Locker 317
Chapter 06 - Locker 317
There was more inside the locker.
A flash drive.
A handwritten ledger.
Copies of cargo manifests.
And a sealed envelope addressed to Sarah.
Federal investigators opened it with her family's permission.
The letter was from Owen.
He admitted he was alive.
He claimed he had spent years gathering evidence against the people who framed him.
He also explained why he never returned home.
Every time he tried to contact Sarah, someone found out.
A threatening photograph of Caleb sleeping had been delivered to him after his first attempt.
After that, Owen disappeared completely.
Caleb listened as Daniel read the letter.
His face remained expressionless.
When Daniel finished, Caleb asked one question.
"Did he ever ask about me?"
Daniel looked through the pages.
Then he found a paragraph.
He handed it to Elena instead.
She read it aloud.
Owen wrote about Caleb's birthdays.
He knew Caleb had learned to ride a bicycle at six.
He knew he hated peas.
He knew his favorite baseball team.
He had been watching from a distance.
Caleb stood suddenly.
"That's worse."
Elena stared at him.
Caleb's anger finally broke through.
"He knew where I was."
His voice cracked.
"He knew everything."
"Caleb—"
"He could've come home."
No adult had an answer good enough.
Because loving someone from a distance didn't erase the years they spent waiting.
Caleb walked to the window.
That was when Elena noticed something written on the back of the photograph.
Three words.
She turned it toward Daniel.
"Look at this."
The handwriting wasn't Owen's.
It was Sarah's.
Ask Elena Brooks.
Daniel slowly lifted his eyes.
Elena's stomach dropped.
Caleb turned around.
"Why did my mom write your name?"
Elena had no idea.
At least, she thought she didn't.
Then Daniel asked her a question.
"What was your last name before you got married?"
Elena stopped breathing.
"Carter."
May you like
Caleb stared at her.
And suddenly, the woman behind the airport counter wasn't a stranger anymore.
