Chapter 7 - APARTMENT 4B
Adrian reached Elena’s building before the police.
He hated that Marcus had driven him there.
He hated even more that he still needed him.
The door to Apartment 4B stood half open.
“Elena!”
Adrian pushed inside.
A lamp had been knocked over.
Kitchen drawers hung open.
Papers covered the floor.
His wheelchair struck a broken picture frame.
“Elena?”
A sound came from the bedroom.
Adrian stood carefully.
Marcus reached for his shoulder.
“Wait.”
Adrian shrugged him off.
He grabbed a heavy brass candleholder from the table and moved down the hallway.
“Elena?”
The bedroom door opened.
Elena stepped out holding a baseball bat.
Adrian nearly swung the candleholder.
She nearly hit him.
They stared at each other.
Then Elena shouted:
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to stop you from getting murdered.”
“I handled it.”
Marcus looked around.
“Where is he?”
“Fire escape.”
“You saw his face?”
“Baseball cap. Mask.”
“What did he want?”
Elena walked into the kitchen.
“My phone.”
“That’s all?”
“No.”
She opened her fist.
A small silver key rested in her palm.
Adrian frowned.
“What is that?”
“Thomas Keene gave it to me two years ago.”
“Who?”
“Former night security supervisor at the Whitmore.”
Marcus recognized the name.
“He was fired after the Cole accident.”
Elena nodded.
“He trained me when I started.”
“Why did he give you a key?”
“He didn’t explain. He said if anybody ever asked about the garage camera from the night Mr. Cole crashed, I should open locker 318 at Union Station.”
Adrian stared.
“You’ve had that for four months?”
“I forgot about it.”
“You forgot?”
“My grandmother was dying. I was working two jobs. Your accident was on the news for three days and then disappeared.”
Adrian wanted to argue.
Then he looked around her tiny apartment.
Final notices.
A broken microwave held shut with tape.
A pill organizer on the counter with her grandmother’s name still written on it.
His crisis had been the center of his world.
Not hers.
“Okay,” he said.
Elena blinked.
“What?”
“I said okay.”
Marcus frowned.
“That’s new.”
Adrian ignored him.
Detective Park arrived five minutes later.
They told her about the key.
She immediately ordered an officer to Union Station.
Elena shook her head.
“No.”
Park looked at her.
“No?”
“If somebody broke into my apartment for this, then somebody may be watching the locker.”
Park considered that.
“Fair point.”
They went together.
At Union Station, locker 318 contained no money.
No weapon.
No blackmail note.
Just an old hard drive wrapped in a plastic grocery bag.
Marcus stared.
“That’s either very good or very bad.”
Back at the precinct, a technician connected it.
Several folders appeared.
HOTEL GARAGE.
SERVICE CORRIDOR.
EXECUTIVE FLOOR.
Adrian’s pulse accelerated.
The technician opened the garage file.
Grainy video filled the screen.
Time stamp: 11:42 PM.
Grant entered the garage.
He approached Adrian’s car.
Knelt beside the driver-side front wheel.
Then another figure entered.
Claire.
She stood beside Grant while he worked.
Elena covered her mouth.
Adrian didn’t move.
Grant stood.
Claire looked directly toward the security camera.
Then reached up.
The screen went black.
May you like
But not before Adrian saw what she was holding.
A pair of red-handled wire cutters.
