Daniel handed her a water bottle.
"Got everything?"
She nodded.
"Telescope notebook. Jacket. Lunch."
He smiled.
"Phone?"
She patted her pocket.
"Yes, Dad."
Marcus looked toward her.
"Don't discover any new planets without telling us."
Emily laughed.
"I'll name one after your toolbox."
He pretended to consider the honor.
"Planet Bennett Wrench. I like it."
Daniel shook his head.
"You're encouraging her."
Marcus grinned.
"That's my job."
Emily's mother arrived a few minutes later to take her to the program.
The girl hugged Daniel, waved at Marcus, and climbed into the car.
As they drove away, Daniel watched until the vehicle turned the corner.
Then he looked toward Marcus.
"She'd live at that science center if I let her."
Marcus smiled.
"Better than spending all day on her phone."
Daniel laughed.
They returned to the fence.
For the next two hours, the men worked together.
They replaced damaged hardware, adjusted the gate, and checked that it closed securely.
By noon, the job was complete.
Daniel insisted on buying lunch.
Marcus agreed but said he needed to finish unloading several tools first.
He carried his equipment back toward his own driveway.
Daniel went inside.
The neighborhood was quiet.
Nothing suggested that within a few hours, the same backyard would become the scene of a deliberate act of violence against property.
At 1:15, Daniel received a call from his colleague, Special Agent Thomas Reed.
Thomas was forty-three, broad-shouldered, and had worked alongside Daniel on complex financial cases for several years.
They were scheduled to travel to their office later that afternoon to review materials connected to an upcoming assignment.
Thomas offered to pick him up.
Daniel suggested he come a little early so they could eat before leaving.
Thomas agreed.
When he arrived, he parked in Daniel's driveway and entered through the front door.
The two men ate sandwiches at the kitchen table.
They discussed ordinary things first.
Their families.
Weekend plans.
And the difficulties of keeping children entertained during school holidays.
Neither was conducting an interrogation.
Neither expected trouble.
They were two colleagues having lunch before returning to work.
By three-thirty, they'd changed into appropriate clothing for their assignment, including navy-blue jackets with visible federal law-enforcement identification.
Daniel had just stepped into the hallway when he heard a faint sound near the backyard gate.
He stopped.
Thomas looked up.
"What was that?"
Daniel listened.
For a moment, nothing followed.
Then came a sharp impact.
A tremendous crash of glass.
Daniel's entire body went cold.
The sound came from the rear of the house.
From Emily's bedroom.
He ran toward the hallway.
Thomas followed.
And neither man had any idea that a woman outside believed she'd just attacked the home of Marcus Bennett.