Chapter 4: The Locked Room
The moment Daniel turned the car around, I stopped feeling like I was running toward my husband.
I felt like I was running into a trap.
The photograph was still in my hand.
SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH.
Three words written across the back in black ink.
I couldn't stop staring at them.
“Where did you get this file?”” I asked.
Daniel kept his eyes on the road.
“From Richard.””
“You said you had access to the company's records.””
“I do.””
“But this photograph wasn't in the file you got from him.””
“No.””
“Then someone added it.””
“Yes.””
“And that person knows about the investigation.””
Daniel didn't answer.
“Daniel.””
“Yes.””
“Are we being followed?””
His eyes flicked toward the rearview mirror.
“I don't know.””
I turned around.
There were several cars behind us.
Nothing unusual.
A pickup.
An SUV.
A sedan.
None of them stood out.
But suddenly every vehicle looked suspicious.
“Call the police,” I said.
Daniel shook his head.
“Not yet.””
“Why not?””
“Because we don't know who we can trust.””
I stared at him.
“You're saying the police might be involved?””
“No.””
“You just said—”
“I said we don't know.””
My hands were shaking.
“Ryan is locked inside his parents' house.””
“I know.””
“And you're telling me not to call the police?””
“I'll make the call when we know exactly what's happening.””
“What if he gets hurt?””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“He won't.””
“You can't promise that.””
“No.””
His voice softened.
“But I can promise I won't let Linda get away with this.””
We drove the rest of the way in silence.
When we turned onto Linda's street, the house appeared ordinary.
Warm lights glowed through the windows.
There were cars parked in the driveway.
Nothing looked wrong.
That somehow made it worse.
Daniel pulled onto the street several houses away.
“Why are we stopping?””
“Because if someone is watching the house, I don't want them to know we're coming.””
He killed the engine.
I stared at the house.
A single upstairs light was on.
“That's where Ryan is?””
“Yes.””
“How do we get him out?””
Daniel reached into the back seat and pulled out another phone.
“There's a rear entrance.””
“How do you know?””
“I've been to this house more times than I can count.””
I looked at him.
“You and Richard were close.””
“Yes.””
“Were?””
Daniel's face tightened.
“Things changed.””
“Because of Linda?””
“Because of what Richard allowed Linda to become.””
I didn't ask anything else.
We got out of the car.
The night air was warm and thick.
Crickets buzzed somewhere nearby.
I followed Daniel around the side of the house.
Every step made my heart beat harder.
At the back fence, he stopped.
“Stay behind me.””
“I can take care of myself.””
“I know.””
He looked at me.
“But tonight, I don't want you to prove it.””
We crossed the yard.
The back door was locked.
Daniel pulled something from his pocket.
“You know how to pick locks?””
“I've had an interesting career.””
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
Then a light came on upstairs.
We both froze.
Someone walked past a window.
A shadow.
Too tall to be Linda.
Richard?
I moved toward the house.
Daniel caught my arm.
“Wait.””
The shadow disappeared.
We stood there listening.
Nothing.
Then a faint sound came from upstairs.
Three knocks.
Pause.
Three knocks.
My heart jumped.
“Ryan.””
Daniel nodded.
He heard it too.
We entered through the back door.
The kitchen was exactly as we'd left it.
The broken calm felt surreal.
My purse was still on the counter.
One of the chairs was still pulled out.
There was a smear on the tile where my knee had struck.
I looked away.
“Upstairs,” Daniel whispered.
We moved through the hallway.
Halfway up the staircase, I heard a voice.
“You shouldn't have come back.””
I stopped.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
Linda appeared at the top of the stairs.
She had changed clothes.
Her hair was pulled back.
She looked completely composed.
No tears.
No fear.
Nothing.
“Where is Ryan?”” I demanded.
Linda smiled faintly.
“You always were impatient.””
“Where is my husband?””
“He left.””
“You're lying.””
She tilted her head.
“You really think you know everything now?””
Daniel stepped forward.
“This ends tonight.””
Linda laughed softly.
“No, Daniel.””
She looked directly at me.
“This ends when I say it does.””
“Where is Ryan?””
“Why do you care?””
I stared at her.
“Because he's my husband.””
She smiled.
“Was.””
Something inside me tightened.
“What did you do?””
“Nothing.””
“Then where is he?””
Linda gestured toward the hallway.
“Go look.””
I started up the stairs.
Daniel followed.
Linda didn't stop us.
That frightened me more than if she'd tried.
We reached the upstairs hallway.
The room where Ryan had said he was trapped was at the end.
The door was open.
I ran inside.
Empty.
The window was open.
The curtains moved in the night breeze.
“No.””
I checked the bathroom.
Nothing.
The closet.
Nothing.
“Ryan!””
Daniel entered behind me.
“There's no one here.””
I turned on him.
“He said they locked him in.””
“I know.””
“He was here.””
Daniel walked toward the window.
He looked down.
“There are footprints.””
I joined him.
Below the window, the flower bed had been disturbed.
“Did he climb out?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Too high.””
I looked around the room.
Then I noticed something.
A smear of blood on the floor.
“Daniel.””
He turned.
I pointed.
His face changed.
He crouched beside it.
“It's fresh.””
My stomach turned.
“Ryan is hurt.””
“Maybe.””
“Maybe?””
“We don't know whose blood it is.””
A noise came from the hallway.
We both turned.
Linda was standing there.
She was holding something in her hand.
A small velvet box.
My stomach dropped.
“The bracelet,” I whispered.
Linda smiled.
“No.””
She opened the box.
Empty.
“The bracelet is gone.””
“What did you do with it?””
She looked at me.
“That's the wrong question.””
“Where is Ryan?””
She closed the box.
“The right question is whether Ryan ever intended to protect you.””
I stared at her.
“You're trying to manipulate me.””
“Am I?””
“Yes.””
She took one step forward.
“Then ask yourself why he never told you about the trust.””
“Because you lied to him.””
“No.””
She smiled.
“Because he agreed with me.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Ryan knew more than you think.””
Daniel stepped toward her.
“Don't.””
Linda ignored him.
“Do you know what your husband told me three months before your wedding?””
I shook my head.
“He said he was afraid you'd take everything from him.””
“That isn't true.””
“He said you were clever.””
“He loved me.””
Linda laughed.
“Men can love women and still fear them.””
I looked at Daniel.
He shook his head.
“Don't listen to her.””
But doubt was already spreading through me.
Linda saw it.
She came closer.
“He asked me to protect his money.””
“No.””
“He begged me.””
“No.””
“He said if anything happened between you two, he didn't want you walking away with his father's assets.””
“That isn't true.””
“Ask him.””
I couldn't breathe.
Daniel stepped between us.
“She is lying.””
Linda's eyes flashed.
“Then why won't you tell her about the agreement?””
Daniel went still.
I looked at him.
“What agreement?””
“Sarah—”
“What agreement?””
Linda smiled.
“There it is.””
“Daniel.””
He exhaled.
“Ryan signed a postnuptial agreement.””
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“When?””
“Two years ago.””
My body felt numb.
“What kind of agreement?””
Daniel didn't answer.
“Tell me.””
“It limits your claim to certain assets if you divorce.””
I laughed once.
A horrible, empty sound.
“He signed that?””
“Yes.””
“Without telling me?””
“Yes.””
I looked at Linda.
She was smiling.
“You see?””
I stepped back.
“No.””
She nodded.
“You were always the outsider.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
I didn't know whether I was saying it to her or myself.
Daniel touched my shoulder.
“Sarah.””
I pulled away.
“You knew?””
“I knew about the agreement.””
“And you never told me?””
“I wasn't sure whether—”
I held up my hand.
“Don't.””
Linda's smile widened.
“She doesn't like the truth.””
I turned toward her.
“You said Ryan was afraid I would take his money.””
“Yes.””
“So why accuse me of stealing a bracelet?””
“Because I needed a reason to force the issue.””
“What issue?””
“For Ryan to choose.””
“Choose what?””
“His family.””
I stared at her.
“You wanted him to divorce me.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Linda's expression hardened.
“Because you were destroying everything.””
“What was I destroying?””
“My control.””
The honesty of the answer stunned me.
Linda didn't even try to hide it.
“You changed him,” she said.
“You made him question me.””
“You encouraged him to open his own accounts.””
“You told him he didn't owe me your money.””
“You told him he could make decisions without me.””
She stepped closer.
“And then you made the biggest mistake of all.””
“What?””
“You married him.””
I shook my head.
“You're sick.””
“No.””
Her expression became cold.
“I'm a mother.””
“You hurt your own son.””
“I protected him.””
“You destroyed his marriage.””
“I protected his future.””
“You tried to frame me.””
“I protected his money.””
“You attacked me.””
Her voice rose.
“Because you would not leave!””
The room went silent.
Linda's chest was rising and falling.
She had finally lost control.
“You should have walked away when I warned you,” she whispered.
I stared at her.
“What exactly are you afraid I'll find?””
She smiled.
“Nothing.””
“Then why are you afraid?””
Her smile disappeared.
I took another step toward her.
“What did you do?””
She looked at Daniel.
Then at me.
And finally, she said,
“Ask your husband what happened to his first girlfriend.””
The words hit me like ice water.
“His first girlfriend?””
Linda said nothing.
I looked at Daniel.
He closed his eyes.
“You know.””
It wasn't a question.
“Yes.””
“Who was she?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Her name was Emily.””
I felt something shift inside me.
“Where is she?””
No answer.
“Daniel.””
“She left Dallas.””
“When?””
“Two weeks before Ryan met you.””
“Why?””
Linda whispered,
“She found out too much.””
I stared at her.
“What did she find?””
Linda stepped backward.
“Now you're asking the right question.””
Before I could respond, headlights flashed through the downstairs windows.
A car had pulled into the driveway.
Linda looked toward the hall.
For the first time, fear appeared in her eyes.
“Who is that?”” I asked.
She didn't answer.
The front door opened downstairs.
A man's voice echoed through the house.
“Linda!””
My blood ran cold.
Richard.
Linda looked at Daniel.
Daniel looked toward me.
“Stay here.””
“No.””
He stepped toward the stairs.
Then another voice rose from downstairs.
A voice I had never heard before.
“It's over.””
Linda backed away.
“Not yet.””
I followed Daniel downstairs.
The living room was empty.
The front door stood wide open.
Richard was gone.
But someone else was standing in the doorway.
A woman.
Dark hair.
Black jacket.
Her face was pale.
She looked directly at me.
Then at Daniel.
“You shouldn't have brought her here.””
Daniel whispered,
“Emily.””
My heart stopped.
The woman looked at me.
“Sarah?””
I nodded.
She took one step inside.
“I've been trying to find you for two years.””
“Why?””
She looked toward the staircase.
“Because your husband isn't the person you think he is.””
My stomach twisted.
“What do you mean?””
She pulled a folded photograph from her jacket.
She handed it to me.
I opened it.
It showed Ryan.
Much younger.
Standing beside Linda.
And beside them was another man.
I didn't recognize him.
But Emily did.
She whispered,
“That man disappeared the same week I did.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“Who is he?””
Emily's eyes filled with fear.
“Your father.””
I couldn't breathe.
“My father is dead.””
Emily shook her head.
“That's what they told you.””
The room seemed to disappear around me.
“My father died when I was twelve.””
“No,” she whispered.
“Your father disappeared.””
May you like
Then she looked toward Daniel.
“And Richard knows exactly where he is.””
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