Chapter 4 - The Man in the Maze
William ran into the hedge maze without waiting for security.
His dress shoes slipped on damp stone. Branches tore at his tuxedo sleeves. Ahead, the figure cut left, then right.
“Stop!” William shouted.
The man did not.
At the center fountain, William finally caught him.
They hit the ground hard.
The rabbit rolled across the wet stone.
William drove a forearm against the man’s shoulder. “Who sent you?”
The man twisted free just enough to pull off his mask.
William knew him.
“Daniel?”
Daniel Cross had worked private security for the Sterlings for six years. William had trusted him with his home, his daughter, and Claire during her final months.
Daniel looked terrified.
“I wasn’t stealing it.”
“You were running away with my daughter’s toy.”
“I was protecting it.”
“From who?”
Daniel looked toward the mansion.
Then a red laser dot appeared on his chest.
“Down!” he yelled.
They dropped behind the fountain as a suppressed shot cracked through the hedge.
Stone chips sprayed William’s face.
Security officers charged into the maze from two directions.
The shooter vanished.
Daniel grabbed the rabbit and shoved it into William’s hands.
“Claire gave me an envelope before she died,” he whispered. “She told me that if anyone ever searched Charlotte’s room, I was supposed to watch the rabbit.”
William stared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she made me promise not to.”
“My wife made you keep secrets from me?”
“She was scared the wrong person was already inside your house.”
A flashlight swept over them.
Daniel’s voice dropped lower.
“She thought someone was poisoning her.”
William felt the world tilt.
“What did you say?”
Daniel looked him directly in the eyes.
“She said her medication kept changing. She said every time she asked questions about the foundation, she got sicker.”
Behind them, one of the guards found something in the hedge.
A small black pistol.
May you like
And wrapped around its grip was a monogrammed silk handkerchief.
The initials stitched into the corner were I.C.
