Chapter 9: The Last Three Taps
Darkness swallowed the room.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The only sound was the rain hitting the windows.
Then—
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
My entire body froze.
I knew that sound.
I had spent my whole life knowing that sound.
But this time, it wasn’t comforting.
It wasn’t my mother standing outside my bedroom door when I was a child.
It wasn’t a message of love.
It was a warning.
“Ethan.””
My mother’s voice trembled.
“Stay behind me.””
I almost laughed.
After everything she had survived, she was still trying to protect me.
But before I could answer, the emergency lights flickered on.
The room slowly filled with a weak red glow.
The police officer immediately reached for his radio.
“Everyone stay where you are.””
My father moved toward the hallway.
“No.””
The officer blocked him.
“We don’t know what’s happening.””
I stared at the old wooden floor.
The taps had come from somewhere beneath us.
Not the walls.
Not the door.
The floor.
My father looked at the hidden compartment under my bed.
His face changed.
“Wait.””
Everyone turned toward him.
“What?””
He walked slowly toward the bed.
“The floorboard.””
My heart started pounding.
The officer followed.
“What about it?””
My father pointed.
“When I hid the evidence here, I sealed one section.””
He looked at me.
“But there was another compartment.””
I frowned.
“I don’t remember that.””
“You were too young.””
My father knelt down.
He pressed his fingers against the wooden panel beside the hidden box.
Then he pushed.
A small section moved.
Everyone stepped closer.
Inside was another space.
And inside that space…
was a phone.
An old phone.
The kind people used before smartphones existed.
My mother covered her mouth.
“No.””
My father picked it up.
The screen was cracked.
But it was still on.
One missed call.
One saved recording.
One name.
Claire.
Nobody spoke.
The officer looked at my mother.
“Did you know about this?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
My father stared at the phone.
“Someone wanted us to find this.””
The device suddenly vibrated.
Everyone jumped.
Incoming call.
The screen lit up.
The name appeared.
Richard Parker.
My mother stepped back.
“He’s calling?””
The officer motioned for silence.
“Answer it.””
My father pressed the button and put it on speaker.
For several seconds, there was only breathing.
Then Richard’s voice filled the room.
“You found it.””
Nobody answered.
Richard laughed softly.
“I knew Ethan would.””
My hands tightened.
“You used me.””
Richard didn’t deny it.
“No, Ethan.””
His voice was calm.
“I trusted you.””
My anger burned.
“You put my mother in a coffin.””
A pause.
Then Richard said something unexpected.
“I didn’t.””
The room became silent.
My mother stared at the phone.
“What?””
Richard continued.
“You think I was the person who planned everything?””
My father stepped closer.
“You tried to kill Claire.””
“Yes.””
The honesty was horrifying.
“But I wasn’t the first.””
My mother whispered:
“Who?””
Richard didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he said:
“Play the recording.””
Everyone looked at the phone.
“What recording?””
“The one hidden in the second compartment.””
My father looked down.
There was a tiny button beneath the phone.
He pressed it.
A new recording started.
But the voice that came from the speaker wasn’t Richard’s.
It was my mother’s.
A younger version of my mother.
A frightened version.
“If you’re hearing this, then I failed.””
My mother covered her mouth.
“That’s my voice.””
The recording continued.
“I need someone to know the truth. Daniel didn’t disappear because of Richard.””
My father went still.
“Then who?””
The recording continued.
“Richard was trying to expose someone else.””
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“He was…”
The recording played.
“Someone in our family has been controlling everything.””
The room felt colder.
The same sentence.
The same nightmare.
But this time, there was more.
“Someone who knew our schedules.””
“Someone who had access to our home.””
“Someone who knew Ethan better than anyone.””
My heart sank.
Because suddenly, I understood.
The person who knew my bedroom.
The person who knew my childhood.
The person who knew the three taps.
My mother looked at me.
“No.””
The recording continued.
“If something happens to me, Ethan must never be told the truth until he is ready.””
A pause.
Then:
“Because the person behind this is…”
The recording cut off.
Static filled the room.
My father grabbed the phone.
“No.””
He hit it again.
Nothing.
The officer checked the device.
“The file is damaged.””
My mother looked terrified.
“But you know who it is.””
Everyone looked at Richard’s phone still connected.
Richard spoke quietly.
“You finally understand.””
My father picked up the phone.
“Tell us.””
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You still don’t see it.””
My father’s expression changed.
“See what?””
Richard whispered:
“The person who started this never needed to hide.””
A long silence.
Then he said:
“They were already standing beside Ethan when he cried over Claire’s coffin.””
My blood went cold.
The funeral.
The coffin.
The flowers.
The people.
Everyone who watched.
Everyone who pretended to mourn.
My mother whispered:
“Richard…”
But he continued.
“She didn’t want Claire dead.””
“She wanted Claire afraid.””
My father’s face lost color.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“Who?””
Richard answered.
May you like
And the name broke the entire world apart.
“Your grandmother.””
