Chapter 13 - The Break-In
They moved the evidence that night.
Rachel arranged a secure document-storage facility and made forensic copies.
The original ledgers went into a bank safe-deposit box controlled by counsel.
Andrew kept nothing important at home.
That decision saved them.
At 2:13 a.m., the alarm sounded.
Andrew woke instantly.
Glass breaking downstairs.
Renee sat up.
“Sophie.”
They ran to her room.
She was crying.
Andrew locked Renee and Sophie inside the master bathroom and called 911.
“Stay here.”
Renee grabbed him.
“Don’t go downstairs.”
“I’m not.”
They waited.
The intruder was gone before police arrived.
The hidden room had been destroyed.
Shelves ripped apart.
Walls smashed.
The steel compartment pried open.
Nothing else in the house was touched.
Detective Lena Ortiz walked through the damage.
“They knew exactly where to look.”
Andrew nodded.
“Can I ask what they expected to find?”
“My attorney is on the way.”
Ortiz studied him.
“That answer usually means this is more interesting than burglary.”
“It is.”
Renee stood in the hallway holding Sophie.
The child looked at the ruined door.
“Did the man come back?”
Renee knelt.
“No, honey.”
“Is he mad?”
“No.”
Andrew watched his daughter.
The mystery had begun with Sophie, yet she understood almost none of the danger around her.
He wanted to keep it that way.
Police found no usable fingerprints.
Security footage showed a hooded person entering through the garage with a copied remote code.
Only family and contractors had ever received that code.
Andrew checked the access log.
One remote had been added remotely three months earlier.
Authorized by Bennett Home Services.
A subsidiary controlled by Julian.
Andrew called his brother.
Julian answered on the second ring.
“You broke into my house.”
“Good morning to you too.”
“My daughter was here.”
Julian’s tone changed.
“What happened?”
“Someone tore apart the hidden room.”
Silence.
Then Julian said, “You need to leave that house.”
Andrew almost shouted.
“You think warning me makes you innocent?”
“I’m not warning you because I’m innocent.”
The sentence stopped him.
“What?”
Julian exhaled.
“I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
“Westbridge?”
“Yes.”
“Northline?”
“Yes.”
“Dad?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Andrew gripped the phone.
“But I did not send anyone into your home.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
For the first time, Julian sounded exhausted rather than polished.
“But whoever entered your house had access to Dad’s old operational network.”
“Meaning?”
“Gabriel. Mother. Thomas. Three former security contractors. Maybe more.”
“Gabriel is helping us.”
“Gabriel helped Dad ruin Peter Keene.”
Andrew had no answer.
Julian continued.
“There’s a reason Dad kept people around. Everyone had dirt on everyone.”
“Who else knows about the records?”
“Someone called me yesterday.”
“Who?”
“Voice disguised.”
“What did they want?”
“Ten million dollars.”
“For?”
“To destroy copies of the Keene ledger before regulators received them.”
Andrew’s pulse quickened.
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
“Why?”
Julian laughed softly.
“Because I’m many things, Andy. I’m not paying ten million for something I don’t know exists.”
The old childhood nickname hit unexpectedly.
Andrew said, “Meet me.”
“Bad idea.”
“Meet me.”
Julian hesitated.
“Tomorrow. Your lawyer’s office.”
Andrew ended the call.
Detective Ortiz approached.
“Family?”
“My brother.”
“Sounds complicated.”
“You have no idea.”
Ortiz looked toward the damaged room.
“For what it’s worth, Mr. Bennett, this wasn’t a search.”
“What do you mean?”
“They knew the compartment was empty within seconds.”
Andrew frowned.
“Then why destroy everything?”
“To make you think they were searching.”
Renee overheard.
“What were they doing?”
Ortiz pointed toward the broken wall.
Inside the plaster, police had found a small device.
A microphone.
Freshly installed.
May you like
The intruder had not come to steal evidence.
They had come to listen.
