Chapter 5 - THE LOCKED STUDY|
Jenna's childhood home stood in a quiet Denver neighborhood where every lawn was trimmed and every porch light glowed warmly after sunset.
It looked like the kind of place where nothing terrible could happen.
I had learned a long time ago that appearances were often the most effective lies.
Her mother opened the door before we knocked.
"Jenna! Thank goodness. Ryan called and said there was a disturbance at the hotel."
Her gaze shifted to me.
"What have you gotten yourself involved in?"
Jenna stepped inside.
"Mom, we need to talk about Dad's study."
Her mother's expression changed.
Only for a second.
Then she smiled too brightly.
"Why would you want to discuss that now?"
"Because someone is threatening me over something Dad took."
The smile disappeared.
I moved closer.
"What did Thomas Hart take?"
Her mother stared at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then you won't mind if we look around."
"Absolutely not. This is my home."
Jenna's voice shook, but she held her ground.
"Mom, someone followed me. Someone attacked people at the hotel. Ryan has documents with Dad's signature and Evan's father's name. You gave Ryan my address even though I told you I wanted nothing to do with him."
Her mother flinched.
"I thought he was trying to help."
"Help me do what? Return to a man who frightened me?"
Her mother looked away.
I had seen guilt in many forms. Hers was familiar.
It was the guilt of someone who had convinced herself that silence was the same as innocence.
Finally, she stepped aside.
"His study is upstairs. I haven't entered it since he died."
The room smelled of dust and old paper. A heavy desk stood beneath the window. Shelves held accounting books, family photographs, and boxes labeled in neat handwriting.
Jenna moved toward a framed picture of herself as a child.
"My father took this at the lake," she whispered. "He promised we'd go back the following summer."
I watched her touch the frame.
Some grief never faded. It simply learned to hide behind ordinary objects.
Marcus and two guards searched the room while I examined the desk. One drawer was locked.
Jenna found a key taped beneath the bottom shelf.
Inside lay a stack of ledgers, an old flash drive, and a sealed envelope.
The envelope bore two names.
DANIEL BLACKWOOD AND THOMAS HART.
Jenna opened it.
A handwritten letter fell into her hands.
If anything happens to either of us, the truth must reach our children. The money was never stolen. It was moved to protect the names of the families targeted by Voss.
Below the signature was a date.
Three days before my father's death.
I read the letter twice.
"They knew they were in danger," I said.
Jenna's face drained of color.
"They knew they might die."
A floorboard creaked behind us.
Her mother stood in the doorway.
For the first time, she looked truly frightened.
"I told him not to keep those things here."
Jenna turned slowly.
"You knew?"
Her mother pressed a hand to her mouth.
"I knew your father was afraid. I didn't know why. He told me that if anyone came asking about the files, I should say nothing."
"You let me believe he was just an accountant."
"I was protecting you."
"From what?"
Her mother began to cry.
Before she could answer, the lights went out.
Marcus shouted for everyone to stay still.
A crash sounded downstairs.
Then a gunshot.
I pulled Jenna behind the desk as the window shattered.
A small metal object bounced across the floor and stopped beside my shoe.
A flash drive.
Someone had thrown it through the window.
Taped to it was a note.
THE FIRST FILE IS A LIE. THE SECOND WILL SHOW YOU WHO KILLED YOUR FATHER.
May you like
And from the hallway, a man's voice called out.
"Jenna Hart? Your mother has been keeping another secret."
