Chapter 6
Leo’s small shoes slapped against the stone floor of the corridor leading to the vestry. The air here smelled of old beeswax, melting tallow, and aged parchment. Dust motes danced frantically in the dim light filtering through a high, narrow window overlooking the alleyway. His heart pounded in his ears like a bass drum, drowning out the muffled shouts and scuffling noises echoing from the main nave. He knew he didn't have much time. Arthur would recover his footing within seconds, and if Thomas decided to pick up that gun, his mother wouldn't stand a chance.
The vestry door stood slightly ajar. Leo pushed it open with a soft click, his eyes darting frantically across the cluttered room. Stacks of hymnals lined the oak shelves, clerical robes hung like ghostly figures from wooden pegs, and there, dangling from a brass hook directly beside the heavy iron safe, was the ring of master keys.
He lunged forward, his small fingers wrapping around the cold iron loop. There were at least a dozen keys on the ring, each one stamped with faded numbers corresponding to the heavy oak doors, the side alley gates, and the administrative offices. As he lifted the ring off the hook, a sudden noise behind him made him freeze.
A heavy floorboard creaked in the hallway.
Leo spun around, pressing his back flat against the wall beside the open door. A shadow stretched across the polished hardwood floor of the corridor—tall, broad-shouldered, and unmistakable. It wasn't Arthur’s stride; it was slower, heavier, dragging slightly on the right side. It was Thomas.
"Leo," Thomas called out softly, his voice surprisingly devoid of its usual corporate slickness, carrying instead a hollow, exhausted weight. "Don't run, son. You can't outrun the locks on this building. Arthur has the perimeter secured."
Leo clutched the heavy key ring tightly behind his back, his fingers searching blindly for the largest brass key. "You're helping him," Leo whispered, his voice trembling slightly with a mixture of fear and pure indignation. "You let him put my mom in that box."
Thomas appeared in the doorway, his tie loosened, his suit jacket wrinkled from the chaotic struggle in the nave. He looked older, gaunter, the sharp angles of his face softened by a profound sense of regret. He raised his hands palms up, showing he was empty-handed. "I didn't want this, Leo. None of us wanted it to go this far. Arthur is... he’s desperate. When the shipping contracts fell through last month, he made commitments to people you don't want to know."
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"Get away from me," Leo said, his hazel eyes flashing with a dangerous defiance that mirrored his mother's. He sidestepped toward the heavy oak wardrobe, keeping the piece of furniture between himself and the lawyer.
"Listen to me," Thomas urged, taking a slow step into the vestry. "Your mother has the digital keys, but Arthur has the physical leverage. If you give me that key ring, I can get you both out through the courtyard gate before Arthur realizes what I'm doing. I swear to you, Leo. I'm trying to fix this."
