Chapter 2 – The Badge at the Door
Chapter 2 – The Badge at the Door
The doorbell rang again.
Three slow chimes.
Calm.
Deliberate.
Grant looked toward the front door.
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
"Don't answer it."
Her voice cracked with fear.
Grant swallowed hard.
"It's probably just a neighbor."
I said nothing.
I already knew better.
I gently squeezed Lily's shoulder.
"Sweetheart."
"Take Bunny upstairs."
"Lock your bedroom door."
"I'll come get you in a few minutes."
She hesitated.
"I don't want to leave you."
I smiled softly.
"You aren't leaving me."
"You're giving me room to work."
For the first time that day, she managed a tiny smile.
She hugged Bunny tightly.
"I love you, Mommy."
"I love you more."
She disappeared up the staircase.
I waited until I heard her bedroom door close.
Then I turned back toward Grant.
"You should answer it."
His forehead glistened with sweat.
"Evelyn..."
"Who is it?"
"You'll find out."
The bell rang a third time.
Grant slowly walked to the front door.
His hand hovered over the handle.
He looked back at me.
"If this is some kind of stunt..."
"It isn't."
He opened the door.
Two men and one woman stood on the porch.
All three wore dark business suits.
No uniforms.
No visible weapons.
Each displayed a federal identification wallet.
Grant blinked.
"Can I help you?"
The woman stepped forward.
"Special Agent Nora Briggs."
"We're looking for Evelyn Carter."
"I'm here."
I walked toward the entrance.
Nora gave me a respectful nod.
"Welcome home."
"Thank you."
Grant looked confused.
"You know each other?"
Nora ignored him.
She handed me a sealed envelope.
"The director asked that you receive this immediately upon your return."
I broke the seal.
Inside was a single page.
CLASSIFIED.
MISSION STATUS: COMPLETED.
SECONDARY INVESTIGATION: ACTIVE.
PRIMARY PERSON OF INTEREST: GRANT MATTHEW HOLLOWAY.
I folded the paper without changing my expression.
Grant noticed.
"What is that?"
"Nothing for you."
Vanessa suddenly spoke up.
"Grant hasn't done anything wrong."
Nora looked at her.
"And you are?"
"I'm his fiancée."
The room became silent.
Grant closed his eyes.
Almost as if he regretted that word the second it left her mouth.
Nora slowly glanced between the two of them.
"Interesting."
She made a small note inside a leather notebook.
Vanessa shifted uncomfortably.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your statement has been documented."
Grant stepped forward.
"I want to know why federal agents are standing in my house."
I corrected him.
"My house."
He ignored me.
Nora remained perfectly composed.
"Mr. Holloway."
"We're here to collect information."
"Nothing more."
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
"See?"
He looked at me.
"This is all a misunderstanding."
Nora continued speaking.
"For now."
His confidence disappeared again.
One of the agents behind her carried a slim aluminum case.
He placed it carefully on the dining table.
Grant stared at it.
"What's inside?"
"Evidence collection equipment."
Vanessa's breathing became uneven again.
"You need a warrant."
Nora smiled politely.
"Normally."
She looked toward me.
"Ms. Carter has already granted access to her property."
Vanessa froze.
Grant rubbed his face.
"Evelyn."
"Please."
"Let's handle this privately."
I folded my arms.
"You wanted lawyers earlier."
"Now you want privacy."
He couldn't answer.
Nora opened the aluminum case.
Inside sat several encrypted hard drives.
A digital evidence scanner.
Evidence bags.
Tamper-proof seals.
She looked at me.
"Would you like to begin?"
"Yes."
Grant raised both hands.
"Begin what?"
I walked to the entertainment center.
Behind a framed family photograph sat a small black receiver.
I removed it carefully.
Grant stared.
"What is that?"
"The local backup."
"You said everything uploaded to a secure server."
"It did."
"This is the redundant copy."
His face turned white.
"There are backups?"
"There are always backups."
Nora accepted the device.
"Chain of custody begins now."
One of the agents documented the serial number.
Another photographed the receiver.
Everything happened with quiet precision.
No one rushed.
No one argued.
Vanessa suddenly snapped.
"This is insane."
"You can't destroy our lives over a misunderstanding."
I faced her.
"A misunderstanding?"
"You forced a nine-year-old child onto the floor."
"You stepped on her hand."
"You humiliated her every day for months."
"You called her unwanted."
"You made her afraid to sleep."
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Grant looked sick.
I wasn't finished.
"And that's only what I know."
Nora looked up.
"What do you mean?"
I reached into my jacket.
I removed another encrypted drive.
"This one isn't from the house."
"It came from my mission."
Grant frowned.
"What does that have to do with me?"
I placed the drive on the table.
"It depends."
"How well do you know a company called Blackridge Logistics?"
His eyes widened for just a fraction of a second.
That was all I needed.
Nora noticed it too.
"So."
She quietly said.
"You've heard of them."
Grant recovered quickly.
"I represent dozens of companies."
"I can't remember every name."
"Maybe."
I replied.
"But Blackridge remembers you."
Silence filled the room.
Nora slowly opened the classified folder she had brought with her.
She laid a single photograph on the table.
It showed Grant shaking hands with a silver-haired man outside a private airport.
Grant stared at the image.
His lips parted.
Vanessa leaned closer.
"Who's that?"
No one answered.
Because everyone in the room already knew.
Except her.
Nora finally broke the silence.
"That's Victor Soren."
"The man currently under federal investigation for laundering millions through shell corporations tied to an international trafficking network."
Vanessa looked at Grant in disbelief.
"You told me he was just a client."
Grant didn't deny it.
He couldn't.
Because for the first time all day...
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The lies were no longer competing with the truth.
They were colliding with evidence.
