The Knock at Dusk/Chapter Four

Mita didn’t speak. The poker in her hand was suddenly heavier than before — or maybe it was the weight of his words dragging her muscles down.

The stranger stood by the fire, watching the flames as though they were telling him something.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said, carefully, “but if you think you can come in here, start talking about my husband, and dig through things you don’t understand—”

“I understand more than you think.”

“Really?” She took a step closer, poker now raised slightly. “Then tell me. Tell me where he went that night. Tell me why they never found his body.”

He turned to her slowly.

“I could. But I think you already know.”

She swallowed.

“You were with him,” he said. “The night he disappeared. Weren’t you?”

She stared at him, stunned into silence.

He stepped off the rug.

“I said don’t—”

But she didn’t stop him. She couldn’t. Her whole body was a storm now, tighter than the one outside.

He walked slowly toward the center of the room, the light from the fire throwing flickers across his face.

His car was found near the old quarry, door open, engine off, no sign of him. They ruled it a probable accident. Maybe he fell. Maybe he got lost. Maybe he wanted to disappear.”

She nodded, stiffly. “Yes. That’s what happened.”

He shook his head. “That’s what you told them. But not the truth.”

Mita didn’t move. The poker in her hand had begun to tremble.

“Why are you here?” she asked. “Who are you?”

The stranger studied her for a long moment, then said, “Someone who knew Sreezon very well. And someone who knows what he was planning that night.”

Something behind her eyes flashed. Pain. Regret. 

 “No,” she whispered. “Don’t.”

But he was already speaking.

“He wasn’t leaving because of the fight. He was leaving because he found something. Something hidden. Something buried on this property.”

Mita’s face paled.

The stranger walked toward the hallway — the dark corridor that led to the basement.

“He wrote it down,” the man said, quietly. “In the notebook in your attic. Under the floorboard near the chimney. The last thing he ever wrote.”

She stood frozen, lips parting. “You… You’ve been in my house.”

“No,” he said gently. “But I’ve seen it. Just like I’ve seen what happened next. After the fight. After the scream. After the silence.”

“You buried him, Mita. Not in the quarry. Not by accident. You did it with your own hands. And you don’t even remember.”