MY FAMILY LOCKED MY SISTER IN A FREEZER — BUT THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT SHE HID IN HER COAT 109a

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Karen fell out of the freezer like a corpse.

That's the first thing I thought—she's dead, she's dead, she's dead—but then she gasped. Air. Sweet, blessed air. Her body convulsed on the kitchen floor, shaking so hard I could hear her teeth chattering.

"Jesus Christ." Sophie finally moved. She grabbed a tablecloth and threw it over Karen's trembling body. "Someone get blankets. Get all the blankets."

Nobody moved.

I dropped to my knees beside my sister. Her skin was ice. Her fingers were white. I grabbed her hands, tried to warm them with my breath.

"Karen. Karen, look at me."

Her eyes rolled. Found mine. Her lips moved but no sound came out.

"You're okay. You're out. You're safe."

Behind me, chairs scraped against the floor. Mom stood up slowly, like she was in no particular hurry.

"You just made a mistake, Marcus."

I ignored her. I found Karen's coat—it was hanging by the freezer door, discarded. The pocket. She'd pointed to the pocket. I reached inside.

My fingers found something small. Rectangular. A flash drive.

"What's this?"

Karen's hand shot up. Weak, but desperate. She grabbed my wrist, exactly where Mom had grabbed it moments before. Her eyes were wide.

"Don't—" Her voice was a croak. "Don't let them—"

Danny was already moving. "Give it here, Marcus."

"Back off."

"Give it to me."

"Back the hell off!" I stood up, put myself between Danny and Karen. The flash drive was tiny in my fist. "What's on this?"

Karen coughed. Her whole body shook. "Everything. It's all... it's all there."

"What's all there?"

"Dad." She said the word like it hurt. "Dad didn't have a heart attack."

The room went dead silent.

Mom's face changed. The mask slipped—just for a second—and I saw something underneath. Fear. Real, genuine fear.

"She's lying." Aunt Patricia's voice was shrill. "She's a thief and a liar. Don't listen to her."

"She stole the money to pay for it," Karen whispered. "The investigation. I was investigating..."

"Investigating what?" I asked.

"Dad's death." Karen's eyes closed. "He was murdered."

Danny lunged for me.

I didn't think. I just reacted. I shoved him back with everything I had, and he stumbled into the table. Wine glasses shattered. Candles toppled. The linen tablecloth caught fire.

"Shit!" Uncle Ray grabbed a pitcher of water and threw it. The flames hissed and died.

But in the chaos, I ran.

I ran through the kitchen, past the restaurant's prep stations, through the swinging doors into the dining room. Behind me, I could hear footsteps. Danny. Uncle Ray. Maybe more.

The flash drive was clutched in my fist like a lifeline.

"Marcus!" Mom's voice echoed through the dark restaurant. "You don't know what you're doing!"

I pushed through the front door into the night. Cold air hit my face. The parking lot was empty—everyone was inside. Everyone was part of this.

I pulled out my phone. Dialed.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I need police at Tony's Italian Kitchen on Fifth Street. There's been an assault. A kidnapping. And—" I looked back at the restaurant. "And I think my father was murdered."

The line crackled. "Sir, are you in danger right now?"

I looked at the flash drive in my hand.

"Yes," I said. "But not from who you think."

Behind me, the restaurant door burst open.

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