Chapter 2: The Black Bag
“Don't touch that bag.””
Nora's voice cracked.
Ethan turned slowly.
That was the moment he knew.
Whatever had happened with the tea wasn't an accident.
Nora knew exactly what was inside the bag.
Baxter stood over it, breathing hard.
“Move, Baxter.””
The dog obeyed immediately.
Ethan crouched and reached for the zipper.
Nora grabbed his shoulder.
“Ethan, please.””
He looked at her hand.
She removed it.
“Eight years,” he said.
“What?””
“We've been married eight years, and I don't remember ever seeing you this afraid.””
“Because you're misunderstanding everything.””
“Then help me understand.””
Nora said nothing.
Ethan unzipped the bag.
Inside were disposable gloves.
A digital scale.
Several small sealed containers.
A roll of cash.
And a second glass vial.
This one wasn't empty.
A cloudy liquid moved inside it.
Ethan stared at it.
His pulse hammered in his ears.
“What is this?””
“I can't tell you.””
He looked up sharply.
“Can't?””
Nora pressed both hands against her temples.
“You need to trust me.””
Ethan stood.
“You made me tea. Baxter knocked it out of my hand. It started foaming on the floor. I found an empty vial in our trash, and now there's another one hidden in a bag.””
He stepped closer.
“And your explanation is that I should trust you?””
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
“You don't know what you're involved in.””
“I wasn't involved in anything until my wife apparently tried to make me drink something.””
“I wasn't trying to kill you!””
Silence.
Ethan stared at her.
Nora seemed to realize what she'd said.
“Interesting,” Ethan whispered.
“Ethan—”
“I never said kill.””
Her lips parted.
He continued.
“I asked what you put in my tea.””
She backed against the washing machine.
Baxter positioned himself beside Ethan.
Nora looked at the dog.
Something flashed across her face.
Hatred.
“You ruined everything,” she whispered.
Ethan stiffened.
“Don't blame him.””
“You don't understand that animal.””
“He just saved me.””
Nora laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“That's what you think?””
Ethan pulled out his phone.
Nora's expression changed instantly.
“Who are you calling?””
“Emergency services.””
“No!””
She reached for the phone.
Ethan stepped away.
“Don't come closer.””
“Ethan, listen to me. If police come here, this gets worse.””
“For whom?””
“For you.””
That stopped him.
Nora lowered her voice.
“Think. Why would I leave a vial in the trash? Why would I keep another one in a bag inside our house? If I wanted to hurt you, would I really be that careless?””
Ethan hated that the question made sense.
He looked at Baxter.
The dog had moved toward the black bag again.
He sniffed it.
Then suddenly pushed his nose underneath.
“What's he doing?””
Baxter overturned the bag.
Something slid from a narrow interior pocket.
A photograph.
Ethan picked it up.
It showed Nora standing outside a brick building beside a tall man in a gray coat.
The image appeared recent.
On the back was a handwritten date.
Three days ago.
And an address.
Ethan recognized it.
“That’s Dr. Halpern’s old clinic.””
Nora closed her eyes.
Dr. Samuel Halpern had been Ethan's father's physician for nearly fifteen years.
He had also disappeared nine months earlier.
The police had never publicly explained why.
Ethan looked at Nora.
“What were you doing there?””
“I can't tell you.””
“Who's the man?””
“Please stop asking questions.””
“You put something in my drink!””
“I was trying to protect you!””
“From what?””
Nora's eyes moved toward the window.
Baxter suddenly growled.
Both of them froze.
Headlights swept across the backyard.
A vehicle had pulled into the service driveway behind the house.
Ethan glanced at the clock.
10:47 p.m.
They weren't expecting anyone.
“Were you expecting someone?”” he asked.
“No.””
But Nora's whisper told him otherwise.
A car door closed outside.
Then another.
Baxter ran from the laundry room.
Ethan followed him into the kitchen.
Through the dark window, he could make out two figures walking toward the back entrance.
Nora grabbed his sleeve.
“Turn off the lights.””
“Who are they?””
“Ethan, please.””
“Who are they?””
She looked toward the approaching shadows.
Then at the vial still in Ethan's hand.
Her voice dropped.
“If they see that, we're both in danger.””
A knock came from the back door.
Three slow taps.
Baxter growled.
Another three taps followed.
Nora whispered, “Don't answer.””
A man's voice came through the door.
“Nora?””
Ethan looked at her.
The voice continued.
“We know the dog stopped him.””
Nora's knees nearly buckled.
Ethan felt every hair on his arms rise.
The stranger knocked again.
May you like
Then said the words that changed everything.
“Give us Baxter, and we'll forget what happened tonight.””
