Chapter 1 - THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENT
Daniel Vance knew something was wrong the moment he walked into the kitchen and saw the birthday cake untouched.
Eight pink candles leaned slightly in the frosting.
A silver balloon shaped like the number eight floated above the table.
Half a dozen wrapped presents were stacked beside Sophie's empty chair.
But Sophie was nowhere in sight.
Daniel had left work early because he had promised his daughter he would never miss another birthday dinner.
He had expected music.
He had expected laughter.
Instead, the house felt unnaturally quiet.
"Claire?"
His wife appeared from the hallway wearing a pale blue dress and carrying two wineglasses.
"You're early."
Daniel stopped.
"Where's Sophie?"
Claire's smile barely moved.
"She had a tantrum."
"What kind of tantrum?"
"She refused to apologize."
Daniel looked at the cake again.
"Apologize for what?"
Claire placed the glasses down.
"Daniel, please don't ruin tonight."
Then he heard something.
A faint sound beneath the floor.
Daniel turned toward the basement door.
Claire moved quickly.
"There's nothing downstairs."
Daniel stared at her.
"I didn't ask."
Claire's face changed.
Daniel opened the basement door.
"Daddy?"
The voice came from below.
Daniel ran down the stairs.
He found Sophie sitting on the concrete floor beside the laundry room.
She was wearing the purple birthday dress Daniel had bought her.
Her knees were pulled against her chest.
There were dried tears on her cheeks.
And beside her was an empty paper cup.
"Sophie?"
Daniel dropped to his knees.
"What are you doing down here?"
Sophie's lower lip trembled.
"Daddy, I was hungry."
Daniel slowly looked back toward the stairs.
Claire stood at the top.
"She lost dinner."
Daniel could not believe what he had heard.
"It's her birthday!"
"She needed consequences."
"For what?"
Claire folded her arms.
"For stealing."
Sophie immediately shook her head.
"I didn't steal anything."
Daniel stood.
Claire's expression hardened.
"She took money from my purse."
"I didn't."
"Twenty dollars."
"I didn't!"
Daniel looked from Sophie to Claire.
Then he remembered something.
Three weeks earlier, he had installed a camera downstairs after several tools disappeared from his workshop.
Claire had told him yesterday that the camera had stopped working.
Daniel stared at her.
"You said the camera was broken."
Claire became very still.
"The video is downstairs."
"Daniel, don't."
He walked into the workshop and opened the security app on the old desktop computer.
The camera was not broken.
There were seventeen recordings from that afternoon.
Daniel clicked the first one.
Claire appeared on screen.
Sophie entered several minutes later.
Daniel watched Claire remove a twenty-dollar bill from her own purse.
Then she slipped it into Sophie's backpack.
Daniel stopped breathing.
Claire appeared behind him.
"It isn't what you think."
Daniel played another clip.
Claire was shouting at Sophie.
Another clip showed her taking away the girl's dinner.
Another showed her forcing Sophie into the basement.
Then Claire leaned close to Sophie before closing the door.
"Maybe next time you'll remember whose house this is."
Daniel slowly turned around.
"Get out of my house."
Claire's eyes widened.
"No, please."
"I'm sorry."
Daniel's voice became dangerously quiet.
"Get out."
"Daddy?"
Sophie stood behind him.
Daniel immediately softened.
Claire moved toward Sophie.
"Sweetheart, tell Daddy I didn't mean it."
Sophie stepped behind Daniel instead.
Then the doorbell rang upstairs.
Daniel had sent one message while watching the recording.
Three words.
Please come now.
He carried Sophie upstairs.
Claire followed them.
When Daniel opened the front door, Sarah Mitchell was standing outside.
Her face went pale when she saw Sophie.
Sophie stared at Sarah for several seconds.
Then she ran forward.
"Mommy!"
Claire stopped halfway across the room.
Daniel watched Sophie throw her arms around the woman Claire had told everyone was dangerous.
"That's my real mommy!"
Sarah held her daughter tightly.
"I got your message, Daniel."
Claire's voice became sharp.
"What is she doing here?"
Before Daniel could answer, another vehicle stopped outside.
Two police officers walked toward the house.
Claire backed away.
"No."
One officer stepped through the doorway.
"Claire Vance?"
Claire looked at Daniel.
"You called them?"
The officer reached for his handcuffs.
"Claire Vance, you are under arrest."
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Daniel believed that was the end of the nightmare.
He had no idea Claire had spent three years making sure it was only the beginning.
