Emily and I searched through my husband’s old belongings, hoping to understand his strange message. Inside a wooden cabinet, we found a small envelope containing photographs, handwritten notes, and an old newspaper clipping. The clipping described a woman who had disappeared from our neighborhood more than twenty years earlier. Her name was Margaret, and she had lived in the house before us. According to the article, she had repeatedly contacted the police, claiming someone was watching her through her bedroom window. Eventually, she disappeared without explanation.

My husband had apparently known Margaret. One handwritten note mentioned that he had spoken with her shortly before she vanished. Another contained a sentence that made Emily cover her mouth. “If she ever calls again, don’t answer the telephone.” I couldn’t understand why he had kept this information secret throughout our marriage. Then Emily found an old cassette tape inside the envelope. Its label contained only one date: the night Margaret disappeared. We found an old player upstairs. When the tape began, a frightened woman whispered my full name.