Chapter 3 - I couldn't breathe.The figure stood perfectly still beneath the kitchen light.

My coat.

My hair length from the back.

Same height.

Same posture.

Caleb reached for the phone.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Because whoever that is wants us to look."

He stared at the screen.

The figure slowly raised one hand.

Then pointed directly at the camera.

The feed went black.

Caleb grabbed his keys.

"We're going back."

We didn't need to.

A crash came from downstairs.

We both froze.

Then another.

Glass.

Someone was inside.

Caleb motioned for me to stay behind him.

We moved silently down the stairs.

The kitchen was empty.

My coat was on the floor.

The back door stood open.

The camera had been ripped from its mount.

But there was something else.

My lockbox.

It was sitting on the table.

Open.

The envelope was gone.

The flash drive was gone.

I felt sick.

"They took it."

Caleb shook his head.

"No."

He walked toward the table.

"Look."

A piece of paper had been left beneath the lockbox.

My name was written on it.

YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO FIND THIS.

Caleb turned pale.

Then his phone rang.

Marlene.

He answered.

"Mom?"

Her voice was barely audible.

"Caleb, listen carefully."

"What happened?"

"Tyler came here."

"When?"

"Ten minutes ago."

Caleb looked at me.

"What did he want?"

There was silence.

Then:

"He wanted your wife."

My chest tightened.

"What?"

Marlene continued.

"He's not alone."

The call suddenly cut.

Caleb called back.

No answer.

We drove to Marlene's house.

Her front door was unlocked.

Inside, drawers had been emptied.

Pictures were knocked from the walls.

A lamp was broken.

And Marlene was sitting on the kitchen floor.

Alive.

Bleeding from her forehead.

Caleb dropped beside her.

"Mom."

She looked at me.

Then whispered:

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I thought I could protect Tyler."

Caleb stared at her.

"What did you do?"

Marlene shook her head.

"I didn't know how far it had gone."

"How far what had gone?"

She looked toward the hallway.

"Your father didn't die because of the accident."

The room seemed to stop.

Caleb didn't move.

"What?"

Marlene's eyes filled with tears.

"The night your father died, Tyler was there."

Caleb stood slowly.

"You told me Dad died in a car crash."

"He did."

"You said he lost control."

"He didn't."

I felt cold all over.

Marlene looked at me.

"Your father-in-law discovered the same accounts you found."

Caleb stared at her.

"He was investigating them."

"Yes."

"And someone killed him?"

She hesitated.

Then nodded.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Caleb's voice broke.

"Mom, who?"

Marlene whispered:

"Someone who has been inside your house."

I suddenly remembered the message.

The camera.

The stolen drive.

The figure wearing my coat.

Then I heard a noise upstairs.

A floorboard creaked.

Caleb looked up.

We all did.

Another creak.

Then a man's voice floated down the stairs.

"Mom?"

Tyler.

Marlene began to shake.

Caleb grabbed my hand.

Tyler's footsteps started coming down.

One step.

Then another.

Then another.

But when Tyler reached the bottom step, he wasn't holding a weapon.

He was holding a photograph.

He looked directly at Caleb.

And said:

"You need to see who was standing beside Dad the night he died."

He handed Caleb the photograph.

I looked over his shoulder.

My stomach dropped.

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