The baby was still holding his blue rubber elephant when his mother stopped moving.

Caleb did not sit. He stood in the center of the room, keeping his distance. "There is nothing to talk about."

"There is always something to talk about when it comes to family," Preston said, taking a slow sip of his coffee. He gestured to the manila envelope. "In there is five hundred thousand dollars in bearer bonds. It's untraceable. I have also set up a trust fund in your name at a bank in Zurich. Another two million. It vests on your nineteenth birthday."

"You think you can buy my mother’s life?" Caleb asked, his voice dripping with disgust. He spoke clearly, ensuring the wire against his chest picked up every syllable.

"I am buying your future, Caleb," Preston said, his voice hardening slightly. "Your mother was a troubled woman. She wanted to take you away from me, to ruin everything I worked for. I didn't want to hurt her. It was an argument. She slipped. But the world doesn't understand nuance. They want a villain. If this video comes out, it destroys me, yes. But it also destroys you. You will be the son of a monster. Your name will be mud. Every door that is currently open to you will slam shut."

"I don't care about your money, Preston," Caleb said. "And I don't care about your name."

Preston stood up slowly, walking over to the desk. "You think you're so pure. But you're just like her. Weak. Guided by emotion instead of logic. Do you really think Evelyn cares about you? She's using you to get her revenge on me. She's been waiting seventeen years for this."

"She loves me," Caleb said. "And she loved Mom. Concepts you don't understand."

Preston reached into his desk drawer. Caleb’s muscles tensed, preparing to lung, but Preston didn't pull out a gun. Instead, he pulled out a small, heavy silver lighter and a small glass vial.

"I know you have the card on you," Preston said, his eyes drilling into Caleb. "You wouldn't leave it with Evelyn. You're too paranoid for that. Give it to me now, or I swear to God, Caleb, I will make sure you never leave this town."

"Is that a threat?" Caleb asked.

"It's a promise," Preston whispered.

Outside, the faint sound of sirens began to echo through the hills of Cedar Hollow.

Preston froze, his head tilting as he listened to the rising wail. His eyes darted to the window, then back to Caleb. The mask of control shattered instantly.

"What did you do?" Preston hissed, his hand dipping back into the drawer, his fingers wrapping around the grip of his backup weapon. "What did you do, you little bastard?!"

"The FBI is outside, Dad," Caleb said, stepping back as the library door was suddenly kicked open.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation! Hands where I can see them!" Agent Vance’s voice boomed through the house, accompanied by the heavy, synchronized footsteps of tactical officers.

Preston stood paralyzed, his gun half-drawn from the drawer. He looked at Caleb, his face twisted in a mixture of shock, rage, and the sudden, crushing realization that his reign of terror was finally, irrevocably over.