Chapter 16 - Setting A Dangerous Trap Inside The Underground Archives
Marcus arrived back at the estate within twenty minutes, his truck tires screeching as he pulled up to the grand front entrance.
Federal cruisers lined the driveway, but the atmosphere inside the grand foyer felt unnaturally quiet and tense.
He sprinted through the double doors, bypassing the agents in the lobby to take the private service elevator down to the sub-levels.
He knew that if the true mastermind was still inside the property, they would be attempting to access the primary paper archives vault.
The heavy steel door of the underground archives was standing slightly ajar, casting a warm sliver of yellow light across the dark hallway.
Marcus drew his tactical sidearm, stepping silently across the stone threshold into the vast, book-lined subterranean chamber.
Rows of tall mahogany shelves stretched into the darkness, filled with centuries of family journals, legal deeds, and corporate ledgers.
At the far end of the room, standing beside an open wall safe, a figure in a dark trench coat was flipping through antique folders.
"Put your hands where I can see them right now!" Marcus commanded, stepping out from behind a bookshelf with his pistol raised.
The figure slowly turned around, lowering the collar of their trench coat to reveal an astonishing, unexpected face in the dim light.
It wasn't a corporate rival or a hired assassin; it was Martha, the retired schoolteacher who lived down the lane.
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"You're looking for answers in all the wrong places, Marcus... your wife trusted the wrong person with her final secrets," Martha said calmly.
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