Chapter 7 - The Wrong Uniform
I grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her away from the door. "Bathroom. Now."
"Evan—"
"Take Ruby. Lock it."
She scooped up our daughter while I called 911 and whispered what I could see. The person outside knocked again, harder.
"Open the door. This is your last warning."
The lock rattled. Whoever it was had a key card.
I shoved the heavy desk against the door just as the handle turned. Wood scraped over carpet. The door opened two inches, slammed into the desk, and stopped.
"We don't have to do this the hard way," a stranger said.
"Then leave," I answered.
A metallic snap followed. He was forcing the latch. I yanked the curtains closed and searched for another exit. Second floor. One window overlooked a narrow landscaped strip, but it didn't open more than a few inches.
In the bathroom, Ruby began to whimper. Claire hushed her with a bedtime song, voice shaking but steady enough to keep our daughter quiet.
The desk slid another inch.
I picked up the heavy iron lamp. Not heroic. Not clever. Just the closest solid object.
Sirens erupted outside. The stranger swore, and footsteps pounded down the hall.
Two officers arrived within a minute. The hallway guard was alive, dazed from a blow to the head. Security footage later showed the attacker wearing a cap and a stolen uniform shirt. His face was obscured, but the silver-star sticker on his blue pickup was unmistakable.
"Daniel?" Claire asked when Vega showed us the footage.
"Could be," Vega said. "Could also be someone trying to make you think it is."
We were moved again, this time to a guarded residence used by the state for protected witnesses. It had no sign, no fancy lobby, and no public reservations.
Before sunrise, Reed arrived with news: the county had scheduled emergency demolition at Riverside for nine that morning. Two days ahead of plan.
"That's impossible," I said. "I have to sign off on any schedule change."
Reed handed me an authorization form.
May you like
My signature was at the bottom.
I had never seen it before.
