Chapter 16 - Three Days Too LateThe note changed everything.
Hale traced Martin's phone.
It was dead.
No signal.
No movement.
But the paper itself contained something strange.
A faint smell.
Chemical.
Hale sent it to the lab.
The result came back within hours.
It had been printed inside a specific office.
Martin's office.
Someone had access to his printer.
Hale stared at the report.
"Daniel."
Ava looked at him.
"He wants us to think Martin disappeared."
Claire shook her head.
"Martin was always afraid of the basement."
"What basement?"
"His office."
The investigators searched the law firm.
Behind a filing cabinet, they found a hidden staircase.
It descended into a concrete room.
Inside:
Computers.
Servers.
Paper files.
And one enormous wall covered in photographs.
Ava.
Claire.
Elena.
Rebecca.
Victor.
Mrs. Dalton.
Hale.
Even Hale's supervisor.
Everyone connected.
Everyone monitored.
At the center was one phrase:
CONTROL THROUGH FEAR.
Ava stared.
"He planned all of this."
Claire looked at the wall.
"No."
She pointed at a photograph.
"This is new."
It was a picture of Ava at the police station.
Taken that morning.
The person who took it had been standing inside the station.
Someone was still watching them.
Hale's phone rang.
He answered.
Nobody spoke.
Then a whisper:
"Detective."
Hale went still.
"Who is this?"
"Look behind you."
Hale turned.
Nothing.
"You're searching for Daniel."
"Where is he?"
"Closer than you think."
The call ended.
Ava felt a cold wave move through her.
Then the lights went out.
Emergency lamps switched on.
A red glow filled the room.
One server began playing audio automatically.
Daniel's voice.
"Welcome to the final part."
Ava closed her eyes.
"This is a recording."
Daniel continued.
"I knew someone would eventually find the room."
Pause.
"I designed it for that purpose."
Hale stepped toward the server.
"Why?"
Daniel laughed softly.
"Because people need to believe they discovered something."
The recording continued.
"Everything you've found so far was left for you."
Ava opened her eyes.
"The recordings."
"The photographs."
"The storage unit."
"Claire."
"Victor."
"Even Martin."
Her mother whispered:
"He's controlling the investigation."
Daniel continued:
"You're not following me."
A pause.
"You're following the path I created."
The recording stopped.
Ava stared at the server.
"What about Victor?"
Claire's voice trembled.
"He isn't dead."
Hale looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He was the one who taught Daniel how to build this."
Ava frowned.
"Why would he help him?"
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Victor wasn't Daniel's victim."
Silence.
"He was his partner."
Ava stepped back.
"What?"
Claire whispered:
"Until he realized what Daniel was doing."
Then the server displayed one final file.
A video.
Victor appeared.
Alive.
He looked directly at Ava.
"I am sorry."
Ava's heart pounded.
Victor continued:
"Your father is not the beginning of this story."
He paused.
"He is the middle."
Ava whispered:
"Then who is the beginning?"
May you like
Victor looked away.
"Your grandfather."
