And next to it was a signature I didn’t recognize.

“Who is this?” I asked, pointing to the name.

Before Nora could answer, Richard’s laptop on the table chimed with an incoming email alert.

The sender was an anonymous address.

The subject line was simply: *The Balance Due.*

Richard tapped the trackpad, opening the message.

There was no text, only a single attachment.

It was a live video feed.

I leaned closer to the screen, my breath catching in my throat.

The camera was pointed at a familiar iron gate.

It was the entrance to Richard’s estate.

On the screen, a black sedan was idling just outside the security gate.

The rain smeared the camera lens, but I could see the brake lights glowing red in the dark.

A man got out of the passenger side.

He walked up to the call box, holding something in his hand.

“Is that Mrs. Alvarez’s shift?” I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

“The girls,” Richard said, his voice dropping an octave.

He immediately dialed his home security desk.

Nobody answered.