Chapter 2 - The Man Outside the Door
Maya stared at Frank through the peephole.
The phone continued ringing in her hand.
Frank.
The elderly man beside him looked directly at the door as if he knew she was watching.
“Maya,” Frank said again. “Open the door.”
“Why should I trust you?”
Frank’s expression tightened.
“Because if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t have brought him here.”
The elderly man stepped closer.
“My name is Arthur Bell,” he said. “Your mother knew me.”
Maya’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“What was her name?”
Arthur’s face changed.
“Elizabeth Carter.”
Maya unlocked the door but kept the chain attached.
“Tell me something only someone who knew her would know.”
Arthur looked down.
“She used to sing when she was frightened.”
Maya froze.
Her mother had sung in the kitchen every night.
The same three lines.
A song Maya had never heard anywhere else.
Arthur whispered the words.
Maya opened the door.
Behind her, the phone stopped ringing.
Then another message appeared.
“DO NOT TRUST THE OLD MAN.”
Maya looked up.
May you like
Arthur had seen it.
And for the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
