“The kitchen is locked down for the night, Clara,” Julian said over the speaker.

“Step away from the counter.”

“Go to the pantry and bring me the gray folder from the shelf.”

“There is no gray folder in the pantry,” I said.

“Do not lie to me,” Julian said.

“The sensor on the spice rack showed a weight disparity yesterday.”

“You moved something.”

He knew about the ledger.

He did not know I had hidden it inside the hollow base, but he knew I had touched the shelf.

“I was just cleaning the dust,” I said.

“Move, Clara.”

The electronic valve on the cooktop gave a sharp, metallic click.

The smell of natural gas began to drift from the burners.

He was testing me.

He was showing me the leash.

I stood frozen in the center of the kitchen, my back to the island.

My phone, lying face down on the granite counter, vibrated.

It was a short, sharp buzz.

A notification from the blog dashboard.

I took a half-step backward and glanced at the screen.

A new comment was pending approval.

The username was *M_Vance*.