Chapter 1 - The Blackout
Daniel’s hand shook as he ripped the power cord from the wall.
The computer monitor died instantly.
The small church office plunged into a heavy, suffocating silence.
My brother stood there, breathing hard, his expensive suit wrinkled from his sudden lunge.
Dad stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides.
“Plug that back in right now, Daniel,” Dad ordered.
“It’s a virus,” Daniel lied smoothly, though his voice trembled.
“Mom was sick and confused at the end, so she probably downloaded malware.”
I snatched the small black flash drive from the USB port before Daniel could grab it.
I gripped it tightly in my palm, feeling the cold metal press against my skin.
“This is not a virus, Daniel,” I said softly.
“Mom explicitly warned us about you.”
The company attorney, Mr. Vance, hovered nervously near the doorway.
“Claire, please hand over company property,” Vance said.
I looked at the attorney with absolute disgust.
“This belongs to my mother, not the grocery chain.”
Dad turned his full attention back to my brother.
“What happened at Briarwood, Daniel?” Dad asked again, his voice dangerously low.
Daniel refused to make eye contact with either of us.
Briarwood was our family’s old summer estate by the lake.
We had not been there in almost twenty years.
The property had been boarded up and abandoned after a terrible fire destroyed the guest house.
I was only seven years old when the fire happened.
I had always been told that a lightning strike caused the blaze.
But the sheer terror in my brother’s eyes told a completely different story.
“Nothing happened,” Daniel finally choked out.
“Mom was just hallucinating from her pain medication.”
I backed away toward the door, keeping my distance from both men.
“I am going home,” I announced.
“Do not follow me, Daniel, or I will call the police.”
I walked out of the church office and rushed through the reception hall.
The sympathy flowers suddenly smelled sickeningly sweet.
May you like
I ignored the confused stares of our relatives as I pushed through the heavy wooden doors.
I needed to get to a secure computer before my brother could stop me.
