Chapter 4
While Everett stood in the cold dark of the vault, a hundred miles away, the sun was setting over the Maine coast.
Maren was in the kitchen, hum-singing a song to herself as she washed the dinner dishes. Bennett was asleep in his bassinet in the living room, the monitor clipped to her waistband.
The house was isolated, which was exactly why they had bought it. The nearest neighbor was half a mile down the road. It was peaceful. Safe.
Until the dog started barking.
The neighbor’s Golden Retriever, usually a lazy animal, was at the edge of their property line, barking frantically at the thicket of pine trees that bordered the driveway.
Maren stopped washing the dishes. She looked out the window. The woods were a wall of black and grey.
"Probably just a deer," she whispered to herself.
But then she saw it.
A flash of light. Not a flashlight, but the brief, sharp reflection of the setting sun hitting glass. Someone was in the trees. Someone with binoculars or a camera.
Maren didn't panic. Her months of living under Celeste’s thumb had taught her how to hide her fear. She calmly walked away from the window, went into the living room, and scooped Bennett up. He let out a soft whimper, but didn't wake.
She moved to the hallway, away from the line of sight of any windows. She grabbed her phone and dialed the security company Everett had hired.
"This is Maren Langford," she said, her voice steady. "Code Red. I have an intruder on the perimeter. Initiate lockdown."
"Copy that, Mrs. Langford," the dispatcher replied. "Local police are being dispatched. Stay in your safe room."
Maren moved to the master bedroom, where a heavy reinforced door had been installed. She stepped inside and locked it. She sat on the floor, holding her son to her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs.
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Then, her phone buzzed. It was a text message from an unknown number.
“Everett is playing in a graveyard. You should tell him that some secrets are better left buried. If he doesn't leave the vault in the next ten minutes, the house in Maine won't be the only thing that catches fire.”
