“Did you expect anyone?” Ethan asked, his voice low.

“No,” I whispered.

He walked quietly to the window beside the front door.

He pulled back the heavy velvet curtain just an inch.

Headlights cut through the heavy rain outside.

A black SUV was idling in the driveway, its engine a low rumble.

The passenger door opened, and a figure stepped out into the storm.

The man wore a long black coat, his face hidden beneath a dark umbrella.

Even in the dark, I recognized the way he walked.

It was Richard.

“He is here,” I whispered, my heart racing.

Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

He tapped the screen, but there was no signal.

“The cell tower is down,” he said.

“Or he has a jammer,” I said.

The heavy brass door handle of the front entrance began to turn.

Slowly, the lock clicked.

The door creaked open, letting in a gust of cold, wet wind.

Richard stepped into the dark foyer, shaking the rain from his umbrella.

“Ethan?” his voice echoed through the high ceiling.

“Maria?”