PART 2: THE SIGNATURE THEY NEVER EXPECTED
Rachel’s face changed first.
The confidence drained from her eyes as Marcus lifted the object into the kitchen light.
It was a small black g/u/n.
Not the polished kind seen in movies, but an old, scratched thing with worn metal and tape around the grip. Marcus held it too tightly, his knuckles pale, his finger trembling near the trigger.
For one terrible second, nobody spoke.
Then Rachel stepped backward.
“Marcus,” she whispered, “you said we were only going to scare her.”
Marcus did not look at her.
“I said I would handle it.”
“This wasn’t the plan.”
“The plan changed.”
I remained seated at the kitchen table, forcing my breathing to stay even.
The security panel was mounted in the hallway behind him. Its indicator light, normally blue, had turned red after the emergency alert. Marcus had not noticed.
Rachel had not noticed either.
