Chapter 5
Walter turned slowly away from the darkened window, his hand instinctively resting on the heavy brass letter opener sitting on the mahogany desk. The silence in the library had grown heavier, punctuated only by the relentless drumming of rain against the windowpanes and the distant, muffled groan of old floorboards settling in the corridor outside.
"Nobody entered through the front doors after Clara arrived," Walter said, his tone analytical and cold. "The alarm system registers every perimeter breach down to the millisecond. If the saboteur is inside this house, they were already here when we unlocked the estate for the evening."
Julian stepped away from the desk, his eyes scanning the elaborate crown molding and the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lined the room. "The panic room behind the north wall," Julian murmured. "The access code was changed during the corporate audit last month. Only two people in this household had the override credentials: myself and Marcus."
Marcus was Julian’s younger cousin and the executive vice president of operations for Vance Industries. He was supposed to be in Geneva attending an international trade summit until Thursday morning.
"Marcus returned from Europe twelve hours ahead of schedule," Walter recalled, realization dawning across his weathered face. "His private jet landed at Teterboro at nine o'clock tonight. He didn't notify staff because he wanted unannounced access to the main terminal server."
Clara swung her legs over the edge of the sofa, ignoring the piercing stab of pain in her bruised wrist. "The terminal server in the basement connects directly to the research lab's central database. If Marcus has root access to that network, he can wipe the trial logs before local law enforcement can secure a warrant."
Julian walked briskly toward the far corner of the library, pressing his palm against a decorative wood-carved panel depicting the family crest. With a soft pneumatic hiss, a concealed door slid open into the wall, revealing a narrow spiral staircase descending into absolute darkness. A faint, sterile blue light pulsed from somewhere deep below, casting an unnatural glow against the stone walls of the hidden passage.
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"This is the original utility tunnel built during the prohibition era," Julian explained, pulling a high-intensity tactical flashlight from a mounted charging dock beside the hidden entrance. "It connects the library directly to the basement server room and the private garage."
Walter stepped forward, holding the amber vials of antidote protectively inside his suit jacket. "If Marcus is down there downloading the trial data, he’s also within range of the primary ventilation intake for the estate."
