Chapter 3 - The Locked Case
I crossed the road immediately.
Major Lewis met me halfway.
“Ma’am.”
“What happened?”
“One of the exterior storage compartments appears to have been accessed.”
“Contents?”
“Unknown until you inspect.”
Ryan was standing on the porch.
For the first time since I had known him, he wasn’t smiling.
Jessica stood behind him.
“Colonel?” Ryan said.
I walked past him.
Not because I wanted to humiliate him.
Because I had bigger problems.
The storage shed was attached to the rear garage.
The padlock hung open.
My stomach tightened.
I had secured it myself three weeks earlier.
Inside were fishing supplies, maintenance equipment and several sealed containers.
One was a hardened transit case used for non-classified military field equipment.
The seal was broken.
Major Lewis photographed it.
“Did anyone authorize access?”
“No.”
Behind us, Ryan cleared his throat.
“My nephew needed fishing gear.”
I slowly turned.
“How did he get the key?”
Ryan hesitated.
“Jessica had keys.”
“Not to this.”
Jessica stepped forward.
“I gave Ryan the ring you left with me.”
I stared at her.
That ring contained emergency keys.
Keys I had trusted her with after a winter storm damaged the property while I was deployed.
“Jessica.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t ask.”
Ryan interrupted.
“This is insane. It’s a box.”
Major Lewis looked at him.
“No, sir. It’s government property.”
Ryan’s face changed.
Nobody shouted.
Nobody needed to.
I crouched beside the case.
The contents appeared intact.
Thank God.
But documentation would be required.
Reports.
Inventory.
An investigation into unauthorized access.
All because somebody wanted fishing tackle.
Ryan crossed his arms.
“So nobody stole anything. Great. Problem solved.”
I stood.
“That isn't how security works.”
“Oh, give me a break.”
Jessica whispered, “Ryan, stop.”
“No. She comes back wearing a uniform and suddenly everybody acts like she’s the President.”
Major Lewis stepped away.
Smart man.
He knew this was family business.
I looked at Ryan.
“My uniform isn't why you're leaving.”
“Then why?”
“Because I asked you to.”
“This is Jessica’s family too.”
“No.”
I said it quietly.
“This is my home.”
He opened his mouth.
I continued.
“You called me a parasite inside a house I paid for. You ordered me out. You laughed when I told you it belonged to me. And now you're standing beside a government case somebody in your family opened without permission, still explaining why everybody else is wrong.”
For once, Ryan had nothing ready.
Jessica started crying.
I wished that made me feel better.
It didn't.
By noon, vehicles were leaving.
Ryan’s relatives packed angrily.
Some avoided looking at me.
Others apologized.
Ryan’s mother didn't.
She walked past and said, “Families share.”
I answered, “Families ask.”
She kept walking.
At 12:40, only Jessica and Ryan remained.
Ryan loaded their bags.
Jessica stood in the doorway.
“Can I talk to you?”
Ryan shouted from the driveway.
“Jessica.”
She ignored him.
“Five minutes.”
I nodded.
We walked to the dock.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then Jessica said, “Why didn't you tell me?”
“About my rank?”
“Yes.”
“Would it have changed what you did?”
She looked away.
“That isn't fair.”
“It’s the only question that matters.”
“I would have respected—”
She stopped herself.
I looked at her.
“You would have respected me more if you knew I was a Colonel?”
Tears filled her eyes.
“No.”
“Yes.”
She wiped her face.
“I’m sorry.”
I wanted to believe her.
Maybe part of me did.
Then she said the sentence that destroyed whatever progress we had made.
“But you didn't need to embarrass Ryan in front of everyone.”
There it was.
I stood.
“You still think this is about embarrassment.”
“Emily—”
“Someone broke into secured property.”
“They didn't know.”
“Because you gave them keys that weren't yours to give.”
Jessica flinched.
Ryan called again.
She walked toward him.
Then stopped.
“Are you really going to choose a house over your sister?”
I stared at her.
“No, Jess.”
My voice was tired now.
“You chose Ryan’s convenience over your sister. I'm just refusing to pretend otherwise.”
She left.
By two o’clock, the lake house was empty.
I stood alone in the wreckage.
Broken glasses.
Food stains.
Scratched flooring.
Wet towels.
My grandfather’s chair pushed against the wall.
I picked it up and returned it to its place.
Then I found something underneath.
A folded envelope.
My name was written across it.
Not Jessica’s handwriting.
Not Ryan’s.
I opened it.
Inside was a short note.
Colonel Carter, I’m sorry. Ryan told everyone this house belonged to Jessica and that you were a relative who sometimes stayed here. I heard him talking last night. He said once Jessica convinced you to put her on the deed, none of this would matter.
My hands went cold.
At the bottom was a name.
Ryan’s cousin, Natalie.
And beneath that was one final sentence.
You should check what Jessica signed last month.
I read it twice.
Then I called Margaret.
May you like
Because suddenly this wasn't about a stolen weekend anymore.
Someone had been planning to take my house.
