Chapter 6 - The Missing Hour.
Daniel stared at his own name printed on the luggage tag.
He had never seen the bag before.
Officer Martin asked everyone to step back.
The gray duffel remained untouched until photographs were taken.
Claire looked sick.
"He told me it was a gift."
Daniel turned toward her.
"You could not have known."
The words mattered because Claire had already begun blaming herself.
Officer Ruiz asked whether Daniel recognized the tag.
"No."
"Do you own similar luggage?"
"Not anymore."
Daniel paused.
"I donated most of my travel bags when I moved last year."
Martin glanced toward him.
"Where did you donate them?"
"A veterans' charity store across town."
The officers exchanged a look.
The bag was opened carefully.
Inside were copies of Daniel's utility bills, an old insurance statement, and several printed photographs.
Most of the photographs showed Daniel entering or leaving his house.
One showed Claire beside him on the front steps.
Another showed his truck outside a grocery store.
Claire whispered one word.
"Why?"
Daniel had no answer.
Officer Martin lifted a sealed envelope from the bottom of the bag.
It was addressed to Daniel in block letters.
The envelope contained a typed letter accusing him of threatening Evan.
The language was formal, almost legal.
Daniel read only two lines before handing it back.
"I never received this."
Officer Ruiz studied the date.
"It says it was delivered six weeks ago."
"It was not."
Claire leaned forward.
"Six weeks ago was when Evan told me Dad hated him."
Daniel looked at her.
"He told you that?"
"He said you called and threatened to ruin his career."
Daniel slowly shook his head.
"I have never called Evan privately."
Claire's face folded with hurt.
"He showed me a call log."
Officer Martin asked for details.
Claire closed her eyes to remember.
"It was one missed call from Dad's number."
Daniel reached for his phone.
"What date?"
She gave him the approximate week.
He searched his history.
There was no call to Evan.
Martin cautioned that call logs on a device were not always complete proof.
Still, the pattern was becoming difficult to ignore.
Claire suddenly remembered something else.
"There was an hour missing from my phone that night."
Daniel frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"I had been texting my friend Megan."
"Then the conversation jumped from seven fourteen to eight nineteen."
"I thought I accidentally deleted something."
Officer Ruiz asked if Megan still had the messages.
Claire stared at him.
"Maybe."
Her hands trembled as she opened her current phone.
She found Megan's contact but did not press call.
"I have not spoken to her in months."
Daniel understood immediately.
"Because of Evan?"
Claire nodded.
"He said she was trying to break us up."
Daniel sat beside her.
"You do not have to repair every friendship today."
Claire looked at the gray duffel.
"No."
Her expression changed.
"But I need to know what happened during that missing hour."
She pressed the call button.
Megan answered after two rings.
May you like
Before Claire could say hello, Megan spoke first.
"Claire, are you finally somewhere safe?"
