say, Soph?"
May you like
"Daniel? You’re there?" Sophie cried. "Who is Peter's old contact? A man named Vance was in the waiting room demanding they be discharged immediately. He was screaming at the staff, making threats. Mum, they were coming to your house!"
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