Chapter 8 - The Hidden ApartmentMy father had been watching me all my life.
We spent the night in the safe house.
Nobody slept.
By morning, Nathaniel had assembled a team he claimed he trusted.
Only three people were allowed inside.
The first was Dr. Benjamin Cole.
The second was a former federal investigator named Marcus Reed.
The third was Margaret Vale.
I didn't trust her.
Neither did Nathaniel.
But she had brought something.
A security recording from Graves Tower.
The footage showed Leonard Vale entering the service elevator.
He had used a keycard belonging to Nathaniel.
"How did he get that?"
Margaret answered:
"He copied it years ago."
Nathaniel watched the screen.
Then paused the footage.
Leonard was holding something.
A folder.
On the cover was a handwritten word.
ORCHARD.
Marcus studied it.
"There's an old property."
"Where?"
"Bellamy."
Nathaniel shook his head.
"That's just housing."
Marcus looked at him.
"Not anymore."
He placed a map on the table.
Bellamy Court was only the surface.
Underneath the buildings was a network of forgotten utility tunnels.
One tunnel led to a hidden apartment.
Unit 00.
There were no records for it.
Nathaniel stared.
"Nobody told me this existed."
Marcus nodded.
"Your father didn't want you to know."
We went there that afternoon.
The hidden apartment was untouched.
Dust covered everything.
A child's bed.
A kitchen.
A bookshelf.
And on the wall were photographs.
Hundreds of them.
Photographs of children.
Each had a name.
Each had a date.
Each had a file number.
I felt sick.
"Why were they photographing children?"
Marcus didn't answer.
Nathaniel walked slowly down the hallway.
Then he stopped.
On one wall was a photograph of me.
Eight years ago.
Six years ago.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
There were photographs from almost every year of my life.
My mother covered her mouth.
"I never knew."
Nathaniel's voice was low.
"Someone was tracking her."
Then we found the desk.
Inside was a journal.
Daniel's handwriting.
I read the first entry aloud.
"Ruby is safe."
The second:
"Elena still doesn't trust me."
The third:
"I must keep the family away from her."
The fourth:
"The board knows."
The fifth:
"Someone in the house is feeding them information."
Nathaniel stared at the page.
"Someone in my family."
The sixth entry contained only one sentence.
Ruby is not the only child I saved.
We searched the room.
Behind the bookcase was another photograph.
It showed two children.
One was me.
The other was a boy.
He looked about ten.
On the back:
Elias Hart.
My mother stared.
"I don't know him."
Nathaniel frowned.
Marcus looked at the photograph.
"Maybe that's the key."
"What key?" I asked.
He pointed to the children's wristbands.
Both had the same symbol.
The circle crossed by two lines.
The same symbol from the pink eviction notice.
"The Orchard list," Marcus said.
"These children weren't just being watched."
Nathaniel understood first.
"They were protected."
"But from who?"
Nobody answered.
Then Margaret's phone rang.
She listened.
Her face turned white.
"What?"
She looked at Nathaniel.
"Leonard Vale just transferred ten million dollars."
"To where?"
"A hospital."
"Which hospital?"
She swallowed.
"The one where Daniel Graves was declared dead."
Nathaniel stared at her.
"Why would a dead man need a hospital?"
Margaret looked at the transfer details.
"It wasn't payment."
"What was it?"
"A room reservation."
Nathaniel walked toward the door.
"Take us there."
Marcus stopped him.
"Sir, there's one problem."
"What?"
"The reservation is for tonight."
May you like
Nathaniel looked at me.
"It's under Ruby Hart."
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