Part 8

Building C was located at the very back of the property, tucked against a crumbling brick wall that separated the storage facility from the old railroad tracks. The air smelled of rusted iron and stagnant water. Laura’s breath came in ragged gasps as she sprinted down the long, dim hallway of the building, her heels clicking loudly against the concrete floor.

408... 410... 412...

There it was. Unit 414.

It was a standard, medium-sized storage locker with a heavy rolling metal door. Secured tightly to the latch was a heavy-duty padlock that required the exact silver key she held in her hand.

Laura inserted the key into the lock. Her hands were shaking so badly she missed the keyhole twice, scraping the metal. On the third try, the key slid in smoothly. She turned it, and with a heavy, satisfying clack, the padlock popped open.

She pulled the padlock away, threw it to the floor, and grabbed the handles at the bottom of the metal door. With a hard heave, she slammed the door upward. It rolled up into the ceiling with a deafening rattle that echoed like gunfire in the enclosed space.

Laura stepped inside, pulling her phone out to use the flashlight.

The locker was mostly empty, which surprised her. There were no furniture pieces, no boxes of old clothes. In the center of the concrete floor sat a single, heavy-duty black tactical briefcase, secured with two heavy latches.

She rushed forward, kneeling beside the case. She popped the latches open and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a thick leather binder stuffed with financial documents, bank statements, and legal contracts bearing Vincent’s signature. Next to it was a high-capacity encrypted external hard drive, and a small, clear plastic bag containing several flash drives.

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But what caught Laura’s eye was a final piece of paper taped to the inside lid of the briefcase. It was a map of the very railyard Vincent had told her to go to, with a specific building marked with a bleeding red X.

Underneath the X, Caleb’s mother had written a desperate note: If he finds out, he will kill me here. The cameras can't see this spot.