Chapter 2: The Man at the Door
I didn't move immediately.
The pounding came again, three hard strikes that rattled the glass beside the entrance.
"DANIEL VALE!"" a man shouted.
"Open the door!""
Sienna appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Don't answer it," she repeated.
Her face was pale, but her voice had acquired a strange authority.
Mason retrieved the folder from the floor and slid it beneath his jacket.
"Go upstairs," he told her.
She stared at him.
"What?""
"Go upstairs, Sienna.""
For the first time since I had known him, Mason sounded less like a consultant and more like someone accustomed to giving orders that couldn't be questioned.
Sienna obeyed.
I watched her disappear around the corner.
Then I looked at Mason.
"Who is outside?""
He adjusted his cuffs.
"A nuisance.""
"That isn't a name.""
"Someone trying to interfere with our security arrangements.""
"Our arrangements?""
He smiled without warmth.
"You're going to make a very expensive mistake if you keep asking questions you don't understand.""
I stepped toward the door.
Mason caught my shoulder.
"Don't.""
I looked down at his hand.
"Remove it.""
He did, but only after a second's hesitation.
That hesitation told me more than his threats had.
He was no longer certain he could control me.
I opened the door.
A broad-shouldered man in a dark suit stood on the porch. He held a leather identification wallet in one hand and kept the other visible beside his hip.
"Daniel Vale?""
"Yes.""
"I'm Detective Harris, county police. We need to speak with you about a complaint filed against you this afternoon.""
My stomach tightened.
"What complaint?""
Harris glanced past me into the house.
"May I come inside?""
Before I could answer, Mason appeared at my shoulder.
"Detective, I'm Mason Reed. I manage residential security for the Vale family.""
Harris studied him.
"You're the security consultant?""
"That's correct.""
"Then perhaps you can explain why your client's alarm system stopped transmitting at 6:51 p.m.""
Mason didn't blink.
"Routine maintenance.""
"Funny. The service provider says the system was manually disabled using your administrator credentials.""
For the first time, Mason looked genuinely unsettled.
Harris turned to me.
"Mr. Vale, someone contacted emergency services and alleged that you threatened your wife, assaulted a member of your household, and intended to take your son out of the state without her consent.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"That's a lie.""
"I'm here to establish what happened.""
Mason stepped forward.
"Detective, I witnessed Mr. Vale become aggressive this evening. He shoved me into a table and threatened me.""
I stared at him.
"You grabbed my arm.""
"I attempted to calm you down.""
"You reached for my son.""
Harris raised a hand.
"One at a time.""
From upstairs came a faint thump.
I looked toward the staircase.
Harris noticed.
"Is your son upstairs?""
"Yes.""
"Is he safe?""
"He's frightened. That's all.""
Mason gave a small, disapproving shake of his head.
"Daniel has been under considerable stress lately. The family has been dealing with some personal difficulties.""
"Stop speaking for me," I said.
Harris looked between us.
"Mr. Reed, I'd like to hear from Mr. Vale without interruption.""
Mason's jaw tightened.
"Of course.""
Harris stepped into the foyer.
I closed the door behind him and led him toward the living room.
The broken glass still glittered across the rug. A dark stain spread through the pale fibers.
Harris glanced at it.
"Is that from the incident?""
"Yes.""
"Who broke the glass?""
"Mason and I collided with the table after he grabbed me.""
Mason laughed quietly.
"That's not what happened.""
Harris turned.
"Then we'll sort out the details. For now, nobody leaves until I've spoken to everyone involved.""
Mason's expression changed.
"Nobody?""
"Nobody.""
A phone rang upstairs.
Sienna answered it.
Her voice drifted down through the stairwell.
"No, not yet. He's still here.""
A pause.
Then, more urgently, "I said not yet.""
Harris lifted his eyes toward the ceiling.
"Who is she speaking to?""
"I don't know," I said.
Mason moved toward the staircase.
"Probably the event planner.""
Harris stepped into his path.
"Stay here, Mr. Reed.""
Mason stopped.
The two men regarded each other for a long moment.
Then Harris took a small notebook from his pocket.
"Mr. Vale, I need to ask you about your plans for tonight. Are you scheduled to attend a charity gala?""
"Yes. My company is hosting it.""
"Will you be taking your son?""
"No.""
"Have you made arrangements for him to stay elsewhere?""
"No.""
"Have you purchased tickets or transportation for an out-of-state trip?""
"No.""
Harris wrote something down.
"Do you have any idea why someone would make that allegation?""
I looked at Mason.
He returned my stare with an expression of manufactured concern.
"I have a theory," I said.
"Let's hear it.""
"My wife and Mason have been preparing documents with my name on them. One appears to involve temporary custody. I don't know what the others say.""
Harris looked at Mason.
"Do you have those documents?""
"No.""
"Where are they?""
"I don't know what he's talking about.""
I stepped toward the coffee table.
The manila folder was gone.
"That was right there.""
Mason spread his hands.
"You threw it on the floor. Perhaps you should consider what else you may have misplaced.""
I wanted to hit him.
Instead, I took a breath.
"Harris, my house has security cameras. If they're working, they'll show exactly what happened.""
Mason answered before the detective could.
"The cameras are undergoing maintenance.""
Harris slowly turned toward him.
"All of them?""
"Several.""
"At the same time?""
"Yes.""
"And the alarm system?""
"Also under maintenance.""
Harris closed his notebook.
"That's an extraordinary coincidence.""
Mason's lips pressed into a thin line.
I felt the first fragile thread of hope.
Then my wife came downstairs.
She had changed into a dark blue evening dress. Her hair was pinned up, and her makeup had been refreshed. She looked as if she were preparing to stand beneath chandeliers and smile for photographs.
Not as if the father of her child might be accused of a crime.
"Detective Harris," she said, offering a composed smile.
"I'm glad you're here.""
Harris looked at her.
"Mrs. Vale, did you contact the police?""
"No.""
"Did someone contact them on your behalf?""
She hesitated.
"I don't know.""
"Your husband says there was an argument.""
"Daniel has been behaving unpredictably.""
I stared at her.
"Unpredictably?""
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"I came home from an exhausting day, and he started accusing me of having an affair. He grabbed Mason, threw things, and frightened Noah.""
Mason nodded solemnly.
"That's what happened.""
Harris studied her face.
"Did you see your husband strike anyone?""
"No.""
"Did you see him threaten to take your son out of the state?""
Sienna looked at me.
"Not in those exact words.""
"Then what words did he use?""
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Harris waited.
Finally, she said, "He said Noah was his son and nobody could take him away.""
The detective's expression remained neutral.
"That sounds like a statement of parental attachment, not necessarily a threat.""
Sienna's composure faltered.
"You're not understanding the situation.""
"Then help me understand it.""
She looked toward Mason.
He gave the smallest shake of his head.
It was barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
And so did Harris.
The detective's eyes narrowed.
"Mrs. Vale, I'd like to speak with you separately.""
"No," Mason said.
The word escaped him before he could stop it.
Harris turned.
"Excuse me?""
Mason cleared his throat.
"I mean, she's under considerable stress. I don't think interrogating her will help.""
"That's not your decision.""
Sienna looked suddenly afraid.
Not of me.
Of Mason.
Harris escorted her toward the dining room, where he could speak to her privately.
As they disappeared, Mason moved close enough that I could smell his expensive cologne.
"You have no idea how much trouble you're causing," he whispered.
I kept my voice low.
"Then explain it.""
He leaned closer.
"By tomorrow morning, the world will believe you abandoned your family. Your business partners will question your judgment. Your wife will have legal protection. And your son will be living with someone who can actually be there for him.""
I stared at him.
"You've planned this.""
Mason straightened his tie.
"Prove it.""
Before I could respond, Noah appeared at the top of the staircase.
He held his dinosaur against his chest.
"Daddy?""
I turned immediately.
"Hey, buddy. Stay upstairs for me.""
He looked at Mason.
Then at the detective's empty place beside the dining room.
"Why is everybody yelling?""
Mason smiled at him.
It was the same smile he had used earlier, when he tried to persuade my son to call him Daddy.
"Come here, Noah.""
My son backed away.
"No.""
Mason's smile disappeared.
"Don't be rude.""
Noah clutched his dinosaur tighter.
"I want my daddy.""
I walked to the stairs.
"Come to me, buddy.""
Noah hurried down, nearly missing the final step. I caught him and lifted him into my arms.
Mason watched us with cold, calculating eyes.
Harris returned from the dining room.
"Mr. Reed, I'd like your identification and your business address.""
"Why?""
"Because I asked.""
Mason reached into his jacket.
As he pulled out his wallet, a folded piece of paper slipped from the inner pocket and landed near my shoe.
He didn't notice.
I did.
I bent as if adjusting Noah's sock and picked it up.
The paper contained a short list of names.
My name was first.
Sienna's was second.
Mason's was third.
Beside each name was a time.
*Daniel Vale — 8:00 p.m.*
*Sienna Vale — 8:15 p.m.*
*Mason Reed — 9:00 p.m.*
At the bottom, someone had written:
*TRANSFER COMPLETE BEFORE MIDNIGHT.*
I folded the paper into my palm.
Then I looked at the detective.
"Can I get a moment alone with my son?""
Harris nodded.
"Five minutes. Keep the door open.""
I carried Noah toward the hallway.
Behind me, Mason said, "Daniel.""
I stopped.
He smiled.
"Enjoy the last few minutes you have with him.""
My son buried his face in my shoulder.
May you like
And for the first time that evening, I stopped wondering whether Mason wanted my place in the family.
I began wondering what he intended to do with me after he got it.
