There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

I could hear the faint hum of a police radio in the background.

“What did you say?” Miller asked.

“The workshop ledger,” I repeated. “And tell him Marcus has Thomas.”

“Tell him I am bringing the ledger to the station in twenty minutes.”

“And tell him Marcus is meeting me there.”

Another pause stretched out, longer this time.

“Hold on,” Miller said.

I heard the sound of a phone being set down on a hard desk.

Then there was the murmur of voices in the background.

I thought Miller was alone on the night shift.

The murmuring stopped, and the phone was picked up again.

“Kiera?”

It wasn’t Miller’s voice this time.

It was deeper, gravelly, and familiar.

“Sheriff Vance?” I asked.

“Kiera, where are you?” Vance asked.

“I’m safe,” I said. “But Thomas isn’t.”

“Marcus called me.”

“He wants this book, Vance.”

“He said he would kill Thomas if I didn’t give it to him.”

“Slow down, Kiera,” Vance said.

His voice was calm, almost soothing.