Chapter 15 - The Secret Behind the Bricks
Evelyn and Julian stood in the damp, dimly lit wine cellar of Blackthorn Manor.
With a heavy crowbar, Julian pried the specific brick loose from the stone wall. A cloud of ancient dust puffed into the air. Behind it was a small, biometric safe.
"It requires a fingerprint," Julian sighed in frustration. "We can't open it."
Evelyn stared at the digital pad. "Adrian is a narcissist, but he’s also deeply predictable. He always had a fail-safe manual override for everything."
She pulled a bobby pin from her hair and handed it to Julian. "Pop the digital scanner off the front."
Julian raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. Beneath the digital pad was an old-fashioned keyhole.
Evelyn reached to her neck. She unclasped the silver chain she always wore—the one that had once held the audio recorder. At the very end of the chain, hidden beneath her shirt, was a tiny, intricate silver key.
"I found this in his suit jacket the night before he was arrested. I didn't know what it opened, but I knew he was frantic looking for it."
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She slid the key into the lock. It turned with a satisfying click.
Inside the safe rested a thick, leather-bound book. The Black Ledger.
