Chapter 5 - The Retired NotaryOutside, the quiet night air was shattered by the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen.
I moved instantly. “Jade, stay behind me. Pete, get your phone out.”
I reached behind the living room curtain and pulled out a heavy steel flashlight I kept near the door. Cautiously, I edged into the hallway toward the kitchen, shining the beam of light into the darkness.
The kitchen window above the sink was shattered. A heavy brick lay on the floor among broken shards of glass. Wrapped around the brick was a piece of yellow notebook paper.
I picked up the brick and unfolded the note. Written in rough, jagged marker were five words:
LEAVE NASHVILLE ALONE OR BURN.
Jade stepped into the kitchen doorway, her hand over her mouth as she saw the broken glass. “He’s trying to intimidate us.”
“It means he’s scared,” I said, my blood running hot. “You don’t throw bricks through windows when you’re winning a fight. You throw bricks when you’re running out of time.”
“We need to find Evelyn Vance,” Pete said from the hallway, his phone light illuminating his face. “If we can get the retired notary to testify in person at the hearing on Monday that she never signed that document, Marcus’s case crumbles instantly.”
“Where does she live?” I asked.
Pete checked his notes. “She moved to a retirement community in Knoxville after she surrendered her commission. That’s a three-hour drive east.”
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I turned to Jade. “First thing tomorrow morning, we drive to Knoxville. We get Evelyn Vance’s sworn affidavit. Then we head straight to Nashville for the probate court.”
Jade looked at the broken window, then looked at me, her expression hardening into absolute resolve. “I’m coming with you.”
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