Chapter 12 - The Archive Room.
.Noah refused to let Evan charge toward the fourth floor.
"We have police on the way," he said.
"And if they destroy the files before police arrive?"
"Then we document it."
Evan hated the answer because it was correct.
Claire looked at the service elevator display.
"There is another way in."
Marcus turned to her.
"How do you know?"
"The foundation tours donors through the archive every year."
She pointed toward a stairwell.
"The east stairs open beside the records corridor."
Noah considered it.
"We observe only."
Evan nodded reluctantly.
They took the stairs.
On the fourth floor, the corridor was dark except for emergency lighting.
The archive room door stood partly open.
Voices came from inside.
Rebecca was speaking.
"You said the camera file was gone."
Victor answered.
"It was."
"Then why is everyone still upstairs?"
"Because Dana panicked."
Dana, who had followed despite Noah's instruction to stay with Olivia, stopped behind them.
Her expression hardened.
Claire whispered, "They are blaming you."
Dana looked furious but remained silent.
Rebecca spoke again.
"We only needed one night."
Victor lowered his voice.
"Olivia was not supposed to present until morning."
"And she was not supposed to wake up and start talking."
Evan felt his hands tighten into fists.
Claire noticed and shook her head once.
He understood.
Do not repeat the same mistake.
Noah quietly activated the recorder on his phone.
Inside the archive room, paper rustled.
Victor said, "Once these invoices are gone, the audit becomes an accusation without proof."
Rebecca replied, "The proof is the drive."
"The drive was in the locker."
"The folder was in the locker."
A pause followed.
"The drive was not."
Evan and Claire looked at each other.
Olivia had hidden something else.
Rebecca's voice sharpened.
"You searched the folder?"
"Twice."
"Then where is it?"
A metal drawer slammed shut.
Rebecca cursed under her breath.
"She moved it."
Noah whispered, "That is enough."
He stepped into the doorway.
"Mr. Sloan. Mrs. Hale. Step away from the files."
Victor froze.
Rebecca did not.
She reached for the rolling document case.
Claire called from behind Noah.
"Do not."
Rebecca looked at her red dress and gave a bitter smile.
"So Olivia's little warning worked."
Evan stepped into view.
Rebecca's confidence slipped.
"Where is the drive?" he asked.
She laughed softly.
"If I knew, I would not be here."
Sirens became audible outside the building.
Victor looked toward the window.
His shoulders dropped.
Rebecca's did not.
She looked directly at Evan.
"Your sister trusted the wrong person."
Marcus appeared at the end of the corridor.
Rebecca's expression changed.
"She trusted my husband."
Everyone turned toward Marcus.
From the stairwell landing, they could hear paper being fed through a shred bin, then abruptly stopping.
Noah signaled for everyone to remain behind him.
Claire noticed Evan's breathing change and quietly told him that Rebecca wanted them emotional because emotional people made mistakes.
Evan looked at her and understood the message was about more than Rebecca.
He lowered his hands, unclenched his jaw, and stayed behind Noah.
For once, restraint became the most useful thing he could contribute.
May you like
Dana stood beside Claire, no longer looking frightened, but furious that her badge and silence had been used to build someone else's story.
And Marcus stopped walking.
