It was the proof I had gathered piece by piece from his desk, his emails, and his hidden files.

“This is a mistake,” Lucas yelled, his voice fading as if he were being dragged away. “Call my lawyer!”

“You have the right to remain silent,” the officer began.

The voice faded further.

Then, the line went quiet, save for the sound of the empty garage.

Suddenly, the phone on the counter lit up again.

An incoming call-waiting banner appeared across the screen.

It was an unknown number from a California area code.

I looked at Chloe.

Her eyes were red and swollen.

“Should we answer it?” she whispered.

I reached out and touched the screen.

The phone vibrated against my palm.

Before I could swipe to answer, my laptop chimed with a new notification.

A security alert from our home security system in Denver.

The front door camera was detecting motion.

I clicked the window to open the live feed.

The black-and-white video stream showed a dark sedan parked at the curb.

A man in a heavy coat was walking up our snow-covered driveway.