“Do you know who she is?”
“I know who you are.”
“No, you know what she told you.”
The second officer moved down the stairs behind him.
Victor glanced toward the exit.
For the first time, his calm expression cracked.
He turned and ran.
The officers followed.
We heard doors slamming below, then shouting from the lobby.
Clara guided me back upstairs.
The fire alarm ended a minute later. Emergency lights flickered on.
Luis opened Daniel’s box.
The compass remained inside.
So did the silver key.
“He knew exactly what he wanted,” Clara said.
“Not the money,” I replied. “The key.”
By sunrise, investigators had confirmed that Victor escaped through a service corridor and left in a stolen delivery van. His maintenance uniform had been taken from an employee locker.
Priya returned to the hotel carrying a sealed evidence pouch.
“We need to identify what 317 opens.”
Samuel had already contacted every bank Daniel had ever used.
