Chapter 10 - The Blast in the East Wing
The shockwave knocked Agent Miller off balance, sending her stumbling against a towering bookshelf that spilled a cascade of leather-bound volumes onto the carpeted floor. Dust and pulverized plaster rained down from the ornately molded ceiling, coating the antique furniture in a fine, gray shroud.
Mark grabbed Lily, pulling her tightly against his chest to shield her from the falling debris. "Are you alright?" he shouted over the ringing in his ears.
"I'm fine," Lily said, her voice remarkably steady as she brushed a speck of plaster off the sleeve of her cream-colored party dress. "Uncle Richard didn't want the bearer bonds. He was blowing the vault doors to destroy the physical evidence."
Miller scrambled to her feet, coughing through the rising cloud of dust as she unclipped her radio. "Control! Control, report! We have an explosion in the east wing, secondary structural collapse near the library archives!"
The radio crackled with frantic static. “Agent Miller, command unit! We have a breach at the western perimeter! A vehicle just rammed the secondary gates and fled toward the highway! We couldn't intercept!”
Miller cursed loudly, slamming her fist against the mahogany desk. "They had a contingency plan all along. They didn't want the money; they wanted the paper trail to go up in smoke."
Mark looked down at Lily, his eyes widening as he pieced together the horrifying reality of the situation. "Lily... where is the original ledger? The one you pulled from the hidden compartment?"
Lily looked down at her empty hands, then slowly raised her gaze to meet Mark's. "I left it on the edge of the desk when the window distracted us."
Mark spun around and looked toward the hidden compartment behind the mahogany desk. The secret panel was still open, but the heavy, brass-bound ledger was gone. In its place lay a single, scorched piece of paper and another artificial peony flower—this one dyed an intense, bruised shade of crimson.
Miller walked over, staring down at the crimson flower with absolute disbelief. "A planted calling card. They were inside the mansion the entire time."
"Not just inside," Lily whispered, her blue eyes narrowing as she stared at the open window where the cool night breeze fluttered the velvet drapes. "They're still watching us."
May you like
Mark stepped to the window, scanning the dark gardens below. Through the swirling smoke rising from the east wing, a lone figure stood silhouetted against the burning hedge, holding up a small leather-bound book before turning and vanishing into the night.
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