Chapter 5: The Safe at Home
The drive home felt nothing like the one we'd made twenty minutes earlier.
James drove faster this time, but not recklessly. His eyes stayed on the road, his hands steady on the wheel.
I sat beside him with the brass key clenched in my fist.
Every few seconds, I looked at it.
It was small.
Ordinary.
The kind of key that could open a desk drawer.
A mailbox.
A storage unit.
Not the kind of thing that could somehow explain why my mother was tied to a chair, why a man had just threatened my family, or why my husband had apparently hidden something from me.
"Where is the safe?"" I asked.
"In the house.""
"You said there was a safe.""
"I said there was a safe I put inside our house.""
"Where?""
He hesitated.
"Under the floor.""
I turned toward him.
"What?""
"In the office.""
"Our office?""
"Yes.""
"You put a safe under the floor?""
"I needed somewhere secure.""
"Secure from whom?""
James didn't answer.
I stared at the side of his face.
"You're not going to shut me out again.""
"I'm not.""
"You've been doing that all night.""
"I know.""
"Then start talking.""
He exhaled slowly.
"I found something during my deployment.""
"What?""
"A drive.""
"Like the one in Lauren's bag?""
"Similar.""
"Where did you find it?""
"At a location connected to Daniel.""
"Was it his?""
"I don't know.""
"You brought it home?""
"No.""
He glanced at me.
"I brought a copy of the data.""
I felt a chill move through me.
"And you hid it here?""
"I couldn't trust the people around me.""
"You couldn't trust me?""
He flinched.
"That's not what I meant.""
"It feels like exactly what you meant.""
"I was trying to protect you.""
"You keep saying that.""
"Because it's true.""
I folded my arms.
"You don't get to decide what risks I can handle.""
He was silent.
Then he said, "You're right.""
The answer caught me off guard.
There was no argument.
No defense.
Just two words.
We reached our street.
Every porch looked dark.
The neighborhood was quiet enough to make my skin crawl.
James slowed as we approached our house.
"Why are we stopping?""
He didn't answer.
Then I saw it.
Our front door.
It was closed.
But the porch light was on.
I hadn't left it on.
"Did you?""
"No.""
James parked at the curb instead of pulling into the driveway.
He turned off the engine.
"Stay in the car.""
"No.""
"Anna.""
"I'm not staying here while you go inside alone.""
He looked at me for a long second.
"Then stay behind me.""
"Fine.""
He got out.
I followed.
The night air was colder now.
Wet leaves stuck to the sidewalk.
James walked to the front door without touching the handle.
He inspected the lock.
Then looked down.
"What?""
"There are scratches.""
I leaned closer.
Tiny marks surrounded the keyhole.
Someone had tried to force it.
My stomach tightened.
"Maybe they got inside.""
"Maybe.""
He opened the door.
The house was dark.
Nothing moved.
James reached inside and turned on the hallway light.
Everything looked normal.
The couch.
The lamp.
The blanket I'd left folded over the armrest.
The baby monitor sitting on the side table.
I nearly cried from relief.
"Emma.""
"She's with the sitter," James said.
I stared at him.
"I thought you said—"
"I called Maggie when we left your parents' house.""
My shoulders dropped.
"She's safe.""
"Yes.""
I closed my eyes.
For the first time all night, I took a full breath.
Then the baby monitor crackled.
A male voice whispered through the speaker.
"Anna.""
I froze.
James snatched it from the table.
"Who is this?""
Static.
Then silence.
He looked at me.
"Get behind me.""
I did.
He checked the monitor.
The screen showed Maggie's apartment.
Emma was asleep in her crib.
Maggie wasn't in the room.
"Why would someone have access to the monitor?"" I whispered.
James disconnected it.
"They may not.""
"That was someone's voice.""
"I heard it.""
"What do we do?""
He looked toward the office.
"We get the drive.""
We moved through the house together.
The office door was open.
I knew I'd left it closed.
James entered first.
The room smelled faintly of dust and paper.
He knelt beside the desk and pulled up the edge of the rug.
Underneath was a narrow seam in the hardwood floor.
He slid the brass key into a hidden lock.
There was a soft click.
Part of the floor lifted.
I stared.
Beneath it was a small steel box.
James pulled it out and set it on the desk.
"Open it.""
He looked at me.
"You sure?""
"Yes.""
He unlocked it.
Inside was a black flash drive.
A folded document.
And a photograph.
I picked up the photograph first.
My hands went cold.
It showed our house.
Taken from across the street.
The same angle as the picture I'd received earlier.
But this one was older.
Much older.
There were three people standing on our front porch.
James.
Lauren.
And Daniel.
I turned the photograph over.
A date was written on the back.
The night before James left for deployment.
I looked at him.
"You knew Lauren came here.""
"I knew.""
"Why?""
"Because she asked to see me.""
"About what?""
"About the file.""
My voice dropped.
"What file?""
James unfolded the document.
"It's a list.""
"Of what?""
"Transfers.""
"What kind of transfers?""
"Money.""
I read the first line.
Then the next.
Then another.
Names.
Dates.
Amounts.
Accounts.
Some were unfamiliar.
One wasn't.
I touched the page.
"That's my mother's name.""
James nodded.
"Yes.""
"Why is she on here?""
"I don't know.""
"You're lying.""
He looked at me.
"I suspected she was involved.""
My heart pounded.
"Suspected?""
"Someone had been moving money through family-linked accounts.""
"Mom?""
"Possibly.""
"Why would she do that?""
"I don't know.""
"Lauren said you were protecting me.""
"I was trying to find out whether your mother was being forced into it or helping them.""
I stared at the page.
"Did you ever ask her?""
"Yes.""
"What did she say?""
"She denied everything.""
"And you believed her?""
"I wanted to.""
A floorboard creaked somewhere behind us.
James turned instantly.
The hallway was empty.
He shut the safe.
"Take the drive.""
"What?""
"Take it.""
I grabbed it.
He picked up the document and slid it inside his jacket.
"Where are we going?""
"The car.""
"We just got here.""
"We're leaving.""
"Why?""
He looked at the ceiling.
Then at the baby monitor in his hand.
"Because they knew exactly where the safe was.""
My blood ran cold.
"What?""
He pointed toward the office wall.
A small red light blinked near the smoke detector.
I had never seen it before.
"Is that a camera?""
James nodded.
He moved closer.
"Someone installed it.""
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message.
*Good. You found it.*
Another message followed.
*Now bring it to the church on Willow Street.*
Then another.
*Come alone, Captain Walker.*
James stared at the screen.
I saw his jaw tighten.
He typed a response.
*Where is Anna's mother?*
The answer came immediately.
*Alive.*
Another message.
*For now.*
I grabbed his arm.
"Don't go.""
"I have to.""
"That's exactly what they want.""
"I know.""
"Then why?""
"Because they're holding your mother.""
"And they have guns.""
He looked at me.
"So do we.""
I shook my head.
"No.""
"What?""
"We're not doing this their way.""
He frowned.
"We need another option.""
I opened my phone.
"What are you doing?""
"Calling someone.""
"Who?""
"Someone you should have called hours ago.""
I searched through my contacts.
Then stopped.
There was only one person James had ever told me never to contact unless he gave me permission.
Colonel Thomas Reed.
Daniel's commanding officer.
I pressed the number.
James caught my wrist.
"Anna.""
"We need help.""
"Colonel Reed can't be involved.""
"Why?""
He didn't answer.
I pulled my hand free.
"Why can't he be involved?""
James stared at the phone.
His expression had gone completely blank.
"Because if he's the person we think he might be...""
The ringing stopped.
Someone had answered.
Neither of us spoke.
Then a man's voice came through.
"Anna?""
I looked at James.
"Colonel Reed?""
A pause.
Then the voice said something that made the room tilt beneath me.
"Don't trust James Walker.""
James went completely still.
I stared at him.
The voice continued.
May you like
"Your husband has been lying to you from the beginning.""
And then the line went dead.
