Chapter 2 - the call from the precinct
Claire answered the call instantly, pressing the phone against her ear as Michael guided Noah toward the front porch.
"Claire, listen to me very carefully," her brother Daniel’s disciplined, gravelly voice came through the speaker, tight with urgency. "Do not let Noah touch anything on the driveway. Get inside the house and lock the deadbolts now."
"Daniel, there's a device on a toy car in our driveway," Claire said, her voice shaking slightly despite her efforts to remain calm. "And Noah just saw a man in the vacant house across the street. He said it was the officer from your old squad picture."
A heavy silence fell over the line for two agonizing seconds.
"Thomas Vance," Daniel muttered, his voice dropping an octave into pure, lethal focus. "I'm two minutes away. Do not go near the windows."
Michael ushered Claire and Noah into the front hallway, shutting the heavy oak door and turning the deadbolts. Rex slid through the closing door, positioning himself squarely in front of the entry hall, his graying muzzle lifted toward the wood, listening intently to the quiet street outside.
Within ninety seconds, a dark casual crossover pulled into the driveway. Daniel Bennett stepped out, his rugged, disciplined frame moving with the quiet precision of a former K9 handler. He wore a dark casual jacket and dark jeans, his light stubble framing a jaw set like granite.
He didn't walk to the front door immediately. Instead, he approached the blue toy car near the curb, kneeling down to inspect it without touching the chassis.
Michael opened the front door an inch, watching his brother-in-law. "Daniel?"
"It's an active RF relay," Daniel said softly, standing up and scanning the perimeter of the cul-de-sac. "It transmits audio within fifty yards. He wasn't tracking your location, Michael. He already knew where you lived. He was listening to see if I came by today."
Daniel walked into the house, closing the door behind him. Rex immediately stepped up to his former handler, pressing his broad head against Daniel's hip. Daniel rested a heavy hand on the dog's back, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second as he looked at his sister and young nephew.
"Uncle Daniel," Noah whispered, hugging his mother's waist. "Is the bad man coming here?"
Daniel crouched down so he was at eye level with the seven-year-old boy. "No one is hurting you, buddy. Rex and I are right here. I promise."
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Claire looked at her older brother, her brown eyes demanding answers. "Daniel... Thomas Vance disappeared five years ago after your unit was ambushed. Everyone said he went off the grid. Why is he sitting in a vacant house across from my family?"
Daniel slowly stood up, looking toward the curtained front window. "Because Vance thinks I still have the evidence file that destroyed our department five years ago... and he thinks I hid it under your roof."
