Chapter 9 - The Wrong Signature
Charles asked for the document.
Jack did not hand it over.
“Look from there.”
Charles leaned closer.
“That is not my signature.”
Margaret folded her arms. “You sign hundreds of papers.”
“I know how I sign my own name.”
Ethan muttered, “Dad, maybe you forgot.”
Charles turned on him.
“Stop saying that.”
The force in his voice silenced the room.
Jack photographed every page in the red folder. Dana bagged the memory card and copied the safe contents list into her incident report.
Claire stood near the window, arms wrapped around herself.
Jack joined her.
“You want to leave now?”
“Yes.”
“Then we leave.”
She nodded toward Charles. “He needs to come too.”
Jack looked back.
Charles heard her.
Margaret did too.
“He is not leaving his own home,” Margaret said.
Charles rose slowly. “I think I am.”
Ethan moved in front of the door.
Luis immediately stepped between them.
“Sir.”
Ethan stared at his father. “You walk out with them, you hand everything to people who want to destroy us.”
Claire’s voice sharpened. “Who is ‘us’?”
No one answered.
Then sirens sounded outside.
Relief hit Jack too soon.
Dana checked the camera feed on her tablet.
Her expression changed.
“What?” he asked.
“The patrol car stopped at the east gate.”
“That’s normal.”
“No. The gate won’t open.”
Jack grabbed his radio. “Control, release east gate.”
Static.
No response.
He tried again.
“Control, respond.”
Nothing.
Luis checked his phone. “Cell service just dropped.”
Claire pulled out her prepaid phone.
No signal.
Ethan looked almost as surprised as they were.
Jack turned toward Dana. “Can the house system jam cellular?”
“No.”
“Can anything on this property?”
She hesitated.
“The basement communications room could.”
Charles whispered, “That room was sealed ten years ago.”
From beneath their feet came a deep mechanical hum.
May you like
Dana looked at Jack.
“It isn’t sealed now.”
