139 The Midnight Framed Alibi: A Poisoned Dinner, a Staged Kidnapping, and the Underground War to Clear a Mother’s Name

“Can you stand if I help you?” I asked, sliding my arms under Noah’s shoulders.

He gritted his teeth, his small jaw setting in a look of fierce determination that reminded me so much of my father. “Yeah. I can try.”

With a collective heave, I hoisted him to his feet. We leaned heavily against each other, a two-legged creature staggering across the kitchen tiles. My own head spun with a dizzying, narcotic fog, but adrenaline was a powerful stimulant. It kept my eyes open, my muscles twitching, and my focus razor-sharp.

We crossed the kitchen toward the back door that led out to the wooden deck and the dark backyard.

I reached out, my fingers trembling as I unlocked the deadbolt with a soft, metallic click. I turned the handle slowly, easing the door open an inch to check the perimeter.

The cool autumn air rushed in, carrying the sharp scent of wet pine and rain. The backyard was completely dark, bordered by a six-foot wooden privacy fence that separated our property from the neighbors.

“We can’t go out front,” I whispered to Noah. “If the police arrive, they’ll come up the driveway with sirens. If Daniel comes back, the street is an open trap. We’re heading for the neighbor’s shed on the left.”

“Mr. Henderson’s?” Noah asked.

“Yes. His security lights usually stay on. We can wait there where we’re out of sight of the road.”

We stepped out onto the wooden deck, the boards damp and slippery beneath our socks. The cold night air hit our feverish skin, making us both shiver, but it also cleared some of the heavy fog from my brain.

We made it down the three wooden steps into the yard, moving at a slow, painful crawl across the soggy lawn. Every shadow looked like a crouching figure. Every rustle of dry oak leaves in the wind sounded like approaching footsteps.

We were halfway across the lawn when the harsh, sweeping beams of headlights cut through the darkness from the front of the house.