I carried Sophie inside our apartment. She’d fallen asleep in the car. I laid her in her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin and turned on her nightlight. The little one shaped like a moon.
“Good night, my little princess,” I whispered.
Then I went to the kitchen and made a pot of black coffee I didn’t drink, and I sat at the table and waited.
At 8:45, there was a knock on the door.
Laura stood in the hallway in her black leather jacket. Her hair was pulled back tight. Her face was gray under the hallway light. In her hand was a thick file with a gray cover.
“Thanks for bringing her home,” she said quietly.
“Come in.”
We sat across from each other at my dining table. It felt like an interrogation room.
She set the file on the table, but she didn’t open it right away. She looked at me for a long moment.
“Are you okay? You look terrible.”
“Just tell me, Laura. What’s going on with Matthew?”
She took a deep breath.
“I’ve been working a case. A child sexual abuse case. The accused is your brother.”
I didn’t move.
I didn’t breathe.
It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water in my face.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not joking, David.”
“Matthew? My brother Matthew? There has to be a mistake. He’s a teacher. Kids love him. Parents request him.”
She shook her head. She opened the file and slid a few pages across the table.
“A fifteen-year-old student at his school came forward. She said he groomed her and abused her. There were statements. There were screenshots of messages. It was a strong case.”
“Was?”
“Her family withdrew the complaint. Suddenly. Two weeks after they filed it. And I think somebody got to them.”
I looked down at the papers. The words blurred under the kitchen light. I saw my brother’s name over and over. I couldn’t make myself read the rest.
“But Sophie,” I said. “She’s his niece.”
Laura looked me straight in the eye.
“I know. And that’s exactly why I called. I’m not saying anything has happened to her. I don’t know that. But she’s very close to him, David. And if what’s in this file is true, she should never be alone with him. Not for one minute.”
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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