The sound was dull and solid.

“Everything seems to be in order here,” Marcus said, turning back to us.

“I appreciate your patience, Mr. Vance.”

“It is our civic duty,” Julian said, his voice dripping with false sincerity.

“We want to help find that poor girl just as much as you do.”

Julian escorted the detective back up the stairs and toward the front door.

The heavy oak door shut, locking automatically with a digital beep.

Julian turned to me, his warm expression vanishing instantly.

“You need to be more careful with your camera angles, Clara,” he whispered.

His voice was cold, stripped of all the warmth he had shown the detective.

“You almost ruined everything,” Julian said.

He did not wait for my response.

He turned and walked back upstairs to his study, closing the door behind him.

I stood alone in the kitchen, the silence of the house pressing down on me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the smart-home app again.

The notification was still there.

*Basement Lock: Manual Override.*

I knew this house.