The drive from Denver to Blackwood had never felt long before. That afternoon every mile seemed deliberate. Victor drove. Samira followed in another vehicle. Derek insisted on coming despite Luna telling him twice to stay behind.<\/p>\n
For once, he ignored her without arguing.<\/p>\n
I sat beside him in the back.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
The photograph of Thomas remained open on my phone.<\/p>\n
My father looked older than the man I remembered, obviously. Gray hair. Deep lines beside his mouth. A scar near his left eyebrow I had never seen before.<\/p>\n
But he was standing.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
At Blackwood.<\/p>\n
The place where Richard died.<\/p>\n
Luna sat in front, calling Eleanor.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Her posture became more rigid each time.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlackwood\u2019s local system isn\u2019t responding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPower?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBackup should be active.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall the caretaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna did.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
The silence in the car became unbearable.<\/p>\n
I looked at Derek.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you last speak to Voss?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna\u2019s marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned in her seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you ask him to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFind out whether it was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone put cameras outside my bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss told me afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stared at her brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you continued paying him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended the arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the penthouse cameras were found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause admitting I had hired him to investigate you seemed unlikely to improve our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat judgment may be the first sensible thing you\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n
He absorbed it.<\/p>\n
Then said, \u201cVoss stopped answering my calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cAnd you weren\u2019t worried?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I think he was already moving without me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackwood came into view through the trees.<\/p>\n
The front gate stood open.<\/p>\n
Victor slowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
He drew his firearm.<\/p>\n
Samira\u2019s SUV passed us and entered first.<\/p>\n
I suddenly understood that this was no longer an investigation carried out in offices and conference rooms.<\/p>\n
Someone had attacked Naomi.<\/p>\n
Someone had followed Thomas.<\/p>\n
And the estate\u2019s security system had gone dark.<\/p>\n
Victor stopped the vehicle near the terrace.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna got out too.<\/p>\n
Victor swore.<\/p>\n
Derek followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou people are impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samira approached from the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cFront door open. No visible movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCaretaker?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor divided his team.<\/p>\n
We entered behind them.<\/p>\n
The house felt wrong without voices.<\/p>\n
A clock ticked in the main hall.<\/p>\n
One lamp had been knocked over.<\/p>\n
Derek saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat belonged in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked toward the corridor.<\/p>\n
We moved.<\/p>\n
The library door stood open.<\/p>\n
Inside, books lay scattered across the carpet.<\/p>\n
A drawer had been pulled from Richard\u2019s old desk.<\/p>\n
Luna stopped at the threshold.<\/p>\n
This was where she had found her father.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
I touched her back.<\/p>\n
She nodded once.<\/p>\n
I did not remove my hand.<\/p>\n
Victor searched the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was supposed to be reassuring.<\/p>\n
It barely helped.<\/p>\n
Derek walked toward the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were looking for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain,\u201d Luna said.<\/p>\n
I studied the shelves.<\/p>\n
One section had been disturbed more than the others.<\/p>\n
Not random.<\/p>\n
Books removed.<\/p>\n
Returned badly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Richard keep here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna pointed toward a locked glass cabinet.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorporate histories.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything personal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome journals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor checked.<\/p>\n
The cabinet had not been forced.<\/p>\n
Then a sound came from upstairs.<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
A thump.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
Victor signaled.<\/p>\n
Samira headed toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
I followed despite his glare.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna was beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of you stay behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n
We climbed.<\/p>\n
The hallway at the top was empty.<\/p>\n
One bedroom door moved slightly.<\/p>\n
Wind?<\/p>\n
No windows were open.<\/p>\n
Victor approached.<\/p>\n
Pushed it.<\/p>\n
Eleanor sat on the floor.<\/p>\n
Her wrists were bound.<\/p>\n
Tape covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Luna rushed forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor stopped her long enough to sweep the room.<\/p>\n
Clear.<\/p>\n
Then Luna dropped beside Eleanor.<\/p>\n
I had never seen fear break through her defenses so completely.<\/p>\n
She ripped the tape away carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor coughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did this?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek appeared in the doorway.<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows you came.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you would.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor cut the restraints.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was he here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe forty minutes ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Bennett?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas arrived through the rear entrance. He had a key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Blackwood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard gave him one years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo find something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sterling key?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLibrary.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
Eleanor caught my sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t know you were coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her grip tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was terrified you would.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said once Voss realized Richard had connected you and Luna, both of you became leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cWhere did Voss come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. He appeared maybe ten minutes after Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they fight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDownstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas told me to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got upstairs. Voss caught me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he hurt Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard shouting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething about the key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sterling key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said, \u2018Richard made sure you could never open it alone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor and I exchanged a look.<\/p>\n
Not merely information.<\/p>\n
Something requiring multiple people.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d Luna asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard glass break.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
We returned to the library.<\/p>\n
This time I looked differently.<\/p>\n
Not for disorder.<\/p>\n
For intention.<\/p>\n
Richard had created layers.<\/p>\n
Box 314.<\/p>\n
The hidden key.<\/p>\n
Separate letters.<\/p>\n
An archive cabinet.<\/p>\n
Everything required the right person noticing the right clue.<\/p>\n
Luna stood near her father\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said I had to stop thinking like his successor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd start thinking like his daughter,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She looked around.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would that change?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek said, \u201cYou would remember things that have nothing to do with Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at him.<\/p>\n
For once, he was helping.<\/p>\n
She walked slowly through the room.<\/p>\n
Her fingers touched the back of Richard\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n
Then the edge of a chess table.<\/p>\n
Then an old brass telescope near the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe taught us chess here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe cheated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cheated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
A tiny smile passed between them.<\/p>\n
Gone almost immediately.<\/p>\n
Then Luna looked toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n
Above it hung a portrait of Richard with both children.<\/p>\n
Not corporate.<\/p>\n
Family.<\/p>\n
Luna stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hated this painting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek said, \u201cMother made him sit for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor, from the doorway, managed a weak laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe complained for three months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stared at the frame.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
I joined her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember the key in my photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHidden in the frame.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Victor removed the portrait from the wall.<\/p>\n
Behind it was nothing.<\/p>\n
Derek laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna examined the frame itself.<\/p>\n
Heavy carved wood.<\/p>\n
Older than the portrait.<\/p>\n
She pressed along one corner.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Another.<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Everyone froze.<\/p>\n
A narrow compartment opened along the bottom.<\/p>\n
Inside was not a key.<\/p>\n
It was a strip of metal engraved with numbers.<\/p>\n
And three names.<\/p>\n
LUNA STERLING.<\/p>\n
THOMAS BENNETT.<\/p>\n
ELEANOR STERLING.<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
Beneath the names was a sequence.<\/p>\n
4-12-3-8-1.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Luna looked at the bookshelves.<\/p>\n
\u201cCoordinates?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo short.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor said quietly, \u201cBooks.\u201d<\/p>\n
We turned.<\/p>\n
She pointed to the shelves.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard used book codes when we were dating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked almost offended.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad had romantic codes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was not born sixty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I laughed.<\/p>\n
Luna gave me a look.<\/p>\n
Then moved toward the shelves.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive books?\u201d Derek asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis system was shelf, position, page, line, word.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich shelf?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna started counting.<\/p>\n
Shelf four.<\/p>\n
Twelfth book.<\/p>\n
We pulled it.<\/p>\n
A biography of Theodore Roosevelt.<\/p>\n
Page three.<\/p>\n
Line eight.<\/p>\n
First word.<\/p>\n
Courage.<\/p>\n
The word sat there absurdly ordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cCourage,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Luna frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat can\u2019t be all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor examined the metal strip.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s engraving on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned it over.<\/p>\n
Another sequence.<\/p>\n
2-7-41-5-6.<\/p>\n
Shelf two.<\/p>\n
Book seven.<\/p>\n
Page forty-one.<\/p>\n
Line five.<\/p>\n
Word six.<\/p>\n
CHOICE.<\/p>\n
Courage.<\/p>\n
Choice.<\/p>\n
Eleanor sat in Richard\u2019s old chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere should be more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strip had a tiny indentation near one end.<\/p>\n
Victor pressed it.<\/p>\n
A third sequence slid outward from inside the metal.<\/p>\n
6-3-118-2-4.<\/p>\n
We found the book.<\/p>\n
Page 118.<\/p>\n
Line two.<\/p>\n
Fourth word.<\/p>\n
HOME.<\/p>\n
Courage.<\/p>\n
Choice.<\/p>\n
Home.<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like one of Father\u2019s speeches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to ask me something when I was a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice became distant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes a home safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Luna said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was your answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the three words.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing who can enter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
A key.<\/p>\n
Not to a box.<\/p>\n
To entry.<\/p>\n
Luna walked toward the old built-in liquor cabinet.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned toward the fireplace.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlackwood has a safe room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at Eleanor.<\/p>\n
Her mother nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard showed you when you were little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was a game.\u201d<\/p>\n
She knelt beside the fireplace.<\/p>\n
Her fingers moved beneath the mantel.<\/p>\n
Found a recessed switch.<\/p>\n
The bookshelf beside the fireplace shifted.<\/p>\n
Derek stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have got to be kidding.\u201d<\/p>\n
A narrow steel door stood behind it.<\/p>\n
No handle.<\/p>\n
Only three circular slots.<\/p>\n
Victor held up the engraved strip.<\/p>\n
Three names.<\/p>\n
Luna Sterling.<\/p>\n
Thomas Bennett.<\/p>\n
Eleanor Sterling.<\/p>\n
The Sterling key was not one object.<\/p>\n
It was three people.<\/p>\n
Or three separate credentials entrusted to them.<\/p>\n
Eleanor whispered, \u201cRichard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna touched the first slot.<\/p>\n
A biometric light activated.<\/p>\n
Fingerprints.<\/p>\n
She placed her thumb.<\/p>\n
Green.<\/p>\n
Eleanor did the same on the third.<\/p>\n
Green.<\/p>\n
The middle remained red.<\/p>\n
Thomas Bennett.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor said, \u201cOr someone has to provide his credential.\u201d<\/p>\n
A noise came from behind us.<\/p>\n
Not inside the house.<\/p>\n
Outside.<\/p>\n
A door closing.<\/p>\n
I ran before anyone could stop me.<\/p>\n
Through the corridor.<\/p>\n
Out the rear entrance.<\/p>\n
Across wet grass.<\/p>\n
Near the tree line, a man stood beside the old stone wall.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Blue plaid shirt.<\/p>\n
Exactly like the photographs.<\/p>\n
Exactly like memory after twenty-two years had been forced through time.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
He did too.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was older.<\/p>\n
But I knew it.<\/p>\n
My throat closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas Bennett looked at me as though those two words had hurt more than anything else could.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I crossed the distance.<\/p>\n
I did not know whether I meant to hit him or hug him.<\/p>\n
In the end, I did neither.<\/p>\n
I stopped three feet away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Twenty-two years came out as one word.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked toward Blackwood.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause every time I tried to come back, Voss found someone near you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used you as proof that he still knew where my family was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom thought you abandoned us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe blamed herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face crumpled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to keep you alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to call that living.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
I wanted to hate him.<\/p>\n
I had practiced hating him for decades.<\/p>\n
It had been easier when he was a selfish man who disappeared.<\/p>\n
Harder now.<\/p>\n
Because the truth was not kinder.<\/p>\n
Just more complicated.<\/p>\n
Luna reached us.<\/p>\n
She stopped beside me.<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard\u2019s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLuna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father trusted you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas gave a tired laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Voss will come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause what\u2019s behind it ends him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek and Victor approached.<\/p>\n
Thomas froze when he saw Derek.<\/p>\n
Derek stopped too.<\/p>\n
Neither spoke.<\/p>\n
Finally Thomas said, \u201cYou look like your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m starting to consider that an insult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Then Victor said, \u201cWe need to open the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThousands.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll answer them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we survive the next hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated the sentence.<\/p>\n
But he was already walking toward the house.<\/p>\n
Inside the library, Thomas placed his thumb against the center reader.<\/p>\n
Green.<\/p>\n
Three lights.<\/p>\n
Luna.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
Eleanor.<\/p>\n
The steel door unlocked with a heavy internal click.<\/p>\n
Luna pulled it open.<\/p>\n
A narrow chamber lay beyond.<\/p>\n
Shelves.<\/p>\n
Files.<\/p>\n
Drives.<\/p>\n
Boxes.<\/p>\n
Richard Sterling had built an archive nobody could access without three people he trusted for entirely different reasons.<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped inside first.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna asked.<\/p>\n
His face had gone pale.<\/p>\n
One shelf was empty.<\/p>\n
A label remained.<\/p>\n
VOSS \u2014 ORIGINALS.<\/p>\n
Thomas whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor moved beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere they supposed to be here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho could access this room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly the three of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cNeither have I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n
His expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t been inside since Richard died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how are the files gone?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
A sound came from the doorway behind us.<\/p>\n
A slow clap.<\/p>\n
We turned.<\/p>\n
Graham Voss stood in the library.<\/p>\n
A pistol rested in his hand.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Richard always made the same mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor moved subtly in front of Luna.<\/p>\n
Voss raised the weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone stopped.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved across us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe trusted people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he looked directly at Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Thomas never learned that lesson either.\u201d<\/p>\n
The drive from Denver to Blackwood had never felt long before. That afternoon every mile seemed deliberate. Victor drove. Samira followed in another vehicle. Derek insisted on coming despite Luna … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16836,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16810\/revisions\/16836"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}