Chapter 4 - THE BLUE LEDGER
Grant's office door was open.
Two monitors had been smashed.
A filing cabinet lay on its side.
Emily walked straight to the wall behind his desk.
"The safe."
Evelyn looked at Emily.
"What was in there?"
"A paper ledger."
"Paper?"
"Grant thought digital records could be erased."
Emily touched the empty shelf.
"He kept a handwritten record of cash movements because he didn't trust Evan."
Velez returned soaked from the rain.
"We lost the SUV."
Emily looked at her.
"It was registered to Sloane."
"We know."
"And it was reported stolen three hours ago."
"By Sloane?"
"By her building manager."
"Her building manager?"
"She didn't file it herself."
Emily's instincts tightened.
"Because she knew it wasn't stolen."
Velez did not disagree.
They searched Grant's office until Daniel found a false bottom in a desk drawer.
Inside was a receipt from a private marina.
"The lake house?"
Emily's father had bought the lake house years before he died.
Grant had always complained that it was too isolated.
Then he had started spending weekends there without her.
Emily looked at the receipt date.
"He went there after I was supposed to be dead."
Unknown number.
She answered on speaker.
Nobody spoke for two seconds.
Then a man said, "You should have stayed dead."
"Evan?"
The caller laughed softly.
"Evan is scared."
"Who is this?"
"Somebody who knows what Grant paid for your accident."
Emily's heart kicked against her ribs.
"The crash wasn't an accident."
"You already knew that."
"Prove it."
A pause.
"Go to Lake Wren."
"Why?"
"Slip 42."
The line went dead.
"Which means this office may still be wired."
Emily slowly turned toward the smoke detector above Grant's desk.
A tiny red light blinked inside it.
May you like
Not a smoke sensor.
A camera.
