Chapter 1

October 27, 2018, 5:35 AM

Dawn

The air carried that deep early morning chill that crept through clothes and settled into skin. Dew soaked the grass beneath them, dampening the edges of their favorite Detroit Red Wings blanket. The fabric smelled faintly like laundry soap and the outdoors, like mornings that belonged only to the two of them.

A thin mist hovered over the surface of the manmade lake across Lakeside Circle. Streetlights glowed soft amber behind them, their light fading as the sky slowly began to change. The horizon held that quiet gray-blue color that came just before sunrise, when the world felt paused between night and day.

Somewhere nearby, a sprinkler clicked on and off in slow rhythm. Birds were beginning to wake, their calls soft at first, then gradually louder as more joined in. The distant hum of a car passing on a far road blended into the background, barely noticeable. The air smelled like wet grass, cold water, and the faint earthy scent of fallen leaves that October always brought.

It had become their ritual. Their quiet place before work, before school runs, before life pulled them in different directions.

Jacob Malone sat beside her, watching Dawn the way he always did, like he was trying to memorize every part of her face. The soft light beginning to build in the sky reflected in his baby blue eyes. She smiled back at him, relaxed and warm, the kind of calm that only came when they were alone like this. Moments like this made the early alarm worth it.

Their spot overlooked the curve of Lakeside Circle and the still water beyond it. The lake reflected the sky like glass, broken only by the occasional ripple of something moving beneath the surface. Her sisters teased her constantly, saying this was not really going up north. No cabins. No forests stretching for miles. Just a quiet subdivision and a manmade lake.

Dawn never cared. The sunrise here was enough.

Overhead, clouds streaked gray, white, and brown drifted slowly across the sky. The sun began to push through the horizon, a pale band of light spreading across the lake and turning the mist into a faint golden haze. The water shimmered and flickered as it caught the first rays.

The world felt paused, fragile, almost fragile enough that she expected it to shatter at any moment. Something about the chill, the smell of the damp leaves, and the quietness of the lake made her heart tighten in a way that didn’t feel entirely natural.

Frogs added irregular rhythm, and somewhere, far across the lake, a branch cracked. Dawn glanced up. Nothing was there, just the mist curling along the water. Yet a shiver ran down her spine.

“I love you, Bumblebee,” Jacob said quietly.

Dawn smiled wider. “And I love you, my Optimus Prime.”

He looked across the lake, thoughtful. “I know this sounds cheesy, but this is our place. Right here on Lakeside Circle.”

“Yeah,” she laughed softly. “My three older sisters say it doesn’t count unless it’s a cabin hours away. But honestly, this view… it’s perfect.”

She pointed toward the skyline. “Look. The sun is about to rise over those buildings.”

Jacob blinked slowly, lost in thought. “Yeah,” he said finally, “just… thinking.”

“You went quiet,” Dawn noted, leaning slightly closer.

“Well, I do not want to jinx it,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “But I think I might have a job lined up.”

Dawn sat up quickly. “What? Seriously?” She tapped his chest playfully. “Get out.”

“I am supposed to meet them this morning.”

“Here?” She shook her head, amused. “At our spot? Jake.”

“There was no other time. Between Austin, seeing you, and everything else… this was the only window.”

Dawn exhaled. “Okay. Fair.” She glanced at her wristwatch, the Casio Rangeman Jacob had given her for Christmas. “Oh no. I’m going to be late. It’s almost 6:15. I told Rohan I’d meet him at the station at 6:30.”

Jacob chuckled softly. “See what I mean?”

“Yeah. Sorry my cop job is hectic.”

“It’s who you are,” he said, softening her, “one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”

She leaned down and kissed him slowly, savoring it, then pulled back. Not in uniform today. Just gray slacks, black dress T-shirt, and shoes, but work followed her everywhere.

“So,” she asked, “who are these people?”

Jacob began folding the blanket. “Crimson Reign. Meeting Randy and Tony McQuade. Someone named Roy Callahan will also be there.”

Dawn stored the names away. “Alright. Be safe, my handsome husband. I love you.”

“You be safe, my beautiful cop,” he said with a grin. “I kind of love her and stuff.”

She laughed as he packed the blanket into the wicker picnic basket and jogged across the parking lot toward Macy’s entrance, a few blocks away.

Dawn watched him go, noting the purposeful urgency in his stride. Something about it felt… different. Not wrong, exactly. Just sharper. Focused.

After a moment, she gathered their things and headed to her SUV. She opened the door, and the CB radio crackled.

“Hudson, you out there?”

Dawn smiled at the familiar voice. Sergeant Rohan Varma.

“Hudson here. What’s up, Rohan?”

“We’ve got a case. Need you at Utica and Eighteen Mile.”

“On my way.”

For a second, she considered waiting, just to see Jacob return. But duty won. Dawn grabbed her phone and called him. Straight to voicemail. She frowned, leaving a message telling him she’d grabbed everything and would see him later.

That was unusual. Jacob usually answered. Maybe the meeting had already started.

She typed out a quick text. Hey babe, hope the meeting goes well. Grabbed everything. Heading to work. New case. Might be home late. Love you like no other.

She clipped the phone into the hands-free mount on the dash, switched on the siren atop her indigo Chevy Blazer, her favorite color and drove.

When she arrived, police tape stretched across the property. Officer Tracy Brown was already working the line.

“Hey, Huds,” Tracy called.

“Hey. What have we got?”

“Break-in.”

“Any bodies?”

“No, thankfully.”

“Any leads?”

Tracy smirked. “Your team’s already inside.”

Dawn’s eyes swept over the house. The colonial home rose behind a neat, manicured lawn, white siding and brown shutters glowing softly in the morning light. To the left of the garage, three graceful archways led to a small porch. The first arch framed the front door, polished wood with brass handles. A pair of rocking chairs and hanging planters gave it a warmth, the kind of home someone cherished.

Inside, curved archways guided the eye through the main floor. Warm brown hardwood floors stretched beneath crisp white walls. The air smelled faintly of polished wood, cleaning products, and a hint of lingering coffee. The kitchen gleamed with maple cabinets and dark granite countertops. A large island in the center suggested both elegance and practicality. Everything spoke of careful taste and wealth; a home clearly lived in yet now violated.

Dawn followed the voices to the kitchen, where Sergeant Rohan Varma stood with Marcie Peters and Beno Henson, speaking with the homeowner.

Rohan looked up immediately. “Huds. Thanks for getting here so fast.” He gestured toward the man beside him. “This is Todd Farland. He believes he was targeted because of his art.”

“Your art?” Dawn asked.

Todd nodded quickly. “Yes. I’m a peculiar artist. Some people online claim I stole ideas, which is ridiculous. I create everything myself. I may take inspiration, but that’s all.”

“And someone broke in because of that?”

“I’ve been receiving threats,” he said, voice tight. “Messages saying people would destroy my work.”

“Was anything taken?”

“Several pieces. They were about to sell for nearly a million dollars each.”

“And your safety?”

Todd waved a hand dismissively. “The paintings are what matter.”

Dawn exchanged a quick look with Rohan. “Alright. We’ll need photos, catalog numbers, anything that identifies them.”

“I have a catalog ready.”

“Good,” she said, noting the tension in his shoulders.

Todd led them upstairs into the bedroom. Dawn raised an eyebrow; most camera systems were in basements. He moved to a painting above the king-size bed, opened a hidden panel, and pulled out a flat-screen monitor.

“There,” he said, pointing. “That is someone approaching the porch.”

“Zoom in.”

The image sharpened, and Todd gasped. Dawn’s stomach tightened.

“You know them?” she asked.

“That is Sally,” he said. “But that doesn’t make sense. She’s one of my biggest supporters online.”

“People surprise us,” Dawn said calmly.

Her phone buzzed. Austin.

“Excuse me,” she said, stepping onto the front porch. She answered immediately. “Hey, son. What’s up?”

“Is Dad supposed to pick me up today?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Because it is Parents’ Day right now. I tried calling him, but it goes straight to voicemail.”

Dawn’s chest tightened. That was unlike Jacob.

“Alright. Give me a few minutes. I’ll get hold of him.”

She hung up and tried calling Jacob again. Straight to voicemail. A heavier weight settled in her stomach. He was supposed to grab an Uber home. She checked their shared account, no ride requested. Her heart skipped.

Dawn called Austin back. “I cannot get hold of Dad yet,” she said, keeping her voice steady.

Suddenly, the calm from the sunrise that morning felt very far away.

Dawn tried his number again, anyway, holding the phone a little tighter this time. Straight to voicemail.

Her chest tightened.

Jacob always answered. Even if it was just a quick text. Especially today. He knew it was Parents’ Day at Austin’s school. He would never miss that if he could help it.

A small, uneasy feeling slid into the back of her mind. She pushed it down, the way cops learned to do when they needed to stay focused. Dawn immediately pulled up Austin’s number and hit call. It rang once before he picked up.

“Mom?”

“Hey, buddy.” Dawn softened her voice. “Listen, I still can’t reach Dad yet, but Trudy is going to come get you, okay? She’s going to stay for Parents’ Day with you.”

There was a short pause on the line.

“Is Dad okay?”

Dawn looked out across the quiet street again, that uneasy feeling tightening just a little more.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” she said gently. “His phone probably died or he’s stuck in the meeting he told me about. But I didn’t want you waiting around.”

“Okay.”

“You still have your project ready to show everyone?”

“Yeah,” Austin said, a little brighter now.

“That’s my guy.” She smiled faintly. “I want to hear all about it later.”

“Okay. Love you, Mom.”

“I love you too.”

When the call ended, Dawn lowered the phone slowly. For a moment, the memory of the sunrise that morning flashed through her mind. Jacob sitting beside her on the damp grass, smiling like everything was normal. The unease in her stomach deepened. She had no idea that was the last time she would see him before everything changed.

Dawn stepped onto the porch beneath the first archway, the curve of it casting a soft shadow across the polished wooden boards. Yellow police tape fluttered lightly near the entrance while officers moved around the colonial home.

A new case already. Her phone was still in her hand. Still no message. Still no call. Jacob should have checked in by now.

Dawn exhaled slowly and tapped Trudy’s contact.

The phone rang once before Trudy answered.

“Good morning, Dawn.”

“Hey, Trudy.” Dawn stepped a little farther along the porch, glancing toward the patrol cars lining the quiet street.

“Is everything alright?”

Dawn hesitated.

“I actually haven’t been able to reach Jacob since this morning.”

There was a small pause on the line.

“That’s unusual,” Trudy said carefully.

“Yeah.” Dawn rubbed her forehead. “He probably just got caught up somewhere or his phone died. I’m sure it’s nothing, but I have to handle a case right now and I may be tied up most of the day.”

“You want me to get Austin after school.”

It was not a question.

Relief slipped into Dawn’s voice. “Yes, please. I’m going to call the school and let them know you’ll be picking him up. And you’ll be there for Parents’ Day.”

“I can head over there later this afternoon,” Trudy said. “He’ll be fine.”

Dawn leaned lightly against the porch railing, looking out across the quiet neighborhood.

“Thank you. I just don’t want him worrying if I’m late.”

“I’ve been helping take care of him since he was a baby,” Trudy said gently. “We’ve got this.”

That steadied something inside Dawn.

“He’s nine now and still refuses to eat vegetables unless they’re shaped like dinosaurs,” Dawn said.

Trudy chuckled softly. “That sounds exactly right.”

“I’ll call the school right now and put your name down.”

“Alright. And Dawn?”

“Yeah?”

“If Jacob always checks in, I’m sure he will soon.”

Dawn nodded slowly, though the uneasiness in her chest did not completely fade.

“Yeah. I’m sure he will.”

They hung up.

Dawn immediately dialed the school office.

“Good morning. This is Lieutenant Dawn Hudson,” she said when someone answered. “I need to let you know that Trudy, our housekeeper and caregiver, will be picking up my son Austin today. And she will participate in Parents’ Day.”

The woman on the phone confirmed the note and thanked her.

When the call ended, Dawn lowered her phone and looked back at the house.

For a moment, the quiet of the street pressed in around her. Jacob was not answering and that was unlike him.

But she pushed the thought aside. She had a job to do. Dawn straightened, lifted the police tape, and stepped toward the front door.

For a moment, the quiet of the street pressed in around her. The neighborhood should have felt normal. Patrol cars idling, officers moving around the property, the low whisper of voices near the tape. But Jacob was not answering, and that was unlike him.