Chapter 35 - The Search in the Attic
The heavy oak door clicked shut as Salvatore escorted Reinhardt back down to the holding cells. The study felt heavy, charged with an invisible, ticking clock.
I stood by the window, staring out at the sunlit coastline, my mind racing through every single item I had brought with me from my old life when Leo moved my belongings into the estate.
“He’s bluffing,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction. “My father wouldn't hide a digital drive in a medical textbook. He knew I’d donate his books eventually.”
“He wasn't bluffing about the surveillance,” Dominic said quietly, walking over to stand behind me. His strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, anchoring me against the rising tide of panic. “They’ve been tracking you since the ER days. Which means they know about every box stored in the estate’s east wing archives.”
“The boxes Leo brought from my apartment,” I realized aloud, turning around to face him. “When I moved in. They’ve been sitting in the basement storage lockers ever since.”
Ten minutes later, Dominic, Salvatore, and I stood in the subterranean storage vaults beneath the estate. Rows of metal shelving units stretched into the shadows, holding decades of Rossi ledgers, contraband records, and my own meager boxes from my old life.
I dropped to my knees in front of a cardboard box labeled Medical Journals - 2012.
I tore open the packing tape, tossing aside heavy cardiology textbooks, old stethoscope cases, and medical licensing certificates. At the very bottom of the box rested a heavy, leather-bound pediatric anatomy textbook with my father’s initials stamped in gold leaf on the spine.
I picked it up. The binding felt unusually thick near the back cover.
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Using my small emergency scalpel, I carefully sliced open the inner lining of the back cover.
A small, sleek black microchip encased in titanium slid out into my palm.
