Lies I Told(62)

I held the glass while Parker ran a thin line of adhesive around its edges. After that he had to work fast to replace it before the glue dried. It wasn’t easy. We had to get the glass back in position without letting it fall through to the other side, and I stood on the desk near the window, trying to help him line it up before we pressed it into place.

When it looked like we had it right, he tipped the glass gently into the empty spot in the window, careful not to press too hard. He shimmied it a little, trying to get it just right before the adhesive dried. Finally, he stood back.

“I think that’s it.”

I leaned in for a better look. It was almost seamless. There was a very small ring around the piece of cut glass, but I didn’t think anyone would notice it in passing.

“Looks good.” I held out a hand to Parker. “I’ll finish it.”

He handed me a small bottle filled with blue liquid and the cloth he’d used to tap out the cut glass. I sprayed a little of the cleaner on the cloth and wiped the glue residue off the window before hopping down off the desk.

“Carriage house?” he asked, putting everything back in the pack.

I nodded, leading him through the house to the kitchen.

“Time,” Parker gave the command, and we watched the cameras at the back of the house, waiting for a gap. When we had the timing right, we sprinted across the lawn until we reached the back wall of the carriage house.

This part of the property was in shadows, which was why we’d used it as an approach. The camera aimed at the carriage house entrance prevented us from using the door, so we repeated the procedure we’d used on the window in the living room.

This time we weren’t as lucky, and we heard the unmistakable sound of breaking glass as the circular piece fell to the carriage house floor.

“Fuck,” Parker muttered.

“We’ll deal with it when we get inside,” I said. “Just go.”

Parker opened the window, then waited for me to crawl through before following. We landed on the concrete floor and immediately spotted the broken glass a few feet from the window.

“There are some old windows leaning against the walls. Maybe we can borrow glass from one of those?” I suggested.

Parker sighed. “I’ll look.”

I hurried to the center of the carriage house to the gray floor mat. It wasn’t off-center anymore, and I wondered who had been out here. And why. Did Warren Fairchild check on his stash now and then? Did he add to it?

I pulled back the mat and dragged it aside. I’d been expecting the hole in the floor, but it still shocked me to see it. Ten feet wide by ten feet long, it was a lot bigger than I’d thought it would be. Big enough to require two doors instead of one, probably because one would be too cumbersome for one person to lift.

I walked around the doorway in the floor, cataloging details. The double doors were made of what looked like steel. They were designed to meet in the middle, to fold back against the floor when open. Three metal bands—one at the bottom, one in the middle, and one at the top—ran across both doors. Each one was sealed with a hefty padlock.

I looked more closely, sure I’d missed something. There was no way Warren Fairchild’s gold was secured with a bunker and three padlocks.

“That must be it.”

Parker’s voice made me jump. I looked over my shoulder to find him standing behind me.

“There’s no way the gold’s in there,” I said.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “That has to be it. You said you searched the house, and I ruled out the garage.”

I stared at the doors. “Yeah, but . . . padlocks? If Dad’s right, there’s twenty million dollars worth of gold down there. It doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s exactly why it does make sense.”

I looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“This is a guy who stockpiles gold bars to prepare for a potential catastrophe. The same guy who’s worth millions but wires his house with a low-tech security system monitored by local rent-a-cops and then doesn’t even attach said system to the bunker holding his gold.”

“That’s what I’m saying; maybe it’s not down there.”

Parker shrugged. “I think you’re wrong. But there’s only one way to find out.”

I tipped my head at the padlocks. “Those are going to need some big bolt cutters. We can’t do it now. He’d know someone was here.”

“We’ll execute as planned. Come in when they’re not home, cut the padlocks off, and be prepared to take the gold. If it’s not there, it’s a standard B and E. No harm, no foul.”

A seed of hope blossomed inside me. If the gold wasn’t there, we wouldn’t have to steal from Logan and his family. Nothing that mattered, anyway. We’d still have to leave Playa Hermosa, but maybe I would be able to live with myself afterward.

“On the plus side,” Parker said, bending down to replace the mat over the double doors, “we’re done for tonight.”

“Did you find the old windows?” I asked.

He nodded. “Already replaced the glass. We’re good to go.”

“Wow, you’re fast.”

He grinned. “I’m a pro.”

We exited the carriage house through the window, lowering it carefully to be sure the new piece of glass didn’t fall out. Then we hurried back across the lawn, avoiding the cameras.