The voice was faint, but it came from the backyard.

I switched off the flashlight.

The springhouse went pitch black.

I pressed my ear against the damp stone wall.

Footsteps squelched in the mud outside.

“I know you’re out here,” Trevor called out.

His voice sounded tight, strained with panic.

He knew what was in this folder.

He knew these documents would ruin him.

If Kelsey saw these, she would realize he had been using her as a shield to steal my inheritance.

It would destroy whatever was left of our family.

But she had to see them.

I held my breath as the footsteps stopped right outside the springhouse door.

The brass handle rattled.

Trevor pushed against the thick oak.

The iron bolt held, but the wood groaned.

“Meredith,” he whispered, his voice right against the wood.

“You don’t want to do this.”

“We can make a deal.”

I didn’t move.

I didn’t make a sound.

The water dripped from the ceiling of the springhouse, landing on my boot with a steady rhythm.

He knocked hard on the door three times.