Chapter 12 - The Second Passport
I ran into the airport parking garage,
my breath coming in ragged gasps,
Noah crying in my arms.
I needed a vehicle,
I needed a place to hide.
I saw a rental car return area,
with keys left in the drop box.
It was illegal,
it was dangerous,
but I was desperate.
I found a car with the keys on the dash,
a silver sedan,
unlocked and waiting.
I threw our bag inside,
buckled Noah in,
and started the engine.
We sped out of the garage,
crashing through the plastic barrier,
alarms blaring behind us.
I drove back toward the city.
If Ethan was at the airport,
and my father was there too,
then our house might be empty.
The passports were there.
The real evidence was there.
I had to risk it.
We arrived at our suburban house at 6:00 a.m.
The street was quiet,
the neighbors still asleep.
I left the engine running,
holding Noah's hand as we ran to the back door.
I broke the glass pane,
reached inside,
and unlocked the door.
The house was eerie,
filled with memories of a life that was dead.
I ran to Ethan's office.
I smashed his desk drawer open with a golf club.
Inside,
I found a false bottom.
I lifted it up.
There were two passports.
One was his.
The other was also his,
but with a different name.
John Carter.
He had a completely fake identity.
And beside the passport,
was a blueprint.
A blueprint of a bank vault downtown.
The Central Trust Bank.
He wasn't just laundering money.
He was planning a heist.
Or he had already done it.
Suddenly,
the lights came on.
I spun around.
Claire stood in the doorway.
She looked terrible,
her face bruised,
her clothes torn.
"He lied to me, Emma,"
she sobbed,
holding a thick envelope.
"He was going to leave me behind."
"He used me to sign the documents,"
"so I would take the blame."
She held out the envelope.
"This is the key,"
she said.
"To his safety deposit box."
"Everything is in there."
"The cash, the real names, everything."
I stared at her,
my sister,
my betrayer.
"Why should I trust you?"
I asked.
"Because if you don't,"
May you like
she whispered,
"we both die today."
