Project Renovatio by Allison Maruska Page A

be with her. Call the hospital later for an update on your stepdad.”
    “Thanks.” Levin left the ambulance and met Maggie in the front yard. They walked to the house together, careful to avoid the responders occupying the area. They reached the doorway, where Rana stood staring into the front room at the investigators working the scene.
    Rana wrapped her arms around Levin and buried her face into his shoulder. He peered over her head and into the house to assess the situation: a thin spray of blood covered the wall and part of a picture, blood drops stained the carpet, and there was no other sign of his mother.
    Walt wasn’t injured in a way that would do this. His mother could be trapped somewhere, bleeding to death.
    He tried to clear the lump from his throat and focused on an officer, who seemed to recognize the pleading in his eyes. The officer approached the group.
    “You must be the brother. I’m Officer Wyatt. The crime scene investigators arrived shortly before you did. We need to stay out of the room until they’re through.”
    Levin tried to remain as calm as possible with his crying sister in his arms. “I understand. Do you know what happened?”
    “Only pieces right now. We know someone, or some people, entered after 6:00. That’s when Rana said she spoke to her mother about needing to work late at the store. We’re treating the case as a missing person. Until we have reason to believe otherwise, that’s how it will stay. We hope your stepdad can give us some information when he wakes up.”
    Levin watched the people in the room collect blood from the wall and floor with cotton swabs as he tried to piece together what happened.
    The Project Renovatio people must have done this. But he’d thought Maggie was the one at risk, not his mother. What had he missed? Rana squeezed him tighter, and his shoulder became wet from her tears.
    “Let’s sit out front,” Maggie said.
    Rana finally released Levin, and they sat at the small patio set on the porch. The officer followed them outside, went to his car, and brought back three bottles of water. Rana couldn’t open hers with her shaking hands. The officer took it and opened it for her. A young woman with long, blonde hair pulled into a ponytail came from inside the house and stood in the doorway. She held a piece of paper.
    “Are you Levin?” she asked towards the group.
    “I am. What’s going on?” He rose from his chair and met her at the door.
    “We found this on the couch, under a pillow. It has your name on it. I can’t let you have it because it’s evidence, but I thought you should see it. Maybe you can help us figure out what it means.”
    “Okay.”
    She held the unfolded yellow paper towards him so he could read the ten words written on it in blue ink:
     
    You should have listened. Tell Maggie to watch her back.
     
    Fury coursed through his body like lightning. He pounded the side of his fist against the doorframe. Clenching his jaw, he groaned and stared at the porch while he tried to form a thought.
    “Sir? Are you all right?”
    “I need a minute.”
    “Of course. Come find me inside.” She left him by the doorway and re-entered the house.
    He left the porch and stormed into the front yard, where he paced and weighed his options.
    The police could find his mother eventually, but he figured the Project people knew how to keep the authorities away from their affairs. Waiting wasn’t an option. He imagined a hypothetical scene, similar to the current one in the house, in which Maggie was the missing victim.
    He froze in his tracks, looked at the night sky, and shouted in frustration.
    Someone tapped the back of his arm. Rana stood next to him, and Maggie watched him from the porch.
    He had to protect them. He pulled his phone from his pocket and accessed his contact list.
    “Who are you calling?” Rana asked.
    “Scott. He said to call him if PR caused any trouble.”
    “You think PR did this?”
    The note’s words replayed