"It hadn't occurred to him that he might be putting himself in serious danger. Not until now." Mark Prescott's imagination is going wild. He knows his friend John Avery Whittaker (Whit) keeps his attic door locked. But why? What's hidden up there and protected so carefully? Invited to stay with Whit while his parents are in Washington, D.C., Mark grows curious when Whit forbids him to enter the attic. Fueled by thriller comic books, his mind conjures up dark possibilities. Along with them grows a determination to get beyond the locked door and learn Whit's secret. How will Mark gain entrace? What will he find once he does? As he answers those questions, he learns hard lessons about trust, honesty, and the need to guard his thoughts.