Chapter 2 - The Cabinet Ryan Should Never Have Opened
For a few seconds, I said nothing.
Jessica must have thought the call had dropped.
“Emily?”
“What case?”
“I don't know.”
“What did it look like?”
“Black. Hard plastic. About this big—”
“Jessica, I can't see your hands.”
She swallowed.
“Like a small suitcase.”
I closed my eyes.
There had been three equipment cases in that cabinet.
Two contained communications accessories and field-support hardware.
The third contained inventory-controlled government equipment awaiting return after my previous assignment.
Again, nothing classified.
Nothing anyone could use to launch missiles, hack satellites, or do any of the nonsense Ryan probably imagined soldiers kept lying around their homes.
But it wasn't mine to lose.
And it definitely wasn't Ryan's to borrow.
“Where is it?”
“I don't know.”
“You just said Ryan took it.”
“He brought it downstairs last night. He said it looked expensive.”
“Last night?”
“Yes.”
“You were here last night?”
“Yes.”
“So you knew he broke into my cabinet before I arrived today.”
Silence.
That hurt.
More than I expected.
“Jessica.”
“I told him to put it back.”
“But you didn't call me.”
“I didn't think it mattered.”
“It mattered enough that you're whispering now.”
Behind her, voices rose.
Then Ryan came onto the phone.
“For God's sake, Emily, stop terrorizing your sister.”
“Where is the case?”
“What case?”
“Don't.”
He laughed.
“There were a bunch of boxes in there.”
“A black hard-shell case.”
“I moved some stuff.”
“Where?”
“Why?”
“Because it doesn't belong to you.”
His tone changed.
“Maybe you shouldn't keep government junk in a vacation house.”
“Where is it?”
“I'll find it.”
“No. You'll stop touching everything, and you'll wait.”
“For what?”
Before I could answer, I heard a knock through Jessica's phone.
Then another voice.
Professional.
Male.
“Ma'am, United States Army. We're here to speak with Colonel Carter.”
Silence swallowed the room.
I could almost picture Ryan's expression.
“Colonel?” he finally said.
Jessica whispered, “Emily…”
I ended the call.
Five minutes later, I drove back.
The mood at the house had transformed.
Music was off.
Children had been gathered in the backyard.
Several adults stood awkwardly near their cars.
An official vehicle sat beside my driveway.
Two uniformed personnel waited near the porch.
I parked at the road and walked toward them.
The taller one stepped forward.
“Colonel Carter.”
Ryan's mother nearly dropped my grandfather's mug.
Ryan stared at my uniformed visitors, then at me.
“You're a Colonel?”
I ignored him.
The visiting officer handed me a clipboard.
“Ma'am, we need to conduct an inventory verification based on your report.”
“Understood.”
Ryan stepped closer.
“Hold on. This is ridiculous. She called the Army because we had a family gathering?”
The officer looked at him.
“No, sir.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To verify government property.”
Ryan opened his mouth.
The officer continued.
“We have no involvement in your family dispute.”
That was exactly why I had called them.
I wasn't interested in frightening relatives with my rank.
I needed an official record protecting both the Army and myself.
We entered.
I showed them the broken cabinet.
The lock.
The equipment list.
One officer began checking serial numbers.
Ryan's expression became increasingly uncomfortable.
Jessica stood near the stairs, pale.
After several minutes, the officer stopped.
“Ma'am.”
I already knew.
“One item unaccounted for?”
“Yes.”
I turned.
Ryan crossed his arms.
“I told you I'll find it.”
The officer's eyes moved to him.
“You removed government property?”
Ryan immediately backtracked.
“I moved a box. I didn't know whose it was.”
“Where did you move it?”
He looked around.
“Garage, maybe.”
We checked.
Nothing.
Basement.
Nothing.
Guest rooms.
Nothing.
Then Laura arrived.
My attorney wore jeans, a navy blouse, and the expression of someone who had canceled her Friday dinner plans because people were about to make extremely expensive mistakes.
She handed me several papers.
“Property records. Deed. Current tax statement. Management agreement.”
Ryan scoffed.
“Oh, come on.”
Laura turned.
“You're Ryan Henderson?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Then this is for you.”
She handed him a document.
“What is it?”
“Formal notice that your permission to occupy these premises, assuming you ever had valid permission, is revoked.”
Ryan stared at it.
“You can't kick eighteen people out with a piece of paper.”
Laura smiled slightly.
“Actually, ownership makes that surprisingly straightforward.”
Jessica stepped forward.
“Laura, this is family.”
Laura looked at her.
“Then perhaps family shouldn't break locks.”
Ryan threw the notice onto the counter.
“No one is leaving.”
The room went silent.
I looked at him.
“You should reconsider that sentence.”
“Why? Because you're some big Army officer?”
“My rank has nothing to do with this.”
“Then stop acting like you're in command.”
“I am not commanding you.”
I nodded toward Laura.
“She is informing you.”
Ryan smiled.
Then leaned closer.
“This is Jessica's family too.”
“No. Jessica is my sister. The house is mine.”
“She has rights.”
“To my home?”
“You've let her use it before.”
“With permission.”
Ryan pointed toward the door.
“You left. You surrendered the place for the weekend.”
Laura actually laughed.
“No, Mr. Henderson. That's not remotely how property law works.”
His cheeks reddened.
Then one of Ryan's cousins spoke from behind us.
“Ryan.”
Ryan snapped, “What?”
The cousin looked nervous.
“You told us you rented this place.”
Nobody moved.
I turned slowly.
“What?”
The cousin looked at me.
“He charged everyone.”
Ryan's face changed.
The room became completely silent.
“How much?” Laura asked.
The cousin hesitated.
“Five hundred per family.”
I counted the adults again.
Then looked at Ryan.
He hadn't merely invaded my home.
He had made money from it.
And before I could ask a single question, another man near the fireplace raised his hand.
“There’s something else you should know.”
Ryan spun around.
“Shut up, Mark.”
Mark looked at me instead.
May you like
“He's been renting this house out for months.”
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