Chapter 5 - The Snake's Den
Midnight. The desert air was surprisingly cold. Marcus cut the engine of his civilian truck a block away from Brenda Carmichael's sprawling stucco mansion. He bypassed the security system with the ease of a man who had installed half the police countermeasures in the county.
He slipped through the back door, moving like a shadow. The house was immaculate, smelling of expensive bleach and vanilla. He headed straight for her home office.
He rifled through the desk. Nothing. He checked the floorboards, behind the artwork. Finally, he noticed the subtle scuff marks on the hardwood beneath a heavy oak bookshelf. He pushed it aside, revealing a digital wall safe.
Using a thermal imaging app on his phone, he scanned the keypad, pressing the keys that still held residual heat from Brenda's fingers. Click.
Inside was a stack of ledgers, a burner phone, and a loaded 9mm Glock. But no tablet.
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Suddenly, the burner phone in the safe lit up. A text message. Vance is in the wind. We wiped the kid's device and smashed it. Move to the safehouse.
Marcus swore silently. The evidence was gone. Then, headlights swept across the front lawn. Tires screeched on the asphalt. Three unmarked police cruisers blocked the driveway. Captain Miller's men had come to secure Brenda's house, and they had found Marcus instead.
