Chapter 2 - The Ransacked Safe
Eric clicked on his flashlight, the bright beam cutting through the darkness of the ruined dining room.
He moved cautiously toward the kitchen, checking every corner while I followed closely behind.
The house looked as though a tornado had ripped through the lower level.
Chairs were overturned, and framed family photographs had been ripped from the walls.
"He's not down here," Eric said, his voice tense.
"We need to check his home office upstairs," I replied, my mind racing with terrifying possibilities.
My father kept all the sensitive financial documents for the construction company in a heavy steel safe in his study.
We crept up the carpeted staircase, listening desperately for any sound of movement.
The door to the office was already ajar.
When Eric pushed it open, I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand.
The room had been completely ransacked.
Filing cabinets were tipped over, dumping thousands of papers onto the expensive Persian rug.
But the most chilling detail was the massive steel wall safe.
The heavy metal door had been blown open, the edges scorched black by a professional thermal torch.
"Whoever did this knew exactly what they were looking for," Eric whispered, examining the empty interior of the safe.
"Madison didn't do this," I said, shaking my head in absolute disbelief.
"My sister is a spoiled brat who forges signatures, but she doesn't know how to blow open a bank-grade safe."
"No," Eric agreed, looking at a muddy footprint near the window.
"But her new boyfriend might."
I thought about Chase, the smooth-talking man in the navy blazer who had pretended to be embarrassed at dinner.
He had only been in our lives for three months.
We knew absolutely nothing about his past, his career, or his real family.
Suddenly, a faint, muffled sound came from beneath the floorboards.
I froze, grabbing Eric's arm tightly.
"Did you hear that?" I asked, barely breathing.
May you like
The sound came again, a desperate thumping noise echoing from the basement.
We ran out of the office and sprinted down the stairs, heading straight for the basement door in the kitchen.
