Chapter 1 - The Hidden Drive
I drove through the pouring rain with Hannah asleep in the back seat of my old sedan.
The metal key burned a hole in my jacket pocket.
My mother had left me this diner, a small haven she had successfully run for thirty-five years.
When I unlocked the rusty front door, the comforting smell of cinnamon and old wood washed over me.
I set Hannah down gently on a padded booth seat and wrapped her in my warm coat.
I needed to find the commercial lease documents to legally prove Kevin had no right to this property.
I walked behind the main counter and tried to open the antique cash register.
The heavy drawer was stuck, so I pushed the hidden release button located underneath the metal frame.
A false bottom popped open, revealing a dusty leather ledger and a black USB drive.
I grabbed my laptop from my small suitcase and immediately plugged the drive in.
There was only one video file saved on the entire device.
I clicked play and felt the blood completely freeze in my veins.
The grainy security footage showed my mother standing on the sidewalk outside the department store.
She was happily holding the box of sweet candy she had just purchased for Brenda.
Suddenly, a black SUV sped around the corner, jumped the curb, and slammed directly into her.
The driver’s side window was rolled down perfectly.
I paused the video and zoomed in closely on the driver’s face.
It was my sister-in-law, Pamela, and Brenda was sitting right next to her in the passenger seat.
A loud crash suddenly echoed from the front of the diner.
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Someone had just violently shattered the front glass window with a crowbar.
Kevin’s voice echoed through the dark room, warning me that I had nowhere left to hide.
