Chapter 7 - The Master Code
I parked my car two blocks away from my house and crept through the neighbors' yards under the cover of darkness.
It was three in the morning, and the entire house was completely black and silent.
I used my spare physical key to quietly unlock the backdoor leading into the kitchen.
I slipped off my shoes and walked in my socks, avoiding the squeaky floorboards I knew by heart.
I crept up the stairs, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs.
I paused outside Lily's room to listen.
I heard the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing, and a wave of fierce maternal protection washed over me.
I moved past her door and silently turned the knob to Margaret's master suite.
The old woman was snoring loudly in the large canopy bed, heavily medicated by her own sleeping pills.
I tiptoed to the massive vintage mirror hanging on the far wall.
I slid my fingers behind the heavy wooden frame and felt a small, hidden latch.
I pressed it, and the mirror swung open silently on hidden hinges.
Behind it was a sleek, digital wall safe built directly into the drywall.
I carefully typed in the six-digit override code Evelyn had given me in the alley.
A green light flashed, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
Inside, there were stacks of cash and a thick black binder.
I grabbed the binder and opened it under the faint moonlight shining through the window.
Evelyn was right about the financial debt, but there was something else inside.
It was a birth certificate and a DNA test report from thirty years ago.
I read the documents and clamped my hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
Margaret wasn't Daniel's biological mother.
According to these papers, Margaret had stolen Daniel from a maternity ward when she was a nurse.
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Suddenly, the bedroom lights flicked on, blinding me.
I spun around to see Daniel standing in the doorway, pointing a silver handgun directly at my chest.
