Chapter 7
The ticking of the silver wristwatch echoed off the damp concrete walls like a tiny bomb timer, heightening the claustrophobic panic in the subterranean bus station corridor. Elena stared at the leather briefcase, her mind refusing to process the dark stains smudged across its handle. It didn't look like oil or wood stain from Julian's workshop; it had the heavy, unmistakable brownish-red tint of dried blood.
"Julian..." Elena whispered, her voice breaking as she reached into the locker and gingerly picked up the silver watch. The crystal face was cracked, and the hands were frozen at 2:14.
Clara stepped back, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at the briefcase in absolute horror. The golden satin top she wore seemed terribly out of place amidst the grime and squalor of the bus station basement.
"I-I didn't know anything about this," Clara stammered, her voice losing its previous venom and dropping into a genuine, trembling pitch of fear. "I swear to God, Elena, I had nothing to do with what happened to him."
Elena slowly turned her head to look at her sister-in-law, her eyes narrowing with cold fury.
"You knew he was missing before Arthur even checked the lease," Elena said, stepping away from the locker and blocking Clara's path to the stairs. "You had the keys, you had the forged signature, and you knew exactly which locker this was without me even telling you the number. Don't you dare lie to me now."
"I didn't know the locker number!" Clara cried out, glancing nervously around the empty corridor as if someone were watching them from the shadows. "Julian owes money, Elena! Dangerous people were looking for him last week. He came to my apartment begging for cash, and when I refused, he left that briefcase behind."
Leo whimpered and hid his face against Elena's beige blouse, too frightened by the raised voices to watch the confrontation unfold.
Elena set the watch down gently and unlatched the brass clasps of the leather briefcase. The lid popped open with a heavy mechanical snap, revealing a stack of legal documents tied with pink ribbon, a passport bearing Julian's photograph, and a heavy, customized flash drive labeled Project Echo.
Resting underneath the flash drive was a handwritten note scrawled on Maplewood Property Management letterhead.
Elena picked up the note, her eyes scanning the hurried handwriting. If they find out about the zoning permits, the whole development deal collapses. Meet me at the old lumber yard at midnight, or your brother takes the fall.
May you like
Clara peered over Elena's shoulder, her face turning ashen as she read the signature at the bottom of the page.
It was signed by Arthur, the quiet clerk from the rental office.
