Chapter 3 - the house across the street
The afternoon light began to fade, casting long purple shadows across the quiet neighborhood. Inside the Bennett home, the blinds were drawn tight. Michael kept Noah in the downstairs playroom with a set of building blocks, while Claire stood near the kitchen island watching Daniel inspect the perimeter security.
"Five years ago," Daniel explained softly, leaning against the counter while Rex rested at his feet, "when the internal affairs investigation collapsed, Vance wasn't just my partner—he was the primary suspect in the missing evidence vault. The state task force claimed ten million dollars in seized funds disappeared from our precinct locker."
"And you believed him innocent?" Claire asked.
"I knew he was set up," Daniel said, his eyes darkening with remembered frustration. "Just like I was. But Vance panicked. He went into hiding before the federal grand jury could subpoena us. If he's back now, it means someone is putting pressure on him."
"Or he thinks you have whatever was in that vault," Michael added, stepping into the kitchen after checking on Noah. "Daniel, my son was playing twenty feet from an active bug. If that device had been explosive—"
"It wasn't designed to kill," Daniel interrupted gently, looking Michael in the eye. "It was designed to test Rex."
Claire frowned. "Test Rex?"
"Rex was trained to detect electronic triggers and low-frequency relays when we worked the tactical unit," Daniel said, stroking the dog's neck. "Vance knew if Rex was still living here, the dog would react to the signal. It was a confirmation sweep to see if I was still using this house as a secure drop."
Suddenly, Rex lifted his head from the tile floor, his ears perking up as a soft rustle sounded from the backyard fence.
Daniel held up a single finger, signaling total silence. Michael instinctively stepped back toward the hallway leading to Noah's room.
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Daniel walked silently to the back patio glass doors, peeking through a narrow slit in the vertical blinds. Out in the darkening yard, near the perimeter of the tall wooden privacy fence, a shadow glided along the treeline.
"He's not across the street anymore," Daniel whispered, his voice calm and lethal. "He's in the yard."
