Chapter 13 - The Courthouse Explosion
The muffled subterranean blast reverberated through the concrete foundations like an earthquake, sending a shower of loose dust and tiny pebbles raining down from the ceiling of the server vault. Clara threw her arms over Leo, shielding the boy’s head as the floor vibrated beneath their boots.
"That came from the direction of the county courthouse annex," Vance declared, his face pale under the harsh glare of the federal flashlights as he spun toward the utility tunnel.
The lead federal agent cursed under his breath, tapping his shoulder radio with frantic urgency. "Team Beta, Team Beta, report! Did you intercept movement at the courthouse annex? Over!"
Only a harsh burst of static hissed through the earpiece in response.
"They're jammed again," the agent muttered, turning to his tactical squad. "Alpha team, move out! Secure the perimeter of the annex immediately! Do not let anyone approach the evidence vault!"
As the federal agents scrambled toward the dark utility tunnel in a chaotic rush of tactical gear and heavy boots, Vance grabbed Clara’s arm. "We need to get out of here right now. The courthouse is less than three blocks away, and Arthur is heading straight for the evidence room."
"How are we supposed to get out if the main gates are sealed?" Clara asked, her voice tight with panic as she clutched Leo’s small hand.
"The maintenance hatch," Vance said, pointing toward a narrow metal ladder set into the back corner of the vault that led straight up to a heavy sidewalk grate overhead. "It opens directly onto the alley behind the district attorney's office."
They didn't waste another second. Vance climbed the vertical metal ladder first, pushing his broad shoulders against the heavy iron sidewalk grate above until it groaned and swung open, letting in a rush of cool, smoke-scented evening air. He pulled himself out onto the pavement, then reached down to haul Leo up into the safety of the alleyway, followed quickly by Clara.
The sun had completely dipped below the horizon, leaving the suburban streets cast in an eerie, unnatural twilight. Sirens wailed in the distance, their red and blue lights painting the brick facades of the buildings in flashing, hypnotic strokes. Two blocks away, a thick plume of dark grey smoke billowed into the night sky from the grand stone pillars of the county courthouse annex.
"Stay close to the brick wall and don't look back," Vance instructed, drawing his flashlight as they sprinted down the narrow alleyway toward the billowing smoke.
As they rounded the corner of the municipal building, the full scale of the disaster came into sharp focus. The front entrance of the courthouse annex had been blown outward, heavy oak doors splintered into matchsticks and scattered across the manicured lawn—the exact same lawn Leo had mowed into geometric patterns just three days prior.
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Standing in the center of the ruined doorway, silhouetted against the roaring flames inside the lobby, was Arthur. He held a heavy leather briefcase in one hand and a smoking detonator in the other, casually watching the chaos unfold around him.
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