Chapter 11 - THE WAREHOUSE
Daniel wanted to go.
Reed refused to let him go alone.
So they compromised.
Daniel drove.
Police followed at a distance.
Sarah rode in the passenger seat.
“You shouldn't be here.”
Daniel's eyes remained on the road.
“She mentioned my father.”
“She mentioned mine too.”
Daniel couldn't argue with that.
Bennett Cold Storage stood on the industrial edge of the city.
The building appeared abandoned.
One light glowed above the main door.
Daniel entered first.
Sarah stayed close.
Inside, rows of metal shelves disappeared into darkness.
“Vanessa?”
No answer.
Daniel's voice echoed.
Then speakers crackled overhead.
Vanessa laughed.
“You always did hate being ignored.”
Daniel looked upward.
“Come out.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you finally know enough to be dangerous.”
Sarah called out.
“You killed Michael.”
Vanessa's silence lasted several seconds.
Then she answered.
“Michael killed himself with curiosity.”
Sarah's jaw tightened.
“And my father?”
Vanessa laughed softly.
“Thomas was careless.”
The rage that Sarah had suppressed for nineteen years rose so quickly she almost couldn't breathe.
Daniel touched her arm.
A warning.
Stay focused.
Vanessa continued.
“You want a villain, Sarah.”
“Life is easier when one person is responsible for everything.”
Sarah looked toward the shelves.
“You're responsible for enough.”
A light suddenly switched on at the far end of the warehouse.
Vanessa stood behind a glass partition.
She had changed into black pants and a gray sweater.
No wedding dress.
No veil.
No softness.
Lucas stood beside her.
And tied to a chair between them was Richard Hales.
Daniel stopped.
Richard's face was bruised.
His mouth was taped.
“What is this?”
Vanessa smiled.
“Insurance.”
Richard struggled against the chair.
Daniel moved forward.
Lucas raised a handgun.
Daniel stopped.
Sarah whispered, “They turned on each other.”
Vanessa heard.
“Richard became sentimental.”
She looked at the man in the chair.
“He wanted to retire after tonight.”
Richard shook his head violently.
Vanessa continued.
“He thought your death should be the last.”
Daniel stared at him.
“How generous.”
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
“He also made copies.”
Sarah understood.
“The evidence.”
Vanessa nodded.
“Everything.”
Daniel looked toward the back wall.
“You stole one server.”
“The wrong server.”
Vanessa's anger showed for the first time.
“Your father changed the backup system before he died.”
Daniel almost smiled.
Charles Bennett had outmaneuvered Richard from the grave.
Vanessa stepped closer to the glass.
“You know where the real archive is.”
Daniel said nothing.
Vanessa lifted a remote control.
A red light blinked across several fuel containers.
Sarah's stomach turned.
“If I leave without it, this building burns.”
Daniel looked at Richard.
“And him?”
Vanessa shrugged.
“He made his choice.”
Daniel slowly removed his jacket.
Then his watch.
Then his phone.
He placed everything on the floor.
“You want the archive?”
“Yes.”
“I'll take you to it.”
Sarah grabbed his arm.
“Daniel.”
He looked at her.
May you like
And without moving his lips, he whispered two words.
Trust me.
