Chapter 8
They left through the tunnel.
Robert moved slowly because of his shoulder.
Evelyn refused to stay behind.
Daniel drove a second vehicle hidden near the greenhouse.
Maria sat beside Emily in the back.
Nobody trusted the main roads.
Robert gave directions through narrow service routes.
The Cross family cemetery sat forty minutes outside the city.
Rain had turned heavy.
Emily stared through the window.
“I buried him there.”
Robert looked back.
“I know.”
“You watched that too?”
“Yes.”
“Stop saying yes like it makes everything easier.”
Robert turned forward.
Maria touched Emily’s hand.
Emily did not pull away.
They approached the cemetery from the east road.
Daniel killed the headlights.
Ahead, through the rain, vehicle lights moved among the trees.
“They’re already there,” he said.
Robert cursed.
Emily leaned forward.
“How many?”
“Three vehicles.”
Maria said, “We should call police.”
Robert shook his head.
“By the time they arrive—”
“We cannot keep solving everything with guns and secret tunnels.”
Daniel looked at her through the mirror.
“She has a point.”
Robert glared.
Daniel raised one hand.
“Just saying.”
Emily pulled out her phone.
“I’ll call federal agents.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Who?” Robert asked.
“You said you were gathering evidence.”
“Yes.”
“You must have someone outside local police.”
Robert hesitated.
Emily laughed bitterly.
“You do.”
He gave her a name.
Special Agent Noah Pierce.
Emily called.
No answer.
Again.
Voicemail.
Robert said, “Use the emergency phrase.”
“What phrase?”
“Tell him the Cross file is open.”
Emily left the message.
Then they continued toward the cemetery on foot.
Maria hated every second.
Mud pulled at her shoes.
Rain soaked her hair.
Robert carried a gun.
Daniel carried another.
Evelyn held a flashlight.
Emily refused a weapon.
“So do I,” Maria whispered.
Emily glanced at her.
“Good.”
They reached the family crypt area.
A mechanical excavator stood beside Robert’s grave.
Except it was Nathan’s grave.
Three men were working near the coffin.
Another four watched the perimeter.
Daniel whispered, “Too many.”
Robert pointed toward a maintenance building.
“There’s another entrance to the crypt.”
Emily stared.
“You have a secret entrance to your cemetery too?”
“Not the time.”
“It is never the time.”
They moved behind the building.
Robert opened an old iron door.
A stairway descended into darkness.
Maria was beginning to believe rich families lived completely different lives.
The tunnel smelled damp.
They followed it until Robert stopped beside a stone wall.
He pressed a hidden latch.
A section opened.
They emerged inside the family crypt.
Stone shelves held generations of Cross relatives.
Emily turned away from the names.
At the center was a stairway leading toward the fresh burial chamber.
Voices echoed above.
“They haven’t opened it yet,” Robert whispered.
“How do you know?” Daniel asked.
“Listen.”
Metal grinding.
Tools.
Emily looked at him.
“What exactly are we trying to do?”
“Get the drive before they do.”
“How?”
Robert pointed to a lower passage.
“The coffin has access from beneath.”
Maria stared.
“Why?”
“Family tradition.”
Daniel whispered, “That explains nothing.”
Robert ignored him.
They descended.
A narrow chamber sat beneath the grave platform.
Robert approached a steel panel.
Entered a code.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
His face changed.
“They changed it.”
“Who?” Emily asked.
“Evelyn?”
She shook her head.
“Not me.”
Daniel crouched beside the panel.
“Move.”
Robert frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“Something useful.”
Daniel pulled a small multitool from his pocket.
Within a minute, he removed the panel.
Emily stared.
“You can bypass security?”
Daniel did not look up.
“I told you I invested in systems.”
Robert gave a bitter laugh.
“You hacked my company.”
Daniel kept working.
“That too.”
The lock clicked.
Robert opened the panel.
Inside lay the bottom of the coffin.
Maria’s skin crawled.
Robert pushed upward.
The interior lining moved.
They had access directly beneath Nathan’s body.
Emily stepped back.
“I can’t.”
Robert stopped.
“You don’t need to.”
“No.”
She swallowed.
“I mean I can’t watch you treat him like storage.”
Robert’s face tightened.
“He was my brother.”
“Then act like it.”
Silence.
Robert lowered his hands.
Daniel looked upward.
Men were still working above.
“We don’t have time for family therapy.”
Emily glared at him.
“You really want to say that sentence?”
“Fair.”
Robert took a breath.
Then carefully opened the lower compartment.
Inside was a sealed metal case.
No body needed to be moved.
Emily exhaled.
Robert reached for the case.
It was gone.
His face drained.
“What?”
Daniel looked inside.
Empty.
“They already took it?”
“No.”
Robert searched the compartment.
“It was here.”
Evelyn whispered, “Someone got it before tonight.”
Emily stared.
“Who knew the code?”
“Me.”
“Only you?”
Robert looked at Evelyn.
“And your mother.”
Everyone turned.
Evelyn’s face changed.
“Don’t.”
Robert stood.
“Did you take it?”
“No.”
“Evelyn.”
“I said no.”
“You were the only other person.”
“I never came here.”
Emily stepped between them.
“Stop.”
Above them, the machinery stopped.
Voices grew louder.
One man shouted, “Nothing!”
Another replied, “Search the crypt!”
Maria’s heart slammed.
“They know.”
Robert closed the panel.
“We move.”
Footsteps entered the crypt above.
Daniel pointed to the tunnel.
They ran.
A gunshot cracked.
Stone chipped beside Robert.
Emily screamed.
Daniel fired upward.
“Go!”
They rushed into the passage.
More shots.
Maria grabbed Evelyn’s arm.
The tunnel narrowed.
Ahead, a door appeared.
Robert pushed it.
Locked.
“No.”
Daniel turned.
“Open it.”
“I’m trying.”
Footsteps approached behind them.
Maria spotted an old lever.
“What’s that?”
Robert looked.
“Drainage.”
“Useful?”
“No.”
Maria pulled it anyway.
A violent rush of water exploded from pipes along the wall.
Daniel stared.
“Apparently useful.”
The passage behind them began flooding.
The armed men shouted.
Robert finally opened the door.
They escaped into the woods.
Rain hid them.
For several minutes they ran without direction.
Then headlights appeared.
Maria nearly screamed.
A dark SUV stopped.
A man stepped out holding a gun.
Robert raised his weapon.
“Federal agent!” the man shouted. “Noah Pierce!”
Robert lowered his gun.
Pierce rushed toward them.
“You opened the Cross file?”
Robert nodded.
“The drive is gone.”
Pierce’s expression hardened.
“Then we have a problem.”
“You knew about it?” Emily asked.
Pierce looked at her.
“You must be Emily.”
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
“Who had access?”
“Robert. Evelyn.”
“My mother says she didn’t take it.”
Pierce looked toward Evelyn.
His expression changed.
She stared back.
“Noah.”
Emily noticed.
“You know each other.”
Pierce said nothing.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Emily laughed.
“Wonderful.”
Robert looked between them.
“What is she talking about?”
Pierce glanced at Evelyn.
She whispered, “Tell him.”
Robert stared.
“Tell me what?”
Pierce put away his gun.
“I helped Evelyn remove the drive three months ago.”
Robert went completely still.
“You what?”
Evelyn’s voice shook.
“I had to.”
“You stole the evidence?”
“No.”
“Then where is it?”
Pierce answered.
“Federal custody.”
Robert stepped toward him.
“You had no right.”
“I had every right. People were dying.”
“I was building a case.”
“You were hiding.”
Emily watched her parents.
For once, Robert had no control.
Evelyn finally shouted, “You were obsessed!”
He stared.
“You stopped caring what happened to anyone as long as you could expose Blackridge.”
“I was protecting this family.”
“You watched your daughter’s funeral from across the road!”
That silenced him.
Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears.
“I took the drive because I knew if you had it, you would never come home.”
Robert looked wounded.
“You betrayed me.”
“I saved what evidence you had left.”
Pierce stepped between them.
“And she made the right decision.”
Robert turned toward him.
“Where is the drive now?”
Pierce hesitated.
Maria saw his face.
Something was wrong.
“Noah?” Evelyn asked.
He exhaled.
“It disappeared from our evidence vault yesterday.”
Everyone went silent.
Robert whispered, “You lost it?”
“It was stolen.”
“By who?”
“We don’t know.”
Daniel laughed in disbelief.
“Your federal evidence vault was robbed?”
Pierce glared.
“Not physically. The item was signed out.”
“By whom?” Emily asked.
Pierce looked directly at her.
“By an agent using my credentials.”
Maria felt dread.
“Blackridge inside federal law enforcement.”
Pierce nodded.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
A phone began ringing.
Not Maria’s.
Not Daniel’s.
Not Emily’s.
Robert reached into his pocket.
An old phone.
He stared at it.
“I haven’t used this in six months.”
Pierce raised his weapon.
“Don’t answer.”
Robert did anyway.
A familiar voice came through.
Claire Warren.
“Mr. Cross?”
Robert looked around.
“Claire?”
Emily grabbed the phone.
“Where are you?”
Claire sounded terrified.
“I found the drive.”
Everyone froze.
Emily whispered, “Where?”
“With my father’s files.”
“That’s impossible. It was stolen from federal custody.”
“I know.”
“How?”
Claire began sobbing.
“Because my father didn’t steal it.”
“Who did?”
Claire paused.
Then whispered, “Daniel.”
Every face turned.
Daniel stared at the phone.
“What?”
Claire continued.
“I found the access logs. Daniel used Noah Pierce’s credentials.”
Daniel’s face went white.
Emily slowly stepped away from him.
“No.”
Daniel shook his head.
“She’s lying.”
Claire’s voice continued through the phone.
“He’s been working with Blackridge for years.”
Daniel raised his hands.
“Emily, listen to me.”
She stared at him.
“You brought us here.”
“I was helping.”
“You knew where the drive was.”
“No.”
“You knew Blackridge was going to the cemetery.”
“Because we heard them!”
Claire screamed through the phone.
“Emily, get away from him!”
Daniel reached into his jacket.
Robert immediately raised his gun.
“Hands where I can see them.”
Daniel stopped.
Rain poured between them.
Emily’s face collapsed.
“Was any of it real?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Emily—”
“Was our marriage real?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
“Then prove it.”
“How?”
“Take your hand out of your jacket.”
He hesitated.
That hesitation broke something in her.
Emily whispered, “Daniel.”
Very slowly, he removed his hand.
He was holding a small black flash drive.
Robert stared.
“No.”
Daniel looked at it.
Then at Emily.
“I can explain.”
May you like
She backed away.
“You always can.”
