The light fades to black, but the sounds of the street keep going. Several hours pass, and I doze, waking when Roland arrives back at the house. My mind can’t stop running through the things Terrence said, Gavin said, my promise to Lara. I want all of this behind us before we take that next step.
Lara turns in her sleep, her breasts slowly rising and falling with her sleep. My beautiful wife…
The task ahead of me feels impossible, but it’s not the first time I’ve run into secrets, buried evidence, criminals who think they hold all the cards. If I can’t get that thumb drive from Landry, I can at least get my hands on the video evidence of why Lara did what she did—something I need to do no matter what.
Thumb drives can be lost. They can be bought, sold, copied…
Tomorrow I’ll return to the theater and dig through the wreckage. The structure is still in place. Gavin owns the land and the building, and it’s never been torn down. I can’t help wondering why—if there’s something still there, hidden in the rooms. Now that we’ve had our confrontation, I feel a greater sense of urgency. He’ll be expecting us to dig, and I won’t let him cover any more of his tracks. We only need one card to fall for the whole house to collapse.
I’m sure I’ll never sleep. My throat is tight, and I want to get started now. When I open my eyes again, light streams through the sheer curtains. I hear voices in the other room, and Lara’s not in the bed. She’s up with our daughter, feeding her a bottle on the couch. Jillian threads her chubby fingers in her mother’s hair, and I lean down to kiss my fiancée’s lips.
“Still up for ring shopping?” I ask.
“Hmm, I am if you are.” She reaches up and pets my arm. “You didn’t sleep much last night.”
“I’m sorry if I kept you awake.” I walk around to sit beside her. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what we need to do. I want to go there today—this morning—and see if anything’s left.”
Her eyes are round as she watches me. “I’ll go with you.”
“What about…” I look down at Jilly, who studies me with bright eyes. Reaching down, I slip my finger into her strong little grip. “She doesn’t need to be there.”
“I’m sure Evie or Roland will be glad to keep an eye on her for us. She’ll probably sleep the whole time we’re gone anyway.”
A door opens, and the man in question emerges from his bedroom wearing loose sweatpants and a tee. “What will she sleep through?”
“Mark wants to go to the old theater and see if we can find evidence.”
“That sounds dangerous… and possibly illegal?” Roland doesn’t even stop on his way to the kitchen.
“So will you watch Jilly while we’re gone?” she calls from the couch.
I shake my head. “He’s right. You stay here. If I get caught, I can at least show my badge.”
“No.” Her blue eyes flash, and she grips my arm tightly. “Let me go with you.”
“Lara—”
“I want to go. I want to see it.” She pauses for breath. “I haven’t been able to do it before, but now that you’re here… Take me with you, Mark. I have to close that door.”
My lips tighten, and I let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t like putting you in harm’s way.”
“I’ll be with you.” She smiles, and she’s so earnest, I cave.
“Get dressed. We need to go now before too many people are walking around.”
The early morning light barely penetrates the looming walls of the burned out building. Soot and ash cover the floors, and the red velvet curtains are black and torn. Lara’s hand is tight on my arm as we step over rotten boards and fallen red bricks.
“I thought I’d be glad it’s gone.” Her body is close to my side, behind me as we pick our way through the empty hall. “I never expected to be sad.”
Looking up, I see the balcony rails broken-out like missing teeth. The windows are dark holes, and the seats in the house are torn metal husks.
“It’s eerie,” I agree. “I remember it being lit up, every seat sold out, and all of you glittering on that stage.”
We take the short stairway up to the stage floor. Lara looks up, and I follow her gaze to the catwalk so far above our heads.
“It’s still there,” she says.
Black steel rods are broken and dangling, but the thin strip of wood and the assortment of canned lights and pulleys hang from the ceiling.