Chapter 10 - Divided Loyalties
Clara didn't move. She kept her fingers pressed flat against the edge of the computer desk, evaluating the man standing over her. His badge looked authentic, but Marcus’s files had contained scans of forged government credentials that looked identical.
""How did you find me here?"" Clara asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
""Your home was flagged the moment the local precinct reported a forced entry this morning,"" Vance replied, his eyes darting toward the children's section where Leo was pointing at an illustration for Toby. ""Marcus tripped a surveillance wire at O’Hare airport late last night. He didn't board the flight to Switzerland. He’s doubling back for the wharf.""
Clara's mind locked onto the detail. The wharf. Marcus was going to Locker 19 to retrieve the bearer bonds and the fake identity before vanishing permanently.
""If he's going there, why are you here with me?"" Clara demanded.
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""Because the key to Locker 19 isn't at the wharf,"" Vance murmured, stepping half an inch closer. ""It was sent in a certified envelope to your home yesterday morning. Marcus realized he mailed it to the wrong address in the confusion. Did you open your mail yesterday, Mrs. Hayes?""
Clara's breath caught. Yesterday morning, before the world ended on the porch, Marcus had stood by the mailbox, aggressively intercepting the postman. He hadn't left the envelope behind—it was tucked inside the small exterior pocket of Leo's rolling suitcase, the one Marcus had hastily packed for the boys before pushing them out the door. She looked toward her sons, realizing they had been carrying the target on their backs the entire time.
