Chapter 9
The tension in the limestone quarry was so thick it felt tangible. The man in the trench coat kept the revolver leveled at Mark, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. Sarah stood rigid between them, her chest heaving as she weighed her options against the sheer danger facing her husband and the deputy.
"I don't have it on me," Sarah said, her voice steadying despite her visible exhaustion. "It's not in the house, and it's not buried here."
"Then where is it?" the man snarled, pressing the barrel of the gun slightly closer to Sarah's temple.
Mark took a slow, deliberate step forward, using his body as a distraction. "He wants to know? I'll tell you," Mark said loudly, locking eyes with the man. "It's locked in a safety deposit box at the First National Bank in town. A box that requires both my thumbprint and Sarah's signature to open. If you pull that trigger, you'll never see those files."
The man narrowed his eyes, studying Mark’s face for any sign of deception. "You're bluffing."
"Try me," Mark replied coolly. "You think I didn't find the key in her jewelry box three years ago? You think I didn't look into what she was hiding when we first got married? I love my wife, mister. I don't care about her father's crimes. But if you want those documents, you have to deal with me."
Sarah gasped, looking at Mark in sheer disbelief. She hadn't known that Mark knew about the key. All these years, she had carried the crushing weight of her secret, terrified that it would tear their family apart if the truth ever came to light.
Deputy Miller seized the split-second of hesitation. Moving with lightning speed from behind the rusted mining cart, the deputy fired a single warning shot into the limestone wall above them. Sparks flew as the bullet chipped the stone.
"Drop the weapon right now!" Deputy Miller roared, stepping fully into the open with his gun trained squarely on the man's chest.
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Realizing he was outmatched and that his leverage had just evaporated, the man in the trench coat cursed under his breath. With a sudden, violent shove, he pushed Sarah away from him, sending her stumbling toward the rough gravel. Before the deputy could fire again, the man bolted backward into the pitch-black opening of the abandoned mining shaft, disappearing into the dark tunnels beyond.
"Stay here! Don't move!" Deputy Miller called out, shining his flashlight into the dark shaft, but the sound of rapidly fading footsteps indicated the intruder was already fleeing deeper into the mountain.
