Chapter 5: The Box in the Attic
The two engines grew louder.
Martha stood beneath the weak security light behind the dealership, staring toward the mouth of the alley.
Wade moved first.
“Inside. Now.””
He grabbed Derek by the shoulder and pulled him toward the rear entrance.
Daniel didn't move.
He was staring at the street.
“Martha,” he said quietly, “where is your car?””
“Across the lot.””
“Don't go to it.””
“Why?””
“Because they may already know which one is yours.””
Martha looked at the dark road.
Two sets of headlights appeared around the corner.
Slow.
Deliberate.
No one in the vehicles seemed interested in hiding.
Wade reached for the door.
“Everybody inside.””
They hurried into the dealership.
Wade locked the rear door.
Then he killed the lights.
The four of them stood in darkness.
Martha could hear the ticking of an engine outside.
A vehicle stopped directly behind the building.
Another parked on the opposite side.
“They boxed us in,” Wade whispered.
Derek's breathing became shallow.
“How do you know?””
“Because nobody parks like that by accident.””
Martha looked toward the front showroom.
The broken window from earlier offered a clear view of the street.
A figure stepped out of one of the vehicles.
Then another.
Both men remained in shadow.
Daniel whispered:
“They found us.””
Wade looked at him.
“Who?””
Daniel shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Wade almost laughed.
“You really need a new sentence.””
A knock came from the front door.
Three slow knocks.
Nobody moved.
Another three.
Then a voice.
“Mr. Bell.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
The voice was calm.
Professional.
Not angry.
That somehow made it worse.
“We know you're inside.””
Wade leaned toward Daniel.
“You know that voice?””
Daniel nodded.
“I've heard it once before.””
“When?””
“Eleven years ago.””
Martha's eyes narrowed.
“The day you bought the Harley?””
Daniel looked at her.
“Yes.””
Wade's expression hardened.
“Who was the seller?””
Daniel whispered:
“That man.””
The knocking stopped.
Martha's heart pounded.
“You bought the bike from him?””
“No.””
“Then what happened?””
“He wasn't the seller.””
“Who was he?””
“A representative.””
“Representative of what?””
Daniel didn't answer.
Martha stepped closer.
“Daniel.””
He looked at her.
“I thought he worked for a company.””
“What company?””
“I don't know.””
Wade sighed.
“You're exhausting.””
Daniel ignored him.
“He said the motorcycle had come from an estate.””
“And you believed him?””
“At the time, yes.””
“Why?””
“Because he had documents.””
“Real documents?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did you say the auction was staged?””
“Because eleven years later, I discovered the auction never happened.””
Martha stared.
“You're saying the paperwork was fake.””
Daniel nodded.
Wade whispered, “And you kept the motorcycle anyway.””
“I tried to get rid of it.””
“But you didn't.””
“I couldn't.””
“Why?””
“Because every time I tried, something happened.””
“What kind of something?””
Daniel looked toward the front doors.
“People disappeared.””
Martha froze.
“People?””
“Three employees.””
“Your employees?””
“Yes.””
“Because of the motorcycle?””
“I don't know.””
“You don't know anything,” Wade muttered.
Daniel looked at him.
“I know that one mechanic asked me why the frame had been welded twice.””
Wade went still.
“What mechanic?””
“His name was Eddie.””
“What happened to him?””
Daniel's eyes dropped.
“He never came home one night.””
Martha felt cold.
“Police?””
“They investigated.””
“And?””
“Nothing.””
Wade's voice became quieter.
“Like Frank.””
Daniel nodded.
“Like Frank.””
Another voice came from the front.
“You have five minutes.””
The sound was amplified by the glass and concrete.
“Bring the tape.””
A second voice joined the first.
“And the widow.””
Martha's blood ran cold.
Wade looked at her.
“They know you're here.””
Derek shook his head.
“How?””
Wade glanced toward the security monitors.
“The cameras.””
“But they're offline.””
“Somebody doesn't need the cameras to know what's happening.””
Daniel looked at Martha.
“Do you remember what else Frank told you the week before he disappeared?””
Martha frowned.
“Which part?””
“He gave you the box.””
“Yes.””
“What else?””
She searched her memory.
Rain against the windows.
Frank's leather jacket hanging by the door.
The smell of coffee.
His tired eyes.
Then—
A sentence.
Martha whispered:
“He told me to trust the house.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“What did that mean?””
“I don't know.””
“The house itself?””
“Yes.””
“Did he say anything else?””
Martha closed her eyes.
“He said… 'When the time comes, don't look where everyone looks.''”
Wade's eyes widened.
“The box.””
Martha nodded.
“It's in the attic.””
Derek stared at her.
“You still have it?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“Inside an old cedar chest.””
Daniel suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Wait.””
Wade shoved him away.
“Don't touch her.””
Daniel raised both hands.
“I'm trying to help.””
“Then talk.””
Daniel pointed toward the ceiling.
“If the box is in the attic, they may already know.””
“How?””
“Because someone searched your house three years ago.””
Martha stared at him.
“What?””
“I was there.””
“You were at my house?””
“Not inside.””
“Then how do you know?””
Daniel looked ashamed.
“Frank sent me.””
Martha's expression changed.
“You've been watching me?””
“No.””
“You watched my house.””
“To protect you.””
“You had no right.””
“I know.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because the people watching you weren't supposed to know I was watching them.””
Wade looked toward the front doors.
“Everybody stop talking.””
They listened.
Footsteps.
Someone was walking slowly through the showroom.
Glass crunched beneath boots.
Martha looked at Wade.
“They're inside.””
He nodded.
Derek whispered:
“What do we do?””
Wade pointed toward the service corridor.
“There's an employee exit.””
Daniel shook his head.
“They're probably covering it.””
“Then we make another way.””
He looked at the wall.
Martha understood.
“The attic?””
“No.””
Wade pointed upward.
“The storage loft.””
Derek's eyes widened.
“There is no exit up there.””
“I didn't ask for an exit.””
Wade pulled a crowbar from a toolbox.
He jammed it beneath a ceiling panel.
The panel lifted.
A second later, a gunshot exploded in the showroom.
Everyone ducked.
“They're shooting through the glass,” Derek whispered.
“Move!””
Wade boosted Martha onto a metal shelf.
She climbed through the opening.
Derek followed.
Daniel went last.
Wade pulled himself up as another gunshot struck the wall below.
The ceiling space was cramped and dusty.
Martha crawled forward.
Behind her, Daniel breathed heavily.
“We can't stay here,” he whispered.
Wade turned.
“Your idea?””
Daniel nodded toward a narrow passage.
“It connects to the old office attic.””
Derek stared.
“I've worked here thirteen years. That passage isn't on any floor plan.””
Daniel gave him a tired look.
“That's why it was built.””
They crawled.
After several yards, Martha found herself in darkness above the dealership offices.
A faint rectangle of moonlight appeared through a small window.
Wade pushed it open.
Cold air rushed inside.
“There,” he whispered.
A ladder led down into a locked office.
Derek climbed first.
He landed quietly.
Then Martha.
Then Wade.
Daniel shut the window.
“What now?”” Derek asked.
Martha answered.
“I go home.””
Wade stared.
“Absolutely not.””
“My husband told me to bring the box.””
“And someone just shot at us.””
“That doesn't change what I have to do.””
Wade lowered his voice.
“Your house might be watched.””
“Then we don't go directly.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“I know a place.””
Martha looked at him.
“Why should I trust you?””
“You shouldn't.””
His honesty surprised her.
“But Frank trusted me once.””
“Frank told Wade not to trust you.””
“Yes.””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“And he still gave me one job.””
“What job?””
“To get you through this.””
Wade studied him.
“How do we know that's true?””
Daniel reached into his jacket.
He removed a photograph.
Martha recognized the house immediately.
Her house.
Taken from across the street.
But the photograph wasn't recent.
There was a date written in the corner.
Twenty-eight years ago.
On the back, Frank's handwriting.
*If I fail, keep Martha safe until the motorcycle returns.*
Martha stared at it.
“Why did you have this?””
“Frank gave it to me.””
“When?””
“The night before he disappeared.””
She looked up.
“And you kept it for all these years?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I was afraid he would come back for it.””
“Did he?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not until tonight.””
Martha went silent.
Wade looked at the photograph.
“The motorcycle was the signal.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
“What signal?””
“That Frank was ready.””
“Ready for what?””
Daniel hesitated.
“To come home.””
Martha felt the words like a blow to the chest.
“Then he's been alive all this time.””
Daniel looked at her.
“I believe he has.””
“Where?””
“I don't know.””
The answer no longer sounded evasive.
It sounded painful.
Derek walked toward the office door.
“Someone's coming.””
Wade raised a finger.
Everyone became silent.
Footsteps moved through the hallway.
Slowly.
Then stopped.
A doorknob turned.
Derek's eyes widened.
Wade pointed toward a closet.
They squeezed inside.
The office door opened.
Light spilled across the floor.
A man's shoes appeared.
He entered.
Martha couldn't see his face.
But she could hear him breathing.
He walked toward the desk.
Opened a drawer.
Closed it.
Then another.
Finally, he spoke into a phone.
“She has the box.””
Martha's stomach dropped.
The man listened.
“No. Daniel is with her.””
A pause.
“They haven't opened it.””
Another pause.
Then:
“We don't need the tape anymore.””
Martha stared at Wade.
Wade's expression changed.
The man continued.
“Frank made the mistake of hiding the second copy.””
Martha's eyes widened.
Second copy?
He turned toward the door.
“We have the wife. That's enough.””
The closet door opened.
Wade exploded forward.
He slammed the man against the desk.
The phone flew across the room.
Derek shouted.
Daniel grabbed the attacker from behind.
The man elbowed him in the face.
Daniel fell.
Wade wrestled the attacker toward the wall.
Martha stepped back.
The man's face became visible.
He was older than she'd expected.
Late sixties.
Gray beard.
Cold eyes.
And a familiar scar running from his left eyebrow to his cheek.
Martha had seen that face before.
Not in person.
In a photograph.
Frank had circled it.
She whispered:
“You were there.””
The man looked at her.
Recognition flashed.
“What?””
“You were in the photograph.””
He smiled.
“So you remember.””
Martha couldn't breathe.
Wade slammed him harder into the wall.
“You know Frank.””
The man laughed.
“I knew him better than any of you.””
“Where is he?””
The man looked directly at Martha.
“You really want to know?””
“Yes.””
“Then get the box.””
Wade's fist tightened.
“Tell us first.””
The man smiled.
“You're still thinking this is about money.””
“Then what is it?””
“Proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“Everything Frank discovered.””
Daniel pulled himself upright.
“He's lying.””
The man looked at him.
“You still haven't figured it out, Daniel?””
“Figured what out?””
“You weren't the traitor.””
Daniel froze.
The attacker looked at Martha.
“You weren't either.””
He smiled.
“Frank trusted the wrong person.””
Wade stepped closer.
“Who?””
The man's smile disappeared.
“Ask the box.””
Then he reached for something hidden beneath his jacket.
Wade reacted instantly.
He grabbed the man's wrist.
A small blade hit the floor.
Derek kicked it away.
Wade twisted the man's arm behind his back.
“Who sent you?””
The man remained silent.
Then his phone rang.
The screen lit up.
One name appeared.
*BELL*
Daniel stared.
Martha looked at him.
“Who is that?””
Daniel's face went blank.
“I don't know.””
Wade saw the screen.
“You're sure?””
“Yes.””
The phone kept vibrating.
Martha picked it up.
“Answer it.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because whoever is calling knows we're here.””
Martha looked at the name again.
Bell.
Her husband's name.
Frank Bell.
She answered.
“Hello?””
Silence.
Then a man's voice.
Not the stranger.
Not Daniel.
Not Wade.
A voice Martha had spent thirty years remembering.
“Martha.””
Her knees nearly gave out.
“Frank?””
“I'm sorry.””
She started crying.
“Where are you?””
“I can't stay long.””
“Tell me where you are.””
“I need you to listen.””
She pressed the phone against her ear.
“They're closer than I thought.””
“Who?””
“The people who took me.””
Her voice shook.
“Took you where?””
“I'll tell you.””
“Please.””
A breath.
Then:
“Don't open the box.””
Martha's face changed.
“What?””
“Whatever happens tomorrow, don't open it until you're with me.””
She looked at Daniel.
“He told me to bring it.””
“I know.””
“Then why shouldn't I open it?””
“Because the box isn't the secret.””
“What is?””
“The man who put it there.””
Martha frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Static interrupted him.
“Frank?””
“Martha…”
His voice became weaker.
“I'm running out of time.””
“Where are you?””
He whispered:
“Look at the photograph.””
“What photograph?””
“The one with me and Daniel.””
She glanced toward the desk.
“Why?””
“Look at my hand.””
Martha's heart skipped.
“What about your hand?””
“I wasn't holding the key.””
She stared.
Frank's voice became barely audible.
“Daniel was.””
The call disconnected.
Martha slowly lowered the phone.
Everyone watched her.
Wade asked:
“What did he say?””
Martha looked at Daniel.
“He said you had the key.””
Daniel's face turned white.
“I don't.””
Martha took one step toward him.
“You were holding something in the photograph.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“I don't remember.””
“You do.””
The captured man's smile returned.
“You finally understand.””
Wade grabbed him.
“Understand what?””
The man looked at Martha.
“Your husband never disappeared because Daniel betrayed him.””
He paused.
“Frank disappeared because Daniel was the last person who knew where the real evidence was hidden.””
Martha looked at Daniel.
“What evidence?””
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
“The names.””
“What names?””
“The people who ordered everything.””
Wade stepped forward.
“Where are they?””
Daniel looked at Martha.
Then at the old photograph.
Then toward the ceiling.
Finally, he whispered:
“Inside your house.””
Martha's heart stopped.
“No.””
Daniel nodded.
“Frank never hid the evidence in the motorcycle.””
“He hid it somewhere you would never search.””
“Where?””
Daniel looked at her.
“In the one place he knew nobody would ever suspect.””
Martha slowly realized.
The photograph.
The box.
The old house.
The memories.
Then Daniel said the words that made her blood run cold.
“Under your floorboards.””
And somewhere outside, a motorcycle engine roared through the night.
A familiar engine.
May you like
A Harley Martha had heard only once before.
The night Frank disappeared.
