At Mom’s birthday dinner, my brother calmly declared, “Your empty house is sold. Someone had to pay your debts.” The family nodded as if it all made sense.

Daniel half-rose, staring at Neil. “You said the warrant was old. You said they’d already taken what they needed.”

Neil didn’t look afraid—he looked furious. Furious that the secret was slipping. “This is not the place.”

The bearded marshal stepped closer. “It is now.”

Neil jumped to his feet. Chairs scraped. My aunt screamed. For a split second I thought he was reaching for a weapon, but instead he grabbed my mother’s wrist and yanked her hard enough to pull her from her chair.

“Tell them where you put it,” he hissed.

I shot up so fast my knee slammed into the table. Plates shattered. Daniel grabbed Neil’s shoulder. The marshals moved in.

Then my mother cried out, “I gave it to Ava!”

Everything stopped.

Every face turned toward me.

I stared at her. “What?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I put it in your trunk the night you came over. I didn’t know what else to do.”

My mouth went dry. I remembered that night clearly—Mom holding me too long in the driveway, insisting I drive straight home, Daniel calling twice while I ignored him.

The female marshal was already reaching for her radio.

And then Daniel said quietly, “If it was in Ava’s trunk… then someone took it before she got home.”