Chapter 6 - The Dead Man’s Warning
Jonathan Price was supposed to have disappeared ten months earlier.
Yet the security footage showed him inside Michael’s house less than twenty-four hours ago.
Emily asked Thomas to replay the video.
Jonathan entered the office behind Sophia.
He looked thinner than Emily remembered.
Older.
Nervous.
Sophia shut the door.
There was no audio.
Jonathan handed Sophia a black envelope.
Sophia opened it.
Whatever she saw made her furious.
She grabbed Jonathan by the jacket.
He pushed her away.
Then he pointed toward the staircase.
Sophia shook her head.
Jonathan pointed again.
Then he left.
Twenty-seven minutes later, Sophia began searching the study.
Emily stared at the screen.
“He wasn’t helping her.”
Michael nodded slowly.
“He was warning her.”
Thomas paused the footage.
“There’s something else.”
He zoomed in on Jonathan’s hand.
A small card was visible between his fingers.
Thomas enhanced the image.
Three handwritten words became readable.
DON’T TRUST DANIEL.
Michael exhaled.
“Then why was Sophia messaging Daniel?”
Emily looked at him.
“Because Jonathan might have discovered they were working together.”
Thomas rewound the video.
Jonathan left the room.
Sophia immediately pulled out her phone.
Ten seconds later, she made a call.
Michael said.
“That could be Daniel.”
“We need the audio.”
Thomas shook his head.
“The house camera doesn’t record sound.”
Emily suddenly looked toward Michael.
“The doorbell does.”
Michael froze.
The front doorbell camera had audio.
Thomas accessed the cloud account.
There was one recording from 9:14 PM the previous night.
Jonathan stood outside.
Sophia opened the door.
His voice crackled through the laptop speaker.
“You have until tomorrow to tell Michael everything.”
Sophia stared at him.
“You’re threatening me?”
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
Michael leaned closer.
Jonathan continued.
“Daniel is cleaning up.”
Sophia laughed.
“He needs me.”
“No.”
Jonathan looked past her into the house.
“He needed your access.”
Sophia’s expression shifted.
Jonathan lowered his voice.
“Once he gets the folder, you become evidence.”
Sophia crossed her arms.
“You don’t know what’s inside it.”
“I know exactly what’s inside.”
Jonathan stepped closer.
“And so does Emily.”
Sophia’s face went pale.
Jonathan continued.
“That woman has been three steps ahead of you for months.”
Sophia slammed the door.
The recording ended.
Michael looked at Emily.
“You knew Jonathan was alive?”
“No.”
“Did you know he was involved?”
“Not like this.”
Thomas checked the timestamp.
“Jonathan returned twelve minutes later through the garage.”
Michael frowned.
“How?”
“He had an access code.”
Emily whispered.
“My father’s code.”
Michael turned.
“What?”
“My father had a permanent code when he was alive.”
Michael stared at her.
“I never deleted it.”
Thomas opened the garage footage.
Jonathan entered.
But this time he was carrying something.
A red folder.
Emily gasped.
“That’s it.”
Michael leaned toward the screen.
Jonathan walked into the study.
Three minutes later, he emerged without the folder.
“He put it in the clock.”
Emily nodded.
“So Sophia hadn’t found it yet.”
Thomas checked the remaining footage.
At 9:41 PM, Jonathan left.
At 10:07 PM, someone entered the garage.
No face appeared.
Only a dark coat.
Michael watched the figure move toward the study.
The coat looked familiar.
Navy wool.
Silver collar pin.
His coat.
Michael’s stomach clenched.
The unknown man disappeared into the house.
Thirty-two seconds later, the video cut to black.
Thomas looked at Michael.
“That’s when the recorder was removed.”
Michael stared at the frozen image.
Emily whispered.
“That’s the third person.”
Before Michael could answer, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
Michael answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Stop looking for Jonathan.”
Michael’s blood ran cold.
“Who is this?”
The caller ignored him.
“If you want Emily and your children to survive tonight, forget the red folder.”
Michael looked at Emily.
“What did you do to Jonathan?”
The caller laughed softly.
May you like
“Ask your sister.”
Then the line disconnected.
