Chapter 8 - The Desperate Digital CryI descended the stairs like a ghost, keeping my weight on the edges of the steps where the wood was silent. My heart thudded in my ears like a war drum. Every shadow seemed to stretch and twist into Marcus's cold, grinning face.
I reached the kitchen island. There it was—Sarah's black tablet, resting right beside the fruit bowl.
My trembling fingers tapped the screen. It lit up, but a security PIN code flashed across the display. Think, Evelyn, think! Sarah's birthday? No, too obvious. Leo's birthday? I punched in the numbers. Incorrect.
A sudden clatter from the garage door opening made my blood run cold. Heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel outside. He was coming back inside!
Panic clawed at my chest. I stared at the keypad, my mind flashing back to a conversation Sarah and I had last week about her password system—something about the day she graduated medical school combined with our street address. I typed it in frantically: 061442.
Access Granted.
A wave of relief so intense it made me dizzy washed over me. I bypassed the email app and clicked directly on the secure messaging portal connected to Dr. Harrison, Sarah's chief of staff. Without wasting a single second, I typed out a frantic message:
DR. HARRISON: EMERGENCY. MARCUS IS AN IMPOSTOR AND A KILLER. HE HAS POISONED LEO AND TAKEN OUR ACCOUNTS. DO NOT LET SARAH COME HOME ALONE. CALL THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY. SEND HELP TO 412 OAK RIDGE LANE.
May you like
My finger hovered over the send button. The front door handle jiggled.
I hit SEND, grabbed a loose napkin to wipe away any fingerprints, and scrambled backward into the pantry just as the kitchen door swung wide open.
