Free Shattered Heart (Z series) by Jerri Drennen Page B

even as big as a shoe box.
    She stretched up and grasped the end and pulled it out. This could very likely be what that key in the envelope opened.
    She stepped down off the chair and carried the box like it was breakable, staring at it as if it held the answers to the universe.
    Charlotte rushed to the door, calling for JT. The two met in the hall, his eyes widening when he saw the box.
    “Where did you find that?”
    “It was behind a vent in my bedroom closet. A box of my keepsakes was in front of it. I just happened to catch a glint of metal and wanted to find out what it was. Shaun could have put it there, right?”
    “Maybe, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Perhaps it was there before. Let’s see if the key fits.”
    JT took the container from her and walked to the living room where Zack was on the phone talking to someone. Charlotte was curious if it was something important, but finding out if the key fit into the lockbox pulled her back to JT.
    He sat the thing down on the coffee table, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. He looked at her as he inserted it into the lock.
    Charlotte’s heart hammered harder.
    It fit.
    Whatever was in that box might very likely have gotten her husband killed. She prayed it wouldn’t be the death of them all.

 
     
    CHAPTER TEN
     
     
    JT tipped the top of the box up and peered inside.
    “What is it?” She leaned over to tried and see.
    “Hang on, Charlotte.” He reached in and pulled out a wad of folded paper. He quickly opened them, noting that the first was a photocopy of an invoice.
    JT drew it closer to read what it was for. The date was from over two years ago for a shipment that was delivered directly to The Terran Corporation. Nowhere did it say what the shipment was. That seemed odd.
    He paged to the next. Another invoice. A month later. Again, nothing indicating what was in the shipment or even where it came from.
    Shaun couldn’t have thought this was enough to bring Terran down. The next sheet of paper wasn’t an invoice, but a copy of a note from an Oman Samir. The letter said he expected Terran to take care of everything until he was able to get excess into the country.
    Take care of what ?
    This didn’t look good.
    JT glanced back in the box and saw that there was a tiny disc that looked to be from a digital camera.
    What the hell was on it? He needed to find out. It had to be somehow connected to the invoices. “Do you have a camera or a computer for us to look at this?”
    “Shaun had a laptop but it was with him when he had his accident. We didn’t have a digital camera. At least not that I know of.”
    Zack cleared his throat, the look on his face grim. JT knew what he’d been told on the phone wasn’t good and he didn’t want Charlotte to know whatever it was. All she’d do was worry, and he could see she was stressed enough about what she had already learned that day.
    “Charlotte, why don’t you go make some coffee? I have a feeling we’ll be up all night.” JT gave Zack a quick glance.
    She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left the room.
    “Who was that on the phone?”
    “Dalton. He said that SUV was located on Highway 97. It looks like they’re headed toward Portland. Do you think they plan to meet up with Terran?”
    JT shook his head. “I wish I knew. This isn’t looking good, Zack. I get the feeling something big is going to happen. We need to find out if this Samir character entered the country, and if he did, we need to find him.”
    “I’ll call Dalton back and get him on this right away.” He punched in a number and turned to leave the room just as Charlotte returned.
    “What are we going to do?” she asked, her forehead creased with concern.
    “There’s not much we can do right now. Zack is contacting Z to see if the guy who wrote that letter is in the US.”
    “And if he is?”
    “Then we need to find out where. We’re going to have to get Homeland Security to locate him and fast.