I swung open the door. A handgun swung with it, hanging from a built-in holster. I was struggling to see things as they were. At the same time, I wasn’t going to tar and feather my sister unnecessarily. “Lots of homeowners keep guns,” I said. “I have one in my glove compartment right now.”

“What?”

I turned. “You should understand why I keep a gun better than anybody else.”

“Do you know how to use it?”

“What do you think, I carry it around as a souvenir?”

“Are you a good shot?”

“Good enough.” I stepped aside and motioned for him to take it. Teo took down the holster and pulled out the gun. “You don’t need two, do you?”

I shook my head.

He checked to be sure the safety was on, then he examined it. “SIG Sauer, a nice little gun. Single action. Six rounds.” He removed the magazine, racked the slide and ejected the cartridge. Then he held the gun up to the light and checked to be sure it was empty before he set everything on the washer. “It was fully loaded and ready to go. At least your sister kept this where your nieces couldn’t get to it.”

“Do you think Jonah was supposed to mail the gun with whatever else?”

“More likely he was supposed to keep the gun.”

He was probably right. Wherever she was, if Wendy needed one, getting one was easy enough. With the gun no longer a threat, I reached into the safe and pulled out an envelope of cash, which, at a glance, looked to be around $200. Jonah’s price tag was high. I handed it to Teo and pulled out passports, Wendy’s and one for each daughter. For a moment I thought I was finished, but at the bottom, behind the ledge, I felt something smaller. Although it hadn’t immediately been visible, the safe contained a flash drive.

I backed out and held it up.

Teo looked interested. “The possibilities there are enormous.”

I slipped it into my pocket. “If I can’t figure out how to download this, my friend Glenn can. I can overnight it to him.”

“The passports may be just as interesting. Especially your sister’s.”

“Was she thinking about taking off somewhere with the girls? To prevent Bryce from having them?”

“Does Wendy seem like someone who would work that hard for sole custody?”

“Bryce told me her plans for the girls were negotiable.”

“Check her passport stamps. Let’s see where she’s gone.”

I’d thought of that, too. Whatever information the flash drive held would take time to discover. But the passport was in my hand.

It looked fairly new. I opened it and flipped past the first page to see Wendy’s photo staring back at me. Unlike most, the photo was a good one. She looked every inch the sophisticated naval officer’s wife.

I thumbed through to the final pages for a record of the countries where she had traveled. A few months ago she had been to Jamaica to visit one of Gracey Group’s resorts. My mother had kept the girls for a week, and Mom had sounded wrung out afterward. As expected, I found a Jamaican stamp.