PART 16
Suddenly,
the basement light flickered and died,
plunging the room into pitch blackness.
Above me,
the floorboards creaked.
Heavy,
deliberate footsteps were walking across the kitchen floor.
"Emma,"
a voice called out,
echoing down the stairs.
It wasn't Detective Vance.
It was older,
deeper,
and completely calm.
Judge Vance himself was in the house.
"I know you're down there,"
he said,
his footsteps moving toward the basement door.
"Your father was stubborn,"
"just like you."
"He refused to tell us where he put the book,"
"but we knew you'd come find it."
I pressed my back against the cold stone wall,
holding the ledger against my chest,
my heart hammering like a trapped bird.
"You think you can expose me?"
he laughed,
a soft,
chilling sound that made my skin crawl.
"I am the law in this town, Emma."
"Every cop,
every lawyer,
every politician owes me a favor."
"Who do you think authorized the search warrant on your house?"
"Who do you think assigned Mitchell away?"
"You are a ghost in my system,"
"and ghosts are easily erased."
I looked around the dark room,
my eyes adjusting to the faint gray light coming from the small basement window near the ceiling.
It was too small for me to climb through.
I was trapped.
I felt around the workbench,
my hand brushing against a heavy iron monkey wrench.
I gripped the cold metal handle,
the weight reassuring.
"Let my father go,"
I called out,
trying to keep my voice from shaking.
"Ah, Emma,"
he reached the top of the basement stairs,
his silhouette blocking the faint light from the doorway.
"He’s already gone."
"He had a very unfortunate heart attack during our conversation."
"Now,
bring me the ledger,"
"or your son will have a similar accident at that grocery store."
May you like
He knew about Noah.
They had found the car.
