My fingertips found a narrow steel panel concealed behind the decorative trim.
I pressed it open, entered the code, and nearly sobbed when a small green light appeared.
A voice emerged from the hidden speaker.
“Sterling Security, please identify yourself.”
“This is Evelyn Sterling,” I whispered.
The officer’s response came immediately.
“Ms. Sterling, we’ve been waiting for you to activate your emergency system.”
I stared at the panel.
“Waiting for me?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am, because your husband’s conversations have been recorded for the last seventy-two hours.”
My heart hammered painfully against my ribs.
“Then you know what he’s planning?” I whispered.
“We know enough to consider your life in immediate danger,” the officer replied.
Before I could ask another question, someone tried my bedroom door.
The handle turned slowly, stopped, and turned again.
Then Flynn’s familiar voice came through the wood.
“Evelyn, sweetheart, why have you locked me out?”
