Chapter 1 - The Midnight Call
The dial tone hummed in my ear like a flatline.
I sat in the dark of my bedroom, staring at the glowing screen of my phone.
Eric shifted beside me in the bed, his voice thick with sleep.
"What is it?" he asked, sitting up and reaching for the lamp.
I could barely form the words.
"My dad just called."
"He said the bank found a document with my mother's signature on it."
"And then someone pounded on his door, and the phone went completely dead."
Eric threw off the covers immediately, his protective instincts taking over.
"Get dressed right now," he said.
We decided not to wake our son, Noah, who was sleeping peacefully down the hall.
My mother-in-law lived in the guest house out back, so I quickly texted her to lock the doors and listen out for him.
I grabbed my keys, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.
The drive to my father's house usually took twenty minutes, but tonight it felt like an eternity.
The roads were completely empty, covered in a thin layer of freezing autumn rain.
When we finally pulled into his long, winding driveway, my stomach dropped to the floor.
The heavy oak front door was wide open, swinging slightly in the bitter night wind.
The porch light had been completely shattered.
Jagged shards of glass glittered dangerously on the welcome mat.
"Stay in the car," Eric ordered, reaching into the center console for his heavy steel flashlight.
"Absolutely not," I whispered, stepping out into the freezing night.
I was not going to let my husband go into that house alone.
We walked up the front steps together, the silence of the property feeling heavy and incredibly dangerous.
"Dad?" I called out, my voice trembling in the cold air.
No one answered.
The hallway was completely dark, but I could clearly see the dining room from the entrance.
The Thanksgiving table we had left hours ago was a complete disaster.
Expensive china plates were shattered across the hardwood floor.
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The roasted turkey had been knocked off its silver platter, landing in a pool of spilled red wine.
But my father was nowhere to be found.
