Part I: The Third Note (Psychological Thriller)
Mara found the third note in the freezer.
She had gone home. Confronted Cass. He had handed her the basement key without a word.
The basement was cold, concrete, lit by a single bulb. The freezer was an old chest model, white, dented. Inside, beneath bags of frozen peas and a half-eaten bucket of ice cream, was a Ziploc bag.
Inside the bag: a flash drive and a note.
The note said:
If you're reading this, Cass didn't stop you. Which means he wants you to know. Which means he's scared too.
The flash drive has one video. Watch it alone.
Then decide if you still love him.
—You. Last year.
Mara took the flash drive upstairs. Cass was sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands.
"What's on it?" she asked.
"The worst thing I've ever done," he said without looking up.
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Part II: The Video (Literary Interlude)
She watched it on her phone, in the bathroom, with the shower running to cover the sound.
The video was shaky. Nighttime. A parking lot.
Vera—the woman from the photograph—was arguing with Cass. Her face was red. She was crying.
"You can't just erase her memory forever!" Vera shouted. "It's killing her, Cass! Every wipe takes another year!"
"I know what it takes." Cass's voice was calm. Too calm.
"No, you don't! You're not a doctor. You're a—"
The video cut. Then came back. Vera was on the ground. Cass was standing over her. His hands were bloody.
"I'm sorry," he said to the camera. "But she was going to tell Mara the truth."
The video ended.
Mara threw up into the sink.
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Part III: The Decision (Action Seed)
She came out of the bathroom. Cass was still at the table. He hadn't moved.
"Did you kill her?" Mara asked.
"No. I hit her. She survived. But she's been trying to destroy us ever since."
"Who filmed it?"
"Simone. Vera's sister. She wanted leverage. Now she uses it to control me."
Mara sat across from him. The gun was still in her waistband. The phone was still in her pocket. Her father was waiting outside in a black sedan.
"Cass," she said, "I'm going to ask you one question. If you lie, I walk out that door and I never come back."
He nodded.
"Did you cause my amnesia?"
He looked at her hands. The red string. The key she was still holding.
"Yes," he said. "To protect you. From what you did."
"What did I do?"
He stood up. Walked to the basement door. Held it open.
"Come see."
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