Chapter 13 - THE EMPTY OFFICE
Lena entered her father's old office alone.
Dust covered the desk.
The room had been sealed after his arrest.
Nothing had been touched.
A framed photograph stood beside the window.
Richard and Lena.
She was sixteen.
He was laughing.
Lena sat in his chair.
For the first time in four years, she allowed herself to cry without hiding it.
Then she noticed something.
A small scratch beneath the desk.
She crouched.
There was a narrow compartment.
Inside was an old leather notebook.
Her father's handwriting covered the pages.
Most were shipping records.
Dates.
Names.
Containers.
Payments.
Then she found something unusual.
A page with three words circled repeatedly.
WHITMORE — NORTH HARBOR — 47
Lena frowned.
She turned the page.
Nothing.
She turned another.
Nothing.
Then she noticed the date.
It was two days before her father was arrested.
At the bottom, Richard had written:
If anything happens to me, the truth is not in the money.
Lena stared at the sentence.
Her heart began racing.
Her father had known something was wrong.
And he had left a trail.
She immediately called Victor.
“I found something.”
“How important?”
“I don't know.”
Victor's voice became serious.
“What does it say?”
Lena read the sentence.
There was a long silence.
Then Victor said:
“Don't show anyone.”
“Why?”
“Because if Richard knew he was in danger, whoever frightened him may still have a reason to hide the truth.”
Lena looked around the office.
For the first time, the restored harbor did not feel like an inheritance.
May you like
It felt like evidence.
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