Chapter 13 - The Federal District Office
The towering glass facade of the Federal District Office loomed against the stormy night sky like a monolith of absolute law. The delivery van pulled up sharply to the secure perimeter gates, its brakes hissing as the driver threw it into park.
“This is as far as I go, miss,” the driver said, pointing toward the armed security booth at the entrance. “Federal grounds. They don’t let delivery trucks past this point.”
“Thank you,” Evelyn said, her hand trembling slightly as she pushed the door open. “You probably saved my life tonight.”
She stepped out into the pouring rain, her sprained ankle screaming in protest as she leaned heavily onto the remaining crutch. The bright yellow sequins of her dress were now completely caked in mud, and her tiara was long gone, lost somewhere in the hospital laundry room. She looked less like a grieving daughter and more like a survivor of a shipwreck.
As she hobbled toward the security gate, the sleek black SUV that had been tailing them pulled up silently alongside the curb fifty feet back. The passenger door opened, and Marcus stepped out into the rain, pulling the collar of his dark coat up against the wind.
“You’re wasting your time, Evelyn!” Marcus called out across the wet pavement, his voice carrying clearly over the hum of the city traffic. “The federal investigators closed that archive years ago!”
Evelyn didn’t stop. She flashed the brass key at the armed guard stationed inside the bulletproof glass booth, shouting her father’s federal security clearance number through the intercom.
The guard’s eyes narrowed as he checked his monitor. The heavy steel gates began to slide open with a deep, mechanical groan.
Marcus sprinted forward, ignoring the guard’s raised hand, but he was too late. Evelyn slipped through the threshold just as the steel barrier locked securely back into place, separating her from her pursuer by three inches of reinforced alloy.
Marcus slammed his fists against the metal bars, his face twisted in utter fury.
May you like
Evelyn didn’t look back. She walked down the brightly lit corridor toward the secure records vault, clutching the brass key in her hand, ready to finally expose the truth that had killed her father.
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