Chapter 2 - The Midnight Visitor
I quickly shoved the letter, the key, and the flash drive into my coat pocket.
I told the girls to run into the hallway bathroom and lock the door from the inside.
I grabbed the heavy metal flashlight I kept by the kitchen counter.
The pounding on the door grew louder, shaking the wooden frame.
I walked cautiously to the entryway and peered through the small peephole.
A tall man in a dark suit was standing on my porch, his face hidden under the brim of a wet hat.
He didn't look like a police officer or anyone I knew from the neighborhood.
"Arthur sent me," the man shouted through the wood.
"He knows his daughters took something that doesn't belong to them."
"Hand over the envelope, old man, and nobody gets hurt."
I pressed my back against the door and tightened my grip on the flashlight.
"I already called the police," I lied, hoping my voice sounded stronger than I felt.
"They are two minutes away, so you better run."
The man outside laughed, a cold and terrifying sound.
"The police work for whoever pays them best in this town," he replied.
"I'll leave for now, Charles, but I am coming back when you fall asleep."
I listened to his heavy footsteps fade away down the driveway.
I waited until I heard a car engine start and speed off into the night.
When I finally opened the bathroom door, the girls were trembling in the dark.
Lucy reached into her small black backpack and pulled out a leather-bound notebook.
"Mom said the key goes to a storage unit on the edge of town," Lucy whispered.
"She said everything we need to ruin Dad is hidden inside."
I looked at the brass key in my hand, noticing a faded serial number stamped on the metal.
It matched a high-security storage facility I used to drive past on my way to work.
I realized we couldn't stay in the house if that man was coming back.
I told the girls to grab their coats because we were leaving immediately.
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But as we walked out the back door, I noticed the motion sensor light in my backyard was completely shattered.
Someone was already waiting for us in the dark.
