Chapter 8 - THURSDAY NIGHT
At 11:38 p.m., Daniel left the house.
He carried the shovel.
Just as Ethan had predicted.
Sarah, Rachel, Chloe, and Ethan watched from the darkened kitchen.
Daniel crossed the backyard.
He dug beneath the maple tree.
Minutes later, the box emerged.
He wiped dirt from it.
Then carried it toward his SUV.
Nobody moved until the garage door closed.
Rachel's rental car was parked one block away.
They followed him.
Daniel drove for nearly forty minutes.
Industrial buildings replaced houses.
Finally his SUV turned into a storage complex near the interstate.
Sarah parked across the road.
Daniel entered through a security gate.
Five minutes later another vehicle arrived.
A black sedan.
A woman stepped out.
Evelyn Brooks.
Ethan recognized her from old company photographs.
Daniel opened a storage unit.
From where they sat, Sarah could see stacked boxes inside.
Evelyn entered.
Daniel carried the metal box after her.
Chloe whispered,
“What now?”
Sarah lifted her phone.
“We document everything.”
Ethan zoomed in through the camera.
Inside the unit, Daniel opened the box.
Evelyn picked up one of the gold bars.
They argued.
Although the family could not hear every word, fragments carried through the night.
“…not enough…”
“…six hundred thousand…”
“…transfer…”
Then Evelyn's voice became louder.
“I am not going to prison for you.”
Daniel slammed the box shut.
Sarah froze.
Evelyn pointed toward him.
“You said your wife signed everything.”
“She did.”
“No. You said she did.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“You've already taken your cut.”
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
“My cut?”
She pointed into the storage unit.
“That isn't your money, Daniel.”
Sarah's heart pounded.
Daniel lowered his voice.
They couldn't hear the next exchange.
Then Evelyn said something clearly.
“If Rachel ever compares the trust records, you're finished.”
Sarah and Rachel looked at each other.
Daniel grabbed Evelyn's arm.
She pulled away.
“Don't touch me.”
Then Daniel said:
“Friday. Move it Friday, or Vanessa gets nothing and neither do you.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“You're really taking her to Portugal?”
Daniel smiled.
“My family will survive.”
Inside the car, Sarah whispered,
“Family?”
Her voice cracked.
Rachel took her hand.
Daniel loaded the box back into his SUV.
Evelyn drove away first.
Daniel followed ten minutes later.
But Sarah didn't move.
Ethan looked at her.
“Mom?”
Sarah stared at the storage unit.
Daniel had left it locked behind him.
“We've been looking at his money,” she said.
Rachel frowned.
Sarah looked toward the unit.
May you like
“But Evelyn just said it isn't his.”
That meant someone else had been robbed too.
