Chapter 6 - The Door That Opened Twice
Marcus reached the Carter neighborhood in twelve minutes. He called the police first, then Priya, then Daniel. By the time he parked near the house, every light on the first floor was off.
“Do not go inside,” Daniel told him.
“I’m not.”
“Where are Natalie and the kids?”
“I’m trying to confirm.”
Marcus watched from the van as the front door opened. Natalie stepped onto the porch wearing a coat over her pajamas. She held a folder against her chest. A man followed her, but he was not Owen Vale.
He was tall, silver-haired, and dressed in a dark suit. He said something to Natalie. She shook her head. The man reached for the folder.
Marcus called 911.
The man took one step toward the street, saw the utility van, and ran around the side of the house. Marcus did not pursue. He stayed on the phone with the dispatcher and gave the officers a description.
Natalie disappeared inside.
When the police arrived, they searched the property with her permission. The man was gone. A basement window had been unlocked, and fresh mud marked the floor beneath it. Upstairs, the closet door stood open.
The file boxes were still there, but several folders had been removed. The missing items included the original loan application, a copy of Daniel’s deployment orders, and the birth certificates of both children.
Emily and Evan were not home. Natalie had taken them to her sister’s apartment thirty minutes earlier after receiving Daniel’s voice message.
Daniel’s relief lasted only until Marcus sent him a photograph of the empty closet.
“Someone is cleaning the evidence,” Marcus said.
“Did the police find fingerprints?”
“They’re processing the scene. But the suit man wore gloves.”
Daniel looked at the timeline. The man had arrived less than an hour after Natalie said she found the file. Either she had alerted him or someone else had been monitoring them.
“I need to know if you told anyone about the investigation,” Daniel said.
Marcus went silent.
“Marcus.”
“I told one person.”
“Who?”
“My brother Theo.”
Daniel felt a bitter pressure rise behind his eyes. “Why?”
“Because Theo used to work in commercial lending. I thought he could identify the paperwork.”
“Does he work for Hearthstone?”
“Not officially.”
“That is not an answer.”
“He did consulting for a company that shared an office with them. Years ago.”
“Does he know Owen Vale?”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared at the phone. Marcus had been the one person he trusted to move quietly, and now the investigation had passed through a man connected to the scheme.
“Did Theo tell anyone?”
“He says no.”
“And you believe him?”
Marcus exhaled. “I believe he is scared.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“I know.”
The police found a partial print on the basement window, but no immediate match. They also found a small recording device taped beneath the dining room table. Natalie said she had never seen it before.
Emily heard about the police and began shaking. Daniel spoke to her by video while she sat beside her aunt on a sofa.
“Are they going to take the house?” Evan asked from the floor.
“Not tonight,” Daniel said.
“Is the house sick?”
Daniel looked at Emily, who was watching him closely.
“No,” he said. “Some adults made dishonest choices around the house. We are fixing them.”
“Can you fix them from there?”
The question was so direct that Daniel almost laughed, but the sound died before it reached his mouth.
“I am coming home early.”
Emily’s face went white. “Are you allowed?”
“I am working on it.”
He ended the call and contacted his commanding officer. He explained that a family emergency involved potential identity theft, threats to dependent children, and a pending property seizure. His commander listened, asked precise questions, and promised to review the request.
While Daniel waited, Marcus called again.
“Theo agreed to meet,” Marcus said. “He says he has information.”
“Where?”
“A public diner.”
“Take Priya’s investigator with you.”
“I don’t have one.”
“Then take a police officer.”
“Theo will run.”
“If he runs, we learn something.”
Marcus met Theo at a diner near the county line. Theo was thin, restless, and dressed in a jacket too large for him. He slid a flash drive across the table.
“I never meant for this to touch your family,” he said.
“What did you do?” Marcus asked.
Theo looked at the security camera above the counter.
“I sold them deployment schedules.”
Marcus’s hand tightened around the flash drive.
“Whose schedules?”
Theo stared at him.
“Men and women whose spouses were left at home.”
May you like
The flash drive contained a list of names.
Daniel Carter’s was at the top.
