Page 23 of Defending Love
“It’s completely empty.”
My hands started to tremble as Eli came closer and looked down into the cavernous space. “Do you have any idea what he kept in there?”
“No.” I had a thought. “There’s something else. Dad showed me this after he had it installed.” I stood. Going to the large window that faced the street, I closed the plantation shades, dimming the room. After I turned on the light, I looked at the opposite wall. The bookcases Eli had been inspecting went from the floor to the ceiling on each side. In the middle was a cabinet with a decanter of bourbon. Above the cabinet was a large, framed picture of Sinclair Pharmaceuticals. Pulling on the corner of the frame, the picture swung out, revealing a safe. “He thought it was very Hollywood.”
“Who knew about it?”
I shrugged. “Knowing Dad, he probably told anyone who would listen.”
“Do you know the combination?”
I stared at the digital keypad. “I could make some educated guesses.” My gaze met Eli’s. “It’s not going to explode if I enter the wrong code, is it?”
He ran his hands around the edges. “Hard to say for sure. I don’t see or feel any wiring, but then again…” His lips quirked as he took a picture of the keypad. “It’s more likely to lock if the wrong code is entered too many times. In that case the emergency key would be needed.”
“I could message Mom. If Dad had any important documents, he wouldn’t have left them in his desk. They’d be in that safe.”
Eli sent the picture of the front of the safe to the Guardian Security team, to learn the number of digits that would be needed. At the same time, I called Mom’s cell phone. It rang three times before going to her voicemail.
“No answer,” I told him. “Hopefully, she’s asleep. We could take her things to her and ask her for the combination or where the key would be. Then we could come back.”
Eli nodded. “I want to talk to Jack. Find out if he knows anything about the people coming and going.” He pushed the picture back against the wall.
The façade was well hung. If they didn’t know that it was hiding a safe, no one would be the wiser. The problem was that my father was a sharer. I imagined him standing in here with golf buddies, drinking bourbon, and showing them all his hidden safe.
As we turned to leave, the doorbell rang.
Chapter
Nine
Eli
* * *
“It’s probably Carol or one of the other neighbors,” Dani said, walking past me.
I reached for her arm. “Stay back. I’ll answer it.” Unlocking the safety on my gun, I kept it low to my side as I entered the foyer and looked through the side window. “Fuck.”
“What?” Despite my instructions to stay back, Dani was now at my side.
“County Sheriff’s Department.”
A loud knock preceded the sound of a deep voice. “Open up. Sumter County Sheriff’s Department.”
I holstered the gun I’d gotten from my Guardian contact, Mitchell Gray. Lowering my voice, I whispered, “Answer their questions, but don’t volunteer any information.”
“Maybe they’re here to tell us they found the shooter or know who took Dad’s things.”
Doubtful. If they were coming to share, they wouldn’t be banging on the door.
Turning the deadbolt, I opened the door and met the stare of two men in uniform. “Deputies, how can we help you?”
One spoke while the other tried to look around me. “This address is under surveillance due to a recent crime. Explain who you are and why you’re in the residence.”
Dani pushed forward and offered her hand. “I’m Dr. Danielle Sinclair. My parents…my mother,” she rephrased, “lives here. We were getting her a few personal items for her stay in physical therapy rehab.”
“Do you have ID, Dr. Sinclair?”
