Chapter 4 - Playing the Ghost
I answered the phone because I needed to know exactly how much he knew, and I needed him to believe his plan was still in motion.
“Hey, sweetie,” his voice poured through the speaker, warm and laced with manufactured concern. It was exactly the way he sounded when he lied to our friends at dinner parties. “Where are you? I noticed the Honda is gone from the street.”
“I’m running errands,” I lied, keeping my voice steady, flattening my tone to hide the violent trembling in my chest. “I took it to get washed before the dinner tonight.”
“Oh, good,” he chuckled softly. It was the same laugh I had heard in the hallway. “And where is Sophie? Have you picked her up yet?”
“Not yet. I'm heading there soon.”
“Drive safe, okay? I’ll see you both at the restaurant. Aaron’s meeting me there early.” He hung up. He laughed softly before the line clicked dead, because he knew I was lying, or at least he suspected it.
The moment the call ended, Aaron texted Sophie’s phone. Hey kiddo. Mom’s excited for dinner. Logan says she’s acting weird today. Please make sure you ride with her. Don’t let her drive alone.
Then, my own phone buzzed with a text from Logan, sharper and entirely different in tone from his phone call. Do not let Sophie talk to anyone about the accounts. We will discuss it tonight as a family.
That was the first real crack in his perfect story. He was nervous. The timeline was tightening, and he needed us in that car.
“We can’t go to the police,” Sophie whispered, staring at the texts. “Not yet. They’ll look at the forged signatures, they’ll see we are in a bitter divorce, and they’ll say it’s a civil matter. If they question Logan, he’ll spook. We need proof of the brakes. We need absolute proof of the plot.”
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She was right. If we struck and missed, we would never be safe again. I texted the mechanic who had my car. Do whatever it takes. Put it on a lift right now. Tell me what is wrong with the brake lines. Take photos.
“We are going to the dinner,” I told my sister, my voice hardening into something I didn't recognize. “We are going to walk in there, smile at our mother, and sit across from the men trying to kill us. And while we do, we are going to burn their world to the ground.”
