Step 5: Find a Hiding Place

Jack frowned as he stared at the calendar he had posted on the wall. The summer was almost over. School would start in a few weeks. Jack wasn't even sure if he was going to school or what. Either way he wanted to have as much done as soon as possible.

The next step was finding a hiding place. Once he returned from the California Base he would need some sort of place to put all the things he had "acquired". The compartment behind the drawer wasn't nearly big enough.

So where to put it all...?

He has considered his second closet which remained empty but it wasn't exactly a spot to hide things.

Briefly he considered stashing his stuff at CeeCee's (who for the past week has been contacting him through Johnson) but that was a last resort kind of thing.

"Okay," Jack said to himself. "This is a big house. For rich people. There has to be some ki- Damn I'm talking to myself..."

Sighing and shaking his head Jack continued his previous thought. There has to be some kind of safe place to hide valuables. Now a normal hiding spot would be behind something so maybe there is a super special one... Maybe...please?

Jack surveyed his boring room. Despite living there for more than a month now he had yet decorated it. He had added the calendar, a book shelf and books but that was it. The walls were a bland cream color as if waiting to be painted. Even so, Jack refused to put anything personal up.

All of which means that he wouldn't have found a secret compartment. He grabbed the remote and turned the tv on up loud. Once done he crossed the room and placed one ear to the wall before tapping. He tapped continuously hoping something would happen. He honestly had no idea what he was expecting (it hard worked in that movie he'd watched with Matthew the night before).

After another few minutes of tapping like an idiot Jack stepped away from the wall.

"Why are you glaring at a wall?"

"Why don't you know the meaning of the word 'knock'?" Jack countered turning around. "Shi-oot sorry dad. Thought you were Matt..."

Daniel Crosswell shrugged and walked in before flopping on the bed and abducting the remote.

"So..." Jack said semi-awkwardly as he sat on the far edge of the bed.

"You lock yourself in your room 24/7 to watch TV. Really?"

"What else is there to do? Sit in between another twin-argument?"

"Got a point there," his dad admitted. "So my reasoning of coming here is..." The man trailed off.

"Is the dramatic pause needed?"

"What? No. I just forgot what I was gonna say. I had a good reason... I was gonna ask you something... But now, something else came to mind and is bothering me."

"What?"

"This room! It's so-so boring! Why not add a poster or something? I dunno what you like. But um, a band maybe? A hot girl? A hot girl band!?"

Jack stared at his father resisting the urge to facepalm. "You are literally an older version of Matthew."

"Is that an insult or compliment?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm not putting any posters or anything up."

Daniel Crosswell didn't respond immediately. For a few moments there was only the sound of the TV. "It's like you're trying to you're best not to make this a home for yourself."

Jack blinked surprised and stared at his father who didn't even turn to look at him as he flipped through channels. When Jack didn't respond he continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if I opened that closet and found a packed suitcase sitting there."

"There isn't one," Jack assured him. But the way his father had put emphasis on those two words bothered him.

"What? Did you you hide it in one of closets where the maid keeps her stuff? Under a floorboard perhaps?"

"That is oddly specific... And also very wrong."

Daniel Crosswell shrugged. "I wouldn't be mad if you hidden one in here or in another closet or in the usually empty guest house but, I just want you to realize... Whatever you do may hurt your mother. I care about her, we all do- well not Catherine, but she doesn't care for anybody. Honestly I swear all she cares about is herself, maybe the twins and 17th on that list is me. Actually I'm probably lower than that- wait what were we talking about?"

"Suitcases and my mom before you began to rant about your wife."

"I have a right to rant, been stuck with her this long- But anyway, your mother... Just do your best to keep her oblivious, okay?"

Jack nodded slowly unsure how to respond.

Daniel Crosswell smiled and sat up. He started to ruffle Jack's hair before realizing what he was doing. "Eh, sorry," he apologized at the weird look he was given. With that he walked out closing the door behind him, leaving Jack alone again.

Jack ran over he conversation in his head.

Closet. Suitcase. Maid's Closet. Under the floorboards. The Empty Guest House.

All hiding places. Or... single one.

No one would ever find a suitcase stashed under the floorboard especially if it was in a maids closet in a guest house.

Jack frowned and stared at his door. The hiding place was so specific. And so perfectly timed...

Jack opened the drawer to get to the back compartment and pulled out a couple papers staring at them. Questions ran through his mind at warp speed.

Had his father gone through them? How many times? When? Why? Just how much of his plans did his father know?

And better yet...

Why hasn't his father stopped him?

~~~~

Jack was both anxious and apprehensive. For the past day part of him wanted to run to the guest house and find this special spot while the other part of him decided to ignore it, his father was up to something and Jack was just a small piece of it.

He sat at breakfast his left elbow on the table as he leaned on his head on his hand while drumming his finger quietly with his right. He food sat untouched in front of him as he thought.

Without thinking his eyes slid over to his father who was uninterestingly listening to his daughter rant about someone dating someone but someone finding out. His father met his eyes. He didn't do anything but flicked his eyes in the direction of Miranda before looking back at Jack.

"Are you even listening dad!?" Mckenzie said with a frown.

"Of course," he nodded looking back to his daughter. "Now go on, what happened at the fair?"

Jack glanced at his mother out the corner of his eye. She was looking at him a bit worriedly. Jack seemed to get his father's message as he stopped drumming his fingers and picked up his fork.

~~~~

"I'm going for a walk!" Jack called over the yelling on his way to the door.

"Bring an umbrella or at least a jacket! It's supposed to rain!" His mother called back.

"I'd prefer if you caught a cold," Catherine muttered walking by.

"Please take your siblings with you!" His dad shouted pleadingly over the sound of shouting voices.

Jack hurried to grab a jacket and leave before twins attempted to join him.

His first stop was an ATM where he got some cash (some of which was spent on a lunch of ice cream).

He pulled up his jacket's hood as it began to drizzle and stepped into a hardware store.

He walked seemingly aimlessly before he found himself in a lock aisle. He picked a nice one, it looked like a normal school lock but it was electronic and had letters too. He grabbed a couple more things before he headed to the counter.

The man at the counter gave him a look. Jack shrugged. "My roommate likes to go through my stuff."

The man nodded with an understanding look. "I'm married. I understand."

After that he went to a supermarket quickly and picked a small thing of flour.

On his way out Jack threw out the receipts and headed home. He placed the bags under a bush and walked inside.

"Where ya been?" Matthew asked.

"I got some ice cream. Then sat and ate it."

"Where's mine?"

"I ate that one too."

~~~~

It wasn't until late when all in the house were asleep. It was then when Jack slipped out of bed, and out the front door.

He grabbed the bag from under the bush and quickly headed for the guest house. He slipped inside wiping his feet at the door and heading inside. He pulled out his phone turning on the flashlight. Silently he headed for the maid's closet. He opened the door and bent down tapping floorboards. As he did he noticed the hollow sound. He moved things around until he found a small opening. He pulled the board which came loose easily. Shining his flashlight inside was a large empty space.

Jack nodded and began to pull everything out of the bag. He pulled out the two pieces of metal with a hole in each. He also pulled out some hammers and nails as he got to work.

When he was done he slid everything but the lock which combination he had already memorized and the small thing of flour he had bought, into the space before he closed it. He placed the lock on and sprinkled the flour around it. He nodded at his handiwork and replacing the bucket upside down untop.

Now even though his father knew, he could use the space without worry. He then hid the flour in plain sight on a shelf.

~~~~

24 hours later. Jack smiled to himself as he looked at the closet floor. The bucket was now upside down on top. Moving the bucket he found a fingerprint in the flour.

But everything else was as it should be. He placed some more flour down and put the bucket back before heading back to bed.