Chapter 12 - THE SHADOW ON THE LAWN
Ethan moved down the dark staircase with absolute, noiseless precision.
He didn't turn on his flashlight. He let his eyes adapt to the ambient blue twilight filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room. The polished hardwood floors reflected the faint glare of the streetlight outside.
Ethan glided to the large front window, keeping his body concealed behind the heavy cream drape, and peered out onto the rain-slicked lawn.
The black unmarked SUV—the same vehicle he had spotted two nights prior—sat parked at the curb with its headlights off.
Three figures dressed in dark rain gear stepped out of the vehicle. Two moved toward the rear patio, while the third—a tall man carrying a heavy iron crowbar—walked deliberately toward the front porch.
Vanessa’s legal walls had collapsed, and now her shadow network was moving to destroy the evidence before the probate court opened on Monday morning. They weren't just after the black drive in Ethan's pocket; they were coming to ensure no witnesses remained to speak before Judge Abernathy.
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Ethan pulled the heavy iron keyring from his pocket and unlocked his gun safe hidden inside the hallway coat closet. He pulled out a heavy steel flashlight and his construction framing hammer, his broad hand gripping the rubberized handle until his knuckles turned white.
He walked into the dark kitchen just as the glass pane on the rear patio door shattered with a deafening CRASH!
