Chapter 13 - The Hidden Flash Drive
"We've secured the premises and transferred all the recovered artifacts into evidence custody, Mr. Vance," the lead federal agent reported, jotting down a few final notes in his digital tablet.
"Will we need to stay in the city tomorrow for formal questioning, Agent Miller?" Arthur asked, keeping his hand pressed firmly against the small black flash drive hidden safely inside his dark jacket pocket.
"Just a brief deposition at the federal field office in the morning, and then you're free to return to Chicago with your family," Agent Miller replied, closing his tablet with a crisp click.
Elena held Lily securely against her hip, her beige silk slip dress stained with dust and wine, looking utterly exhausted yet profoundly relieved. "Can we please just go to a hotel tonight, Dad? I never want to set foot inside this cursed villa again."
"Of course, sweetheart. The car is waiting at the front gates," Arthur said gently, guiding his daughter and granddaughter away from the drained pool toward the exit.
As they climbed into the back of the black federal transport vehicle acting as their escort away from the resort, Arthur pulled the small flash drive from his pocket and stared at it in the dim interior lighting.
It was unlabeled, matte black, and bore a tiny serial number that matched the secure encryption hardware used exclusively by the Swiss banking conglomerate where Viktor held his primary accounts.
"What is that in your hand, Dad?" Elena asked softly, resting her head against the cool glass window of the speeding vehicle.
"Just something Viktor dropped behind in the cabana," Arthur replied cautiously, sliding the drive back into his pocket without plugging it into his phone.
The vehicle sped down the winding coastal highway, leaving the luxury villa and its sparkling, empty pool far behind in the rearview mirror.
They checked into a quiet, secure downtown hotel room just before two in the morning, tucking little Lily safely into bed where she fell instantly into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Once the room was quiet, Arthur sat down at the small mahogany desk by the window, plugging the mysterious flash drive into his encrypted laptop computer.
The screen flickered to life instantly, bypassing standard login prompts to reveal a single encrypted folder labeled simply: 'VANCE-CARTER_FINAL_SETTLEMENT.enc'.
Arthur entered the decryption key—his own wedding anniversary date—and watched as the folder unlocked, revealing a single video file dated from earlier that very afternoon.
May you like
He clicked play, holding his breath as the video window expanded across the high-definition screen, revealing a security angle of the villa pool taken just moments before the police arrived.
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