Chapter 8 - The House With No Windows

"You're not going inside," Tess told Mara.

They were parked two streets from the Hale mansion. Through bare trees, the house glowed like a Christmas advertisement. Mara wanted to march through its front door, but a cramp reminded her that anger wasn't a strategy.

"I'm staying here," she said. "I don't like it, but I'm staying."

Claire took the brass key and walked up the long driveway. Tess stayed behind the wheel with her phone ready to call for help. Avery knew where they were and had warned them not to force locks or touch anything unrelated to Claire's access. Claire had grown up in the house; Henry had told her she could enter his office.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.

Mara's phone rang. Claire whispered, "Dad's office is empty. The cabinet is unlocked."

"Unlocked?"

"The drives are gone."

A door slammed on the other end. Claire went quiet.

"Claire?"

"Grant's here."

Mara heard a man's voice, distant but sharp. "You had your chance to stay out of this."

Claire said, louder now, "Put that box down. Those are Dad's records."

Mara reached for the car door. Tess caught her wrist. "We call for help. We don't give them another emergency to use against you."

Before Tess could dial, the front door opened. Henry appeared in a dark overcoat. He walked unsteadily toward the street, one hand pressed to his chest. Claire followed, looking back over her shoulder. Grant remained in the doorway with a cardboard file box.

Henry slid into the back seat without a word. His face had gone gray.

"Dad?" Claire asked. "Are you sick?"

"Just drive."

Tess pulled away. Henry reached into his coat and produced a small black hard drive. A scratch crossed its plastic case.

"I made a copy when Grant started asking about the cameras," he said. "I should have given it to you before Christmas."

Mara turned to face him. "Why didn't you?"

May you like

She Tried to Kill a Disabled Woman at a Billionaire’s Pool Party—But One...

She had already lost her leg. Now, they were trying to take her life.At a luxury mansion filled with millionaires, a terrified you...

THEY DECLARED HER DEAD—THEN ORDERED HER CREMATED WHILE SHE WAS STILL ALI...

They were about to burn her alive.Her death certificate had already been signed. Her body was scheduled for immediate cremation. A...

She Pushed a Pregnant Woman in a Wheelchair Into the Pool—Then Her Husba...

She was pregnant. She was in a wheelchair. And the woman standing behind her was smiling.Seconds later, one brutal shove sent her...

Henry looked at the ring on his left hand as though it belonged to a stranger. "Because cowardice gets easier the longer you practice it."

Then he added, "The video isn't the worst thing on that drive."