Chapter 8 - The Man Who Came Back
Vincent crouched beside the prints.
"One person left with Fisk. One returned alone."
Dominic shined his flashlight down the narrow brick tunnel.
The air smelled of wet stone and old wood.
"Seal the carriage house."
Two guards moved ahead.
Clare touched Dominic's arm. "You shouldn't go in there with your leg."
He looked at her hand, then at her.
She pulled it back. "Sorry."
"You're right."
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
Dominic ignored him. "Which is why you go first."
They moved slowly through the passage.
Halfway down, Vincent stopped at a dark stain on the floor.
Blood.
Fresh.
A few feet later they found a broken cuff link.
Dominic recognized the black enamel immediately.
Leonard Fisk wore matching ones at every council meeting.
At the carriage house, the outside door stood open two inches.
Rain blew through the gap.
The guards searched the grounds.
No Fisk.
No vehicle.
But near an old workbench, Vincent found a security jacket stuffed behind a cabinet.
One of Dominic's jackets.
Name strip removed.
"Someone dressed as staff," Vincent said.
Dominic looked toward the tunnel.
"And came back into the house."
His phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number appeared.
YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
A second message followed.
ASK YOUR LOYAL DOG WHERE HE WAS AT 4:13.
Dominic looked at Vincent.
Vincent saw the screen.
"They're trying to split us."
"Probably."
"Probably?"
Dominic's eyes held his.
"You still haven't explained why someone had your rotating code."
Vincent's face hardened. "I told you. Gym locker."
"Who had access?"
"Guards. Staff. Anyone who knew the locker keypad."
"Which is how many?"
"Too many."
Back inside, they found Arthur standing at the conference-room glass with a guard behind him.
He smiled at Vincent.
"Long night?"
Vincent took one step forward.
Dominic stopped him with the cane.
Arthur's smile widened.
"Trust is a delicate thing, Dominic. You should know that by now."
"Where is Fisk?"
"How would I know?"
"He disappeared through my cellar."
Arthur glanced toward the floor. "Then perhaps your famous security is not as loyal as advertised."
Vincent's jaw clenched.
Dominic studied Arthur.
The man looked too comfortable.
Not innocent.
Prepared.
Then Clare hurried into the hall.
"Dominic."
He turned.
Her face was white.
"Ellie's latch toy is gone."
"What?"
"She fell asleep with it. Now it's gone."
Vincent immediately called the guard outside the library suite.
No answer.
They ran.
The guard was on the carpet, unconscious but breathing.
The bedroom window was open.
May you like
Ellie's blanket lay on the floor.
The bed was empty.
