Nora appeared at the entrance of the study, her laptop still open in her hand.

“Come into the library,” Nora said, her eyes tracking the USB drive in Vale’s hand.

We walked in silence down the hallway, the only sound the soft squeak of Vale’s wet shoes.

Richard closed the heavy oak door behind us, shutting out the rest of the quiet house.

The kids were still asleep upstairs, and I prayed they would stay that way.

Vale sat down on the edge of a leather armchair, holding the silver drive like a lifeline.

“They are going to arrest me, aren’t they?” Vale asked, looking at the floor.

“If you are lucky, yes,” Nora said, sitting behind the desk.

Richard stood near the window, his arms crossed, watching the driveway.

“My investigators just sent over the decryption analysis of the files we already had,” Richard said.

He pulled out his phone, scrolling through a document that had just arrived in his inbox.

“It seems you kept very detailed notes, Thomas,” Richard continued.

Vale swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving convulsively.