Maya answered on the first ring.<\/p>\n
Her voice was too controlled.<\/p>\n
That frightened me more than panic would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside with police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone get inside while you were there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was at the hospital cafeteria getting breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara was already pushing herself upright.<\/p>\n
I put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya, are you sure you\u2019re okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t sound fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone went through my bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they take?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI checked the place where I kept them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I felt anger rise so hard and fast that I had to grip the edge of the windowsill.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept most copies in a fireproof case inside the closet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya hesitated.<\/p>\n
Clara noticed immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean most?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved one envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you kept asking whether I thought you were paranoid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara shut her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided if someone really was watching, keeping everything together was stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned closer to the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at Clara.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo the police know what was stolen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them paperwork and personal items.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLaptop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the material stored on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny signs they searched for specific things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe closet was emptied. Desk drawers. Filing cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJewelry?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCash?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya, don\u2019t go back inside alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are two officers here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound like Clara.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s difficult to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard that,\u201d Clara said.<\/p>\n
For half a second, Maya laughed.<\/p>\n
Then her voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey left a cabinet open downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld family things. Photos. Dad\u2019s insurance papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they open it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara looked puzzled.<\/p>\n
Then Maya said, \u201cThere was one envelope in there addressed to Clara.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat envelope?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was it postmarked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to shrink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho sent it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no return address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it,\u201d Clara said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice told me not to touch anything until they photograph it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara pressed her fingers against her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhy wasn\u2019t it given to Clara?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it mailed to your house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name, your address?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara whispered, \u201cI was living with you then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya\u2019s breathing caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
Someone had sent something to Clara at Maya\u2019s home shortly after our separation.<\/p>\n
Something that had never reached her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave the police photograph it, then call us before they open it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the call ended, Clara stared at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could it be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy send something and then break in for it months later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re assuming every strange thing is Julian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of them are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. But that assumption is dangerous if someone else is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara considered that.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think he has partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think eleven million dollars and a fabricated divorce require more than one convenient explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Rebecca Sloan.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me something good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you something useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe preservation order is in motion. More importantly, we\u2019ve retained an outside forensic team.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrow Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew them.<\/p>\n
Former federal investigators, accountants, cybersecurity specialists.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re clean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo prior Southshore engagement. No connection to Julian that we found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want access immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoard has approved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Marcus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want him available but separated from the collection process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo protect chain of custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam, they also want your devices.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy company devices?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClara\u2019s too, if she agrees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cShe agrees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll also need the copied documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome were stolen this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I explained the break-in.<\/p>\n
Rebecca swore quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn scene.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not interfere. Get the report number. Have Maya preserve everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one envelope left elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave it where it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if someone already knows where one set was, moving the other may expose it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Clara.<\/p>\n
Rebecca was right.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything from the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe twenty-eight-million-dollar transfer destination is not as simple as Julian represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe subsidiary exists, but the receiving account was changed three days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged to what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn account controlled by another LLC.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthline Strategic Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara sat straighter.<\/p>\n
She knew something.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthline.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognize it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But one of the Southshore memos had NL codes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat codes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara explained.<\/p>\n
Rebecca said, \u201cWrite nothing down electronically. Tell the forensic team verbally when they arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Send someone here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need company systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also need Clara.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll arrange it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Clara looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not recovering from surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You\u2019re just behaving like your bloodstream is coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClose.\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if they prove Julian stole money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to him legally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDepends on what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd us?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question caught me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he fabricated the lawyer communication\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean can it be undone?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes stayed on mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
The word undone carried too much.<\/p>\n
Legal status.<\/p>\n
Marriage.<\/p>\n
Months of pain.<\/p>\n
Leo.<\/p>\n
We could not rewind any of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that question belongs later,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
A nurse came in to check her incision and medication.<\/p>\n
I stepped out.<\/p>\n
In the hallway, Officer Mills was waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found Trevor Cole.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you speak to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Julian Vance hired him privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The directness stunned me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Cole, Mr. Vance asked him to confirm whether you were at the hospital and obtain a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims he didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says he used his contractor badge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Clara\u2019s floor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe admits coming near it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Vance asked whether Ms. Hayes had visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands curled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he enter her room?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe denies it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatient records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith local police voluntarily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoluntarily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Mills lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Julian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first good thing I had heard all morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep him away from the NICU.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready handled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officer Mills left.<\/p>\n
I returned to Clara.<\/p>\n
She saw the answer on my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was Julian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hired the contractor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he knows where we are, what room, who visits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity changed your room access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRestricted.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded but did not look reassured.<\/p>\n
At ten thirty, Maya called again.<\/p>\n
Police had processed the envelope.<\/p>\n
She had permission to open it.<\/p>\n
We placed her on speaker.<\/p>\n
I could hear paper tearing.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHold on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and Liam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks like outside your house in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA note.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paper rustled.<\/p>\n
Then Maya read.<\/p>\n
You are not imagining it. The vendor names are fronts. Vance is moving money through related entities. Do not confront him again. Do not use company phones. Someone else inside Mercer knows.<\/p>\n
Clara stopped breathing for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cSigned?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything on the back?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya turned the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n
She read several.<\/p>\n
Clara grabbed a hospital notepad.<\/p>\n
I stopped her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca said not to write them electronically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wrote.<\/p>\n
RV-214.<\/p>\n
CX-731.<\/p>\n
NL-118.<\/p>\n
Exactly the type of codes she had seen in Southshore records.<\/p>\n
Maya continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a date.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat date?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo days before Liam filed for divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
Someone had known before our marriage formally ended that Julian was moving money and that Clara had found something dangerous enough to require a warning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho could have sent it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Clara\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who knew I was at Maya\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat narrows it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maya said, \u201cThere\u2019s something under the photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted something.<\/p>\n
\u201cA key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall. Brass.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLabel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne number. 417.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep everything with the police,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhotographs, fingerprints, envelope, key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already bagged it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the call ended, Clara stared at the codes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone tried to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I never saw it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it was hidden in Maya\u2019s cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe whoever sent it didn\u2019t trust the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt came through the mail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe someone intercepted it after delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaya?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rubbed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does 417 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not know.<\/p>\n
But numbers rarely appeared alone in a story like this.<\/p>\n
At noon, a representative from Harrow Finch arrived.<\/p>\n
Her name was Nina Patel.<\/p>\n
She was compact, direct, and carried no visible patience for executive egos.<\/p>\n
She introduced herself to Clara first.<\/p>\n
That earned her points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need your timeline from the moment you noticed the first irregular vendor payment,\u201d Nina said.<\/p>\n
Clara looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want Liam here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina asked the question, not Clara.<\/p>\n
That earned her more.<\/p>\n
Clara nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the next hour, she reconstructed everything.<\/p>\n
The invoices.<\/p>\n
The addresses.<\/p>\n
The payment patterns.<\/p>\n
Her call to Julian.<\/p>\n
His demand that she destroy copies.<\/p>\n
The separation.<\/p>\n
The pregnancy.<\/p>\n
The unanswered attempts to reach me.<\/p>\n
Nina took handwritten notes.<\/p>\n
When Clara mentioned the coded memo fields, Nina\u2019s pen stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay those again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you seen the actual source documents recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne set was stolen this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne set?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe originals I copied from weren\u2019t originals. They were printouts from a Southshore reporting packet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho printed them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere such packets common?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNumbered?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWatermarked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInternal copies often had batch codes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom right corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a number on every page.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201c417.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I felt the shift before Nina spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key from the envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat physical locations are identified as 417 inside Mercer Holdings?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cConference rooms.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStorage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords rooms have different codes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe deposit facilities?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot companywide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I remembered.<\/p>\n
Our original headquarters.<\/p>\n
Before Mercer moved downtown, we had occupied four floors in an older building on Wacker.<\/p>\n
Room 417 had been mine.<\/p>\n
Clara saw my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour seventeen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Julian joined?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the year he joined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina asked, \u201cWhat happened to the old office contents?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost were moved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArchived materials went to off-site storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho controlled the transition?\u201d<\/p>\n
I already knew the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina closed her notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I want the inventory for every box moved out of Room 417.\u201d<\/p>\n
I called Marcus through the secure line.<\/p>\n
He searched archived facilities records.<\/p>\n
Five minutes later, he found it.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoom 417,\u201d he said. \u201cTwenty-three boxes transferred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDestination?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer archival warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Keyboard clicks.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-two were destroyed according to retention schedules.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the twenty-third?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing disposition code.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina leaned toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cBox number?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus read it.<\/p>\n
M-417-23.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast recorded location?\u201d<\/p>\n
More typing.<\/p>\n
Then Marcus said, \u201cThat can\u2019t be right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe box was checked out two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cJulian Vance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd never returned?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clara whispered, \u201cMaybe the key isn\u2019t for the office.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for wherever he put the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr whoever sent that warning wanted you to follow the number until you found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
A text from Daniel Vance.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Only one sentence.<\/p>\n
Storage unit 217 is empty. Julian got there first.<\/p>\n
Then a second message appeared.<\/p>\n
But he took the wrong box.<\/p>\n
Maya answered on the first ring. Her voice was too controlled. That frightened me more than panic would have. \u201cAre you hurt?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cWhere are you?\u201d \u201cOutside with police.\u201d \u201cDid … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23796"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23870,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23796\/revisions\/23870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}