“He told me he’s going to make it right,” Aaron said. “But he sounded scared. He said they were watching him.”

A sudden sound of static cut through the line, followed by the distant beep of a car horn.

“Aaron?” I called out.

“I have to go,” he said. “Just… don’t trust any of them. Especially not her.”

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone, the silence of the room returning, heavier than before.

I walked back to the coffee table and picked up the envelope Cassandra had left.

The paper was thick, expensive, and sealed with a simple gold sticker.

I didn’t open it.

Instead, I tossed it into the cardboard box containing my open case files.

My phone vibrated in my hand, the screen lighting up with a new text message.

It wasn’t from Aaron, and it wasn’t from Cassandra.

It was from my mother.

*Grace, please call me. Your brother just called. Something has happened to Thomas.*

I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the call button.

Thomas was Colonel Whitaker.

My hand started to shake as I dialled my mother’s number.