Chapter 4 - The Man Outside the House
Miriam shut down the computer.
Serena took the twins upstairs while Audrey crossed the darkened living room.
The pounding came again.
“Audrey Vale,” a man called from outside. “Federal investigator. I need to speak with you.”
Miriam moved beside the window.
“No government vehicle.”
“Could it be real?”
“Real investigators do not arrive alone at midnight.”
Audrey activated the house’s external camera.
A man stood on the porch wearing a dark coat. His face was partially hidden by rain.
Another figure waited near the trees.
The man held up an identification card.
It looked authentic.
Miriam zoomed in on it.
“Owen Shaw,” she said.
“You know him?”
“He was Julian’s private security director.”
Audrey’s stomach tightened.
Owen knocked again.
“I know about Elias,” he called.
Audrey stepped away from the monitor.
“He knows their names.”
“I only heard one name,” Miriam said.
Audrey looked toward the staircase.
Owen continued.
“Your son needs the Orion index. I can help you recover it.”
Miriam reached for the emergency phone.
Audrey stopped her.
“If Julian sent him, calling the police may reveal our location.”
“He already knows the location.”
“But he may not have told anyone.”
Audrey opened the communication channel.
“What do you want?”
Owen looked directly into the camera.
“Five minutes.”
“Who sent you?”
“No one.”
“Then how did you find me?”
“Adrian Vale.”
Audrey’s breath caught.
“My brother is dead.”
“I did not say he contacted me recently.”
“Explain.”
“Not through a speaker.”
Miriam shook her head.
Audrey ignored her.
“Leave anything you have on the porch and walk away.”
Owen removed a memory card from his pocket and placed it beneath the porch light.
“Julian did not order the laboratory doors locked,” he said.
“His voice is on the recording.”
“His voice is on many recordings.”
Owen walked into the rain.
The second figure followed.
Miriam waited fifteen minutes before retrieving the card.
They viewed its contents on an isolated device.
The first file contained security footage from the Mercer Hotel.
Audrey watched herself approach Suite 1908.
Inside the room, Chloe stood beside Julian.
The footage had no sound, but the angle showed what Audrey had not seen from the doorway.
Julian was not touching Chloe.
He was removing a concealed microphone from the collar of her dress.
Chloe reached toward his face only after someone outside the room opened the door.
The room service cart in the corridor had blocked Audrey’s view of a third person standing near the bathroom.
Victor Cross.
The next clip showed Victor leaving through an adjoining suite seconds before Audrey arrived.
Audrey stared at the screen.
“It was staged.”
Miriam paused the video.
“Chloe knew where you were standing.”
“She apologized.”
“She may have been apologizing for helping them.”
Audrey opened another file.
It showed the Vale laboratory security room on the night of the fire.
Owen Shaw entered at 9:41 p.m.
A technician handed him an audio drive.
At 9:43, a command using Julian’s voice locked the east doors.
At 9:44, Owen attempted to reverse the command.
The system rejected him.
Then another man appeared on-screen.
Victor Cross.
He ordered Owen removed from the building.
The footage ended.
The final item was a text document written by Adrian.
AUDREY, IF YOU ARE READING THIS, DO NOT TRUST THE RECORDING.
JULIAN’S VOICE WAS COPIED.
DO NOT TRUST OWEN COMPLETELY EITHER.
HE HELPED BUILD THE SYSTEM THEY USED.
PROJECT GEMINI IS NOT A RESEARCH PROJECT.
IT IS A LIST OF CHILDREN.
Audrey looked toward the staircase where her sons slept.
Miriam scrolled farther.
May you like
At the bottom of the document, Adrian had written one final line.
VICTOR HAS BEEN WAITING FOR JULIAN TO HAVE SONS.
