Miller immediately headed down the hallway toward the study.

My phone vibrated again in my hand.

Another message from the same number appeared on the screen.

“The passcode to the safe is Emma’s birthday,” it read.

My stomach twisted at the realization of how deeply she had integrated our lives into her scheme.

“Why did you use her birthday, Daniel?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“I didn’t,” Daniel said, his voice cracking.

“She did.”

“She said it was a code we would never forget.”

“She wanted to rub it in my face every time she opened it.”

Miller’s voice called out from the hallway.

“Captain, I found the safe.”

“The painting is off the wall.”

I walked down the narrow hallway, the wood cool beneath my boots.

The study was small, lined with dark bookshelves and smelling of old paper.

Miller was standing in front of a small brass safe recessed into the drywall.

“Go ahead,” Hayes said, standing in the doorway.

I reached out, my fingers cold as I touched the electronic keypad.

I pressed the keys for Emma’s birthday, one by one.