Chapter 7 - The Knock at Midnight
Sarah did not open the door.“Say something only Avery would know,” she called.“The necklace has a crescent chip.”Mark moved toward the kitchen. “That proves nothing.”“What would you prefer?” Avery asked. “My birth certificate?”Sarah looked at Mark. He was pale, one hand pressed against the wall.“Why are you here?” Sarah asked.“Because the man outside was not Hal.”“You said Hal had a gun.”“He does.”“You were followed?”“So were you.”The engine beyond the house revved. Tires scraped the pavement, then the car sped away.Sarah waited a full minute before opening the door.Avery stepped inside. She had changed coats, but the scar and gray eyes were unmistakable. Her gaze went immediately to Mark.“You brought her here,” Mark said.“You left me no choice.”“You were supposed to stay at the motel.”“The motel room was searched.”Sarah locked the door. “Enough. Both of you sit down.”They sat at opposite ends of the living room while Sarah stood between them.“Start with Claire,” she said.Avery clasped her hands. “My mother audited the Whitaker family trust. She discovered that scholarship money was being diverted into property companies. Hal Whitaker managed the transactions.”“Why would my husband be involved?”“Mark was twenty-two when Claire disappeared. He worked summers for Hal. He saw the records.”Mark looked at the floor. “I didn’t understand what I was seeing.”“You understood enough to lie to me,” Sarah said.“I was afraid.”“Of Hal?”“Of what he would do if he knew I was looking.”“And Claire?”“She asked me to help her copy the ledger.”Avery’s voice shook. “He promised to meet her at River House. She never came home.”“Did you see her there?” Sarah asked.“I was there earlier,” Mark said. “Hal had already arrived. Claire was arguing with him. I heard her say she had sent copies to someone.”“Who?”“I don’t know.”“You left?”“Hal told me to go.”“And you obeyed.”Mark flinched.Avery reached into her coat and removed the sapphire necklace. Sarah recognized the teardrop stone immediately.“I wore it because Claire described it as a marker,” Avery said. “My grandmother gave it to her when she realized the trust records were being altered.”Sarah stared at the stone. “How did it get behind my dresser?”“Mark found it in a safe at River House.”Mark said, “I brought it home because I thought Hal was searching for it.”“You could have told me.”“I thought the necklace contained a clue.”“It contains a chip.”“Look at the setting.”Avery turned the necklace over. The rose-gold backing held a tiny seam Sarah had never noticed.Mark removed a pin from his pocket. “The setting opens.”Sarah stepped back. “Why do you have that?”“Because I tried to open it.”He worked the pin into the seam. The backing clicked loose.Inside the setting was a strip of translucent film, no wider than a fingernail.Avery exhaled. “There.”“What is it?” Sarah asked.“A key,” Mark said. “Or part of one.”The film showed a series of blue lines and numbers. Sarah recognized the outline of a building.“Our house,” she said.Mark nodded. “The original plans.”“Why would my house be on it?”“Because it was built over an older Whitaker property.”Avery took the music box from the side table. “The tune tells us where to look.”Sarah shook her head. “No more looking tonight.”“If Hal reaches the passage first, the records disappear.”“My son is in this house.”“Exactly,” Avery said. “That is why you need to know what is under it.”The closet door creaked.Sarah turned sharply. Leo stepped out clutching Fox.“I heard the knock,” he said.Sarah crossed the room and knelt. “You did a good job staying quiet.”“Is the gray lady bad?”Avery crouched beside them. “No. I’m trying to help your mother.”Leo looked at the necklace. “That belongs in the wall.”Sarah felt every muscle in her body tighten. “Who told you that?”“Daddy.”Mark closed his eyes.“When?” Sarah asked.“When he showed me the secret door.”No one spoke.Outside, a siren wailed in the distance, growing louder and then fading.Sarah rose. “Tomorrow we find an attorney.”Mark reached for her hand.She stepped away.“And after that,” she said, “we find out what you hid beneath my house.”
