Chapter 9 - The Ghost Train Station
The abandoned downtown rail station loomed like a rotting metallic skeleton against the bruised morning sky. Thomas killed the truck's headlights a block away, coasting the vehicle into the deep shadows of an old loading dock. The air smelled of stagnant water, rust, and old coal dust.
"Stay close to me, Leo. Don't make a sound," Thomas instructed, keeping a low profile as he pulled a heavy iron crowbar from the truck bed.
They slipped through a rusted chain-link fence, navigating a maze of overgrown tracks until they reached a heavy steel maintenance door stamped with a faded B. Leo pulled the small brass key from his pocket, his small fingers stiff from the biting morning chill. He inserted the key into the heavy padlock hanging from the latch. It turned with a satisfying, rusty click.
As the heavy door swung open, a rush of stale, pressurized air billowed out from the subterranean vault below. They descended a set of steep, concrete stairs into pitch blackness. Thomas flicked on a heavy-duty flashlight, illuminating a massive underground chamber lined with rows of safety deposit boxes and filing cabinets.
"This is it," Thomas breathed, shining the light toward the central terminal desk.
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Sitting squarely on the metal desk was a single, glowing laptop plugged into an independent generator, displaying a live video feed of the main Vance mansion foyer—and Mr. Vance standing over a tied-up Clara.
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