Chapter 43 - The Warrant at the Front Door
Rachel returned home to find city officers surrounding the property.
A structural-emergency notice had been attached to the gate. The house was scheduled for immediate evacuation because the underground tunnels were allegedly collapsing.
Tessa examined the order.
The signature belonged to Harold Venn.
“He is still under investigation,” she said. “He has no authority to issue this.”
The officer in charge refused them entry.
A demolition vehicle waited at the end of the street.
Isaac stood on his porch holding his cane.
“They arrived twenty minutes ago,” he called. “Two men entered before the police blocked the road.”
Rachel showed the officers the Northline warrant and the evidence from the reservoir. The commander finally agreed to delay demolition for thirty minutes.
They entered with a search team.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
The pantry passage was empty.
The underground room marked 909B had been cleared earlier.
Rachel searched every object connected to her wedding. The register was gone, and Marcus had removed most of his belongings after the court judgment.
Only one wedding object remained.
A wooden box containing dried flowers from her bouquet.
Rachel lifted the flowers.
The bottom of the box was unusually heavy.
Inside a false compartment lay a second black cartridge.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
“Victor gave me that box the morning after the wedding.”
“You brought the source key into my house?”
“I thought it contained legal documents.”
“Did you know there was a hidden compartment?”
“No.”
Tessa photographed the cartridge before Rachel removed it.
A thin display activated along its edge.
BACKUP TRANSFER COMPLETE.
WAITING FOR BENEFICIARY VOICE.
Evelyn stood in the doorway.
The cartridge recognized her presence.
A recording began playing automatically.
Rachel’s father appeared on the small screen.
“If this message is playing,” James Bennett said, “then Victor found the wrong daughter.”
May you like
A noise came from the pantry passage.
Someone had entered the house from below.
