Chapter 3 The Coffee Cup That Didn't Belong
Chapter 3 — The Stranger at the Front Door
The doorbell echoed through the mansion.
Once.
Then again.
Daniel didn't move.
Neither did Olivia.
Charlie remained perfectly still, his feathers puffed up, his eyes fixed on the front entrance.
The bird whispered again.
"Hide... he's coming..."
Daniel slowly looked toward the security monitor mounted beside the hallway.
The screen should have displayed whoever stood outside the front gate.
Instead...
It was black.
"No signal."
Daniel frowned.
"That's impossible."
The mansion's surveillance system had its own backup power and private network. Even during a blackout, the cameras never went offline.
Yet every monitor showed the same message.
**CONNECTION LOST**
The doorbell rang a third time.
This time, louder.
Olivia took an involuntary step backward.
"Don't answer it."
Daniel looked at her.
"Do you know who's outside?"
"No."
"But I have a bad feeling."
Daniel studied her face.
She wasn't acting.
Whatever frightened her had nothing to do with the mysterious name Charlie kept repeating.
Something else had changed.
Charlie suddenly flew off his perch.
Instead of heading toward Daniel, he landed on the arm of the living-room sofa, staring directly at the front door.
Then, in a voice Daniel had never heard before, the bird spoke softly.
"Don't let him see you."
Daniel felt the hairs on his neck rise.
Another person's voice.
Another memory.
The doorbell stopped.
Silence filled the mansion.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Daniel walked carefully toward the window beside the entrance.
Keeping himself out of sight, he pulled the curtain back just enough to see outside.
No one.
The front porch was empty.
The driveway stretched toward the open gate, bathed in warm afternoon sunlight.
Nothing moved.
He opened the front door anyway.
A gentle breeze drifted inside.
There was no visitor.
No delivery package.
No car.
No footsteps.
Only one object rested on the welcome mat.
A small brown envelope.
No stamp.
No address.
Only his name.
**Daniel Brooks**
He picked it up.
The paper felt surprisingly heavy.
Olivia remained several feet behind him.
"Don't open it."
"You don't even know what's inside."
"I know enough."
Daniel slowly opened the envelope.
Inside was a single photograph.
His heartbeat slowed.
The picture showed the front of his mansion.
Taken that very morning.
Daniel's own Aston Martin was clearly visible in the driveway.
He stared at it.
Impossible.
His car had been parked at the airport until less than an hour ago.
Someone had altered the image.
Or...
Someone had another identical car.
He turned the photograph over.
Written neatly in black ink were six words.
**You came home too soon, Daniel.**
He looked toward Olivia.
Her face had gone completely white.
"You've seen this handwriting before."
She hesitated.
Daniel repeated himself.
"You know who wrote this."
Before she could answer...
Charlie suddenly shrieked so loudly that both of them jumped.
The macaw spread his wings violently and screamed toward the ceiling.
Then he repeated one final sentence.
"They're inside."
Daniel's eyes widened.
He slowly turned around.
The front door...
Was still standing open.
But neither he...
Nor Olivia...
Had heard someone walk into the house.
