Lauren had sketched a floor plan of the hallway and marked where the bedroom closet was in red pen.

I folded the letters into four neat squares and tucked them into my jacket pocket.

The house was dead quiet when I let myself in the kitchen door at six.

Grace had taken Bennett to the library down the street, so I had the hallway to myself.

I went into Bennett’s bedroom and opened the double closet doors.

The sharp smell of fresh blue paint hung in the air inside the closet.

The oak floorboards were scraped where Frank and Lauren had dragged the iron floor safe out four days before.