Chapter 2 - The Morning Lockout
At 8:00 a.m. the next morning, Eleanor Davis marched up the front steps of Liam and Maya’s suburban home, carrying a large glass casserole dish. She was fully prepared to play the role of the benevolent matriarch. In her mind, she was ready to accept Liam’s tearful apology for his "outburst" the night before, after which she would graciously unpack her leftover glazed ham.
She reached into her designer purse, pulled out her spare brass key, and slid it into the deadbolt.
It didn't turn.
Eleanor frowned. She jiggled the handle, assuming the humidity had warped the wood. When the door refused to budge, she looked up and noticed something completely new. A sleek, black, high-definition security camera was mounted directly above the porch light. Its small red LED indicator blinked steadily, staring right at her.
“What on earth?” she muttered.
She pulled out her phone and dialed Liam’s number. It rang once before diverting directly to voicemail. Eleanor’s face flushed with a sudden, hot rage. She dialed again. Voicemail. She dialed Maya’s phone. Voicemail.
Furious, she pounded her fist against the heavy mahogany door. “Liam! Open this door immediately! I know you’re in there!”
Her shouts echoed down the manicured suburban street. A neighbor walking a golden retriever paused on the sidewalk, staring at the perfectly dressed woman screaming on the porch.
What Eleanor didn't know was that the house was entirely empty. Liam hadn't returned home. A professional locksmith had arrived at 5:00 a.m., changed every lock on the property, and installed a perimeter security system linked directly to Liam’s smartphone.
May you like
Standing on the porch, Eleanor received a single text message from her son. “Do not come to my house again. Do not contact my wife. You will be hearing from my attorney.”
The glass casserole dish slipped from Eleanor’s hands, shattering into a hundred pieces across the concrete porch.
