First Lie Wins(31)

“One beep and the little light flashed red once.”

Matt is quiet on the other line for a few seconds then says, “Try the kid’s birthday.”

I read all the important dates from the packet they gave me before I started and have no problem retrieving the exact number from memory. I press in 1017. October 17.

“One beep and two red lights.”

“Shit,” Matt spits out from the other line. “I bet this is a ‘three times wrong, you’re locked out for good’ system. It probably resets after a certain amount of time. Maybe twenty-four hours. Stay put and try again tomorrow.”

And the line goes dead.

I deflate. I need out of this house. Splashing from the bathroom makes me freeze, then I hear Jenny singing that same stupid song she’s been singing for two days. The water turns back on, probably because she’s been in there so long it’s gotten chilly.

I stare at the keypad as my mind scrolls through the important dates and numbers from the Kingston file. Then I think about Greg. I can tell he loves Miles even though he’s not a hands-on kind of dad. He’ll text through the day asking how he’s doing and seems generally interested in talking to Miles when he gets home every night. The code isn’t his birthday, though.

Jenny lets out a loud laugh. I can only imagine what’s going on in there while she bathes alone.

Why hasn’t Greg booted her out of this house by now? He’s obviously got enough money to hire all the help he needs. He only talks to Jenny when he has to, although there are times I find him watching her with a sad expression. An expression that shows there’s still love there, even though he hates what she’s turned into. Could the code be her birthday? Their anniversary? Greg tries to hide it, but he sleeps in the guest room every night, and there is only one picture beside the bed. It’s of Greg and Jenny. They are young and all smiles, their faces squished together, cheek to cheek. Behind them, the sky is full of fireworks. There’s a good chance this picture was taken on their first date, at the Fourth of July picnic at the country club.

I stare at the keypad, hold my breath, and type in 0704. There are a few seconds where nothing happens and then the light blinks green and I hear the lock slide open.

My breath lets loose and I almost scream for joy. I did it!

I pull the door open and the only thing inside is the red flash drive with the blue cap, just like the corrupted fake in my pocket I will leave behind in its place. It will also make whatever computer he inserts the replacement into useless. While Greg will freak out and wonder what went wrong, he should be oblivious a swap was made.

As I’m making the switch, Jenny laughs again but it’s closer than before. She’s out of the bathroom and staring at me.

“I’ve been watching you snoop around my house for the last week.” Her words are slurred and her eyes are half closed. A puddle forms on the hardwood floor from the water dripping off her naked body, visible through her open robe.

This is bad. Very bad. She has caught me red-handed.

“It’s not what you think,” I say.

She sways and lets out a shrill laugh. “Of course it is. It’s exactly what I think it is.” Jenny lurches at me, her hands out as if she’s either going to grab me or strike me, but her foot gets tangled up in the sash hanging from her robe and she’s going down before I can catch her. Her head hits the floor with a loud crack and a thin river of blood runs from under her blond hair. She’s out cold.

“Oh shit,” I whisper, dropping down beside her. My fingers press against her neck to check for a pulse.

I call Matt again.

“I’ve got it,” I say as soon as he answers. “But the wife caught me. She’s drunk, tripped and fell. Her head is bleeding.”

“Is she dead?” he asks in a quiet voice.

“No. But she needs help. Should I call 911?”

“So she can tell the cops she caught you stealing from them?” Matt spits out. “Get the fuck out of there and bring the drive.”

“What about Miles?” While there is no love lost between Jenny and me, that little boy deserves better.

“Get out of there now! You can’t be caught there like this. Kingston doesn’t have shit to go on if you’re gone.” Matt screams so loud it echoes in the room. “Get your ass out of that house.”

And then the line goes dead.

I’m scared to touch her again. Can I leave her like this? Can I leave Miles? But if I stay, I could go to jail. She’ll tell them I was robbing them. They may even blame me for her fall. She’ll say I pushed her.

I pull the other phone from my pocket, the one Greg calls to check on Miles. The one that is only powered on once I step inside the Kingstons’ house.

“Hello,” Greg answers.

“There’s a problem. I came upstairs to tell Mrs. Kingston I have a family emergency and that I need to leave immediately but she’s unconscious on the floor. She must have fallen. Miles is asleep on the couch in the playroom. You need to come home. I have my own family emergency so I can’t stay.”

“Wait—”

But I’ve already ended the call. I drop the fake drive in the safe then close it before swinging the picture back in place. Miles is the only reason I’m risking myself like this.

Greg can call 911. He can come home and deal with this. I have to trust the fake name, the steps I’ve taken to hide my identity. I race down the stairs and peek in on Miles one last time. His little face is lost in sleep, and the origami swan I taught him to make, just like Mama taught me, is clutched in his tiny hand. He’ll be fine. His dad will be here soon. He’s not my problem.