Chapter 6 - The Handwritten Note
The red laser dot continued to sweep across the wooden floorboards, searching for a target in the dim sanctuary of the bell tower. Miller kept his weapon trained on the narrow arched doorway, his breathing deep and controlled.
"Stay down, both of you," Miller ordered without turning his head. "The tactical team is three minutes out. We hold this position."
Julian ignored the detective. He snatched the paper from near Lily's foot, his eyes scanning the handwritten note on the back of the check. All the color drained from his face a second time, leaving him looking ashen and defeated.
"Dad, what is that?" Lily asked, crawling closer despite the danger. "Who wrote that address? Is that Grandpa's handwriting?"
"Quiet, Lily," Julian hissed, folding the paper with trembling fingers and shoving it deep into his pocket. "Your grandfather has been dead for ten years. It's a forgery meant to throw us off."
"It's not a forgery," Lily argued, her voice trembling but defiant. "I know Grandpa's handwriting. He used to write my name on the inside cover of all my storybooks. Why would his address be on a stolen orphanage check?"
Before Julian could answer, a heavy thud echoed from the spiral staircase below. Someone—or multiple people—was climbing the steps rapidly, ignoring the storm and the police presence downstairs.
Miller raised his service pistol toward the doorway, his muscles tensing. "Halt! Federal agent! Identify yourself!"
A low, calm voice drifted up the stairwell, devoid of any fear or urgency. "Agent Miller. You're a long way from your jurisdiction. Put the weapon down before someone gets hurt who doesn't need to be."
A man stepped out onto the landing. He wore an expensive gray suit that looked completely dry despite the torrential rain outside. His hair was neatly combed, and his eyes were cold and calculating. It was the man from the black sedan in the alley.
"I'm federal, badge number 4409," Miller snapped, keeping his gun locked on the newcomer. "Step back against the wall, hands where I can see them."
The man smiled faintly, reaching slowly into his jacket pocket. Instead of a weapon, he pulled out a gold badge and tossed it across the floorboards toward Miller. It slid and stopped near the detective's boot.
Miller glanced down at the insignia, and his expression hardened into disbelief. "Internal Affairs? You're IA?"
"I'm the director of a joint task force that your little division was never supposed to stumble into," the man said smoothly, stepping further into the bell tower. He looked past Miller at Julian and Lily. "Julian. You've made quite a mess of a simple extraction."
Julian scrambled backward until his spine hit the stone wall. "I didn't mean to, Director Vance. The girl... she followed me. She wasn't supposed to find the safe house."
Lily stared back and forth between the two men, her mind racing. "Vance? That's our last name. Who are you to my dad?"
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The man smiled warmly, taking a step toward the terrified girl. "I'm your uncle, Lily. And your father has been working for me for the past twenty years to pay off a debt your grandfather left behind."
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