Chapter 17: Locker 307

The small silver key lay quietly on Stella's bedside table. Attached to it was a handwritten note with only a few words: 'Locker 307. Central Station. The answers you seek are waiting.'

She examined the handwriting carefully.

It wasn't elegant.

It wasn't rushed either.

Whoever had written it wanted to remain anonymous.

Stella immediately called Eric.

'Don't go anywhere,' he said after hearing everything.

'I'll be there in fifteen minutes.'

Exactly fourteen minutes later, the sound of a car stopping outside echoed through the quiet street.

Eric entered the Judd residence with Mason and two security officers.

After inspecting the note and key, Mason frowned.

'No fingerprints.'

'The key is brand new.'

'Someone wiped it clean.'

Eric looked toward Stella.

'Whoever left this wants us to find something.'

'But whether it's evidence or a trap, we can't know.'

'Then let's go together,' Stella replied firmly.

Eric studied her expression for a moment before nodding.

'Together.'

Half an hour later, four black SUVs stopped outside River City's Central Station.

Although it was nearly midnight, hundreds of passengers still moved through the building.

The crowded station provided the perfect place for someone to hide.

Mason quietly instructed the security team through his earpiece.

'Cover every exit.'

'Watch for suspicious movement.'

'Nobody approaches Mr. Chilton or Miss Judd without permission.'

Locker 307 was located in the older section of the station.

The hallway was almost deserted.

Stella took a deep breath before inserting the silver key.

Click.

The locker door slowly opened.

Inside sat a plain brown envelope and a small black flash drive.

'Don't touch anything,' Mason warned.

He carefully removed both items while wearing protective gloves.

The envelope contained only one photograph.

It was another picture of Amelia Brooks.

This time, however, she wasn't alone.

Standing beside her was a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses.

His face was partially visible.

Eric immediately recognized him.

'Impossible…'

'You know him?' Stella asked.

Eric nodded slowly.

'His name is Victor Kane.'

'He used to work as the Chilton family's financial adviser.'

'Five years ago, he disappeared without notice.'

'Everyone believed he had fled overseas after stealing company money.'

Mason quickly examined the photograph.

'If Victor met Amelia shortly before she disappeared…'

'Then the missing money story may have been fabricated.'

'Exactly,' Eric replied.

Next, Mason connected the flash drive to a secure laptop brought by one of the security officers.

The screen displayed a single video file.

'Play it,' Eric ordered.

The recording began with heavy static before gradually becoming clear.

The footage appeared to have been recorded secretly inside an office.

Amelia sat across from Victor Kane.

'This information can't fall into the wrong hands,' Victor whispered.

'If the board discovers what they've done, innocent people will die.'

'I'll give everything to Eric tomorrow,' Amelia replied.

'He's the only one I trust.'

Suddenly, the office door burst open.

The camera shook violently.

Several masked men rushed inside.

The recording ended abruptly.

Silence filled the hallway.

Eric stared at the frozen screen.

'She was trying to warn me…'

His voice was barely audible.

'And I never knew.'

Stella gently placed a hand on his arm.

'This wasn't your fault.'

'You couldn't protect someone if you never knew they were in danger.'

Eric closed his eyes for a brief moment.

'Five years…'

'I've been searching for the wrong answers for five years.'

Before anyone could speak again, Mason's phone vibrated.

His expression immediately changed.

'Sir…'

'We've got movement.'

'Three suspicious individuals entered the station two minutes ago.'

'They're heading this way.'

Eric instantly became alert.

'Security formation.'

Within seconds, the bodyguards surrounded Stella.

Footsteps echoed from both ends of the hallway.

Three men wearing dark jackets slowly approached.

One of them smiled coldly.

'Mr. Chilton,' he said.

'You've found something that doesn't belong to you.'

Eric stepped forward.

'Who sent you?'

The man laughed.

'You'll find out soon enough.'

Without warning, he threw a small metal object onto the floor.

'Flash grenade!' Mason shouted.

A blinding white light exploded across the hallway.

Everyone instinctively covered their eyes.

By the time their vision returned a few seconds later…

The three men had vanished.

Only a folded piece of paper remained on the floor.

Eric picked it up carefully.

Written in bold black letters was a single sentence:

'Stop investigating Amelia Brooks…'

'Or Stella Judd will disappear next.'

The threat hung in the silent hallway.

Eric slowly folded the note and looked toward Stella.

For the first time since this mystery began…

He realized the enemy wasn't trying to frighten them anymore.

They were preparing for something far more dangerous.