Chapter 6 - Race Against Time in the Halls of JusticeSirens wailed as unmarked police cruisers tore away from the victim's house, racing back toward the downtown courthouse at breakneck speed. But traffic was gridlocked, and every second ticked away like a dying bomb's countdown.
Inside the sprawling, half-empty courthouse, the evening shift had begun. Most of the staff had gone home, leaving the corridors dim, quiet, and echoing with the hum of automated ventilation systems.
Disguised in a stolen blue maintenance jumpsuit and wearing a surgical mask, Marcus Vance moved through the back service corridors like a ghost. He carried a heavy canvas duffel bag containing industrial chemical solvent and thermal charges.
His target was clear: Evidence Room B on the third floor.
He swiped a stolen master keycard at the heavy steel door, and it clicked open. Stepping inside, his eyes scanned the metal shelves until he spotted the clear plastic bin labeled Case #4402 - State vs. Defendant.
Inside sat Ava's crayon drawings, the original gas station thumb drive, and the witness logs.
Vance smiled coldly beneath his mask. He pulled a bottle of highly volatile chemical accelerator from his bag, unscrewed the cap, and began pouring it liberally over the wooden shelves and paper files.
"Going somewhere, Marcus?"
Vance froze mid-pour.
He slowly spun around. Standing in the open doorway, blocking his only exit, was Master Sergeant Miller—and beside him, standing tall with its ears perked forward and teeth bared in a silent snarl, was Ranger.
May you like
Vance's hand drifted slowly toward the heavy metal wrench tucked into his belt loop. "You should have stayed out of this, old man. That dog belongs in a graveyard, not a courtroom."
Miller didn't flinch. He kept his hand resting steadily on Ranger's harness. "Ranger remembers you from the old days, Vance. And trust me, he's got unfinished business."
