“No, I said what I know about where she is would not be free. I tried to get Claudia to cooperate. Now I’m trying to get you to cooperate. If she had just given me her phone I wouldn’t be here.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” screamed Edie. She stood up and went toward him. Her whole body was vibrating with fear and disgust. She wanted to claw at his face. She looked around. What could she throw? What could she do to make him tell her? “When did you see her? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do shit,” said the man.

“Where is my sister?”

“I don’t know where your fucking sister is.”

“Get out,” said Gabe. “I’m calling the police.”

“I told you that was a bad idea,” said the man.

“I don’t give a shit what you told me. I don’t have a fucking clue who you are and you’re in my house, threatening my family.”

The man pulled a gun from beneath his waistband and pointed it at Gabe.

“My name is Lars Cahill, and you’re going to put the phone down. You’re going to give me the money you owe me and my family, and maybe, maybe we won’t sue your ass for every penny you have. I know a pretty good lawyer.”

Was he talking about Ridley? “Who sent you here?” whispered Michelle.

“Your fucking daughter sent me here.”

Edie’s dad stood frozen, eyes on the barrel of the weapon that was inches from his forehead.

“There’s money in the safe,” said Gabe.

They all looked at him. Edie’s parents had argued about the safe for years. Her dad always wanted to keep more cash in it than her mom. Michelle believed in banks. She believed in real estate and the stock market. She was practiced at having money and she felt certain that it would always be there. Why shouldn’t it? People who were afraid kept piles of cash in a safe at home. What did they have to be afraid of?

“Take me up there,” said Lars, the gun still pointed at Edie’s dad.

“No.” Gabe looked at Edie and Nathan. Lydia was upstairs. “I’ll go.”

“No way, you’ll call the cops.”

“In ten minutes, you can walk out of this house with fifty thousand dollars in your pocket. But you have to trust me.”

Lars didn’t answer immediately. He adjusted his grip on the handgun.

“All I have to do is walk upstairs and get the cash,” said Gabe. “What I care about is my family. I’m not going to fuck with you while you have a gun on my family. I want this over as fast as you do.”

“Three minutes,” said Lars.