Chapter 32 - Deciphering the Riddle
The drive back to Savannah was fueled by intense, caffeinated adrenaline. We relayed Richard’s cryptic message to Mr. Pierce, Elena, and Mateo over a secure conference call in the car.
"Look behind the first cornerstone we ever laid," Vanessa repeated, tapping her fingers rhythmically against the dashboard. "What does that mean? The first house they built together?"
"Richard and Julian started as a commercial development firm, not residential," Mr. Pierce’s voice crackled through the car speakers. "Their very first major project in 1984 was the construction of the Vale & Vance headquarters building in the downtown financial district. It was their crown jewel."
"That building was seized by the federal government during the indictment," Mateo added, his business acumen shining through. "It has been sitting entirely abandoned and boarded up for the past fourteen months pending a federal auction."
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. "The cornerstone of the headquarters! When they dedicate large commercial buildings, they usually hollow out the cornerstone block to place a time capsule or a commemorative plaque. Richard must have used that hollow space to hide a lockbox containing his blackmail material on Julian!"
"It's the perfect hiding spot," Vanessa agreed, her eyes widening with realization. "No one would ever think to take a sledgehammer to the foundation of a high-rise office building in the middle of downtown Savannah to look for legal documents."
"The building is heavily fenced off and monitored by private security patrols hired by the city," Mr. Pierce warned us strictly. "You cannot simply walk in. If you are caught trespassing on federally seized property, Julian will use the arrest to permanently destroy your credibility in court."
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"We don't have time to file motions for a legal search warrant," I said, pushing the accelerator down harder. "Julian’s eviction hearing is tomorrow morning. If we don't have the original document in our hands by 9:00 a.m., the judge grants the lien, and we lose the house."
Mateo’s voice came through the speaker, deep, calm, and resolute. "You will not be arrested. I have a specialized security team. We are going to the building tonight. We extract the documents, and we vanish before anyone knows we were there."
