“The county precinct is in the center of town,” I said.

“How many men does Wade keep on the night shift?”

“Two at the front desk,” Caleb said.

“Maybe one roaming the halls.”

“But Wade has his own office on the second floor.”

“He keeps his personal files there.”

“His hard drives,” I said, remembering what Emily had written in her diary.

“He has everything on those drives,” Caleb said.

“Every payoff, every blackmail file on the town council, every dirty land deal Margaret orchestrated.”

“If you get those, you destroy the whole system.”

“But you’ll never get past the front desk.”

I looked at the dashboard, then back at the dark road ahead.

My phone, lying in the cup holder, suddenly lit up.

The screen flashed with an restricted number.

I picked it up and pressed it to my ear, keeping my eyes on the wet asphalt.

“Daniel,” a voice said.

It was Margaret.

Her tone was calm, cold, and entirely devoid of any maternal warmth.

“I understand you’ve been speaking with your brother,” she said.