My wife hit our nephew when he tried to open a drawer—a few hours later, I discovered what she had been trying to hide. / Chapter 6 / 40

Chapter 6 - THE COMPASS

The sedan followed them from Westbrook.

Its broken headlight floated in the rearview mirror like one blind eye. Ruiz ordered Daniel to stay down. The sedan accelerated and rammed the unmarked police SUV.

Metal shrieked. Noah hit the floor. Daniel covered him as Ruiz fought the wheel and forced their attacker toward a concrete divider. At the last instant, the sedan escaped through a gas station.

Police found it abandoned behind a pharmacy. The plates were stolen. The interior had been wiped.

In the cup holder sat a visitor badge from Marcus Hale Medical Center.

“Too neat,” Ruiz said. “Evidence doesn't usually introduce itself.”

That night Noah sat at Daniel's kitchen table, turning Claire's compass between his fingers. Lily slept against him, refusing to go upstairs.

Daniel noticed a seam along the back and pried it open.

A microSD card dropped out.

The recorder in the storage unit had not been empty. Claire had moved its memory somewhere a thief would overlook.

There was one audio file dated June 14.

Daniel pressed play.