Inside was a small black notebook, a sealed envelope, and a photograph of Daniel standing beside a man Marcus had never seen before.
The man wore a military uniform.
His face was partially obscured by shadow, but a name appeared beneath the photograph.
Colonel Samuel Reed.
Sloane stared at it.
"That's impossible."
Marcus looked at him.
"Who is he?"
"Reed was an investigator assigned to a federal task force that examined corruption in municipal procurement. He disappeared shortly before Avery was murdered."
"Another missing person?"
"Yes."
Marcus opened the notebook.
The first page contained a list of dates, account numbers, and names. Some had been crossed out. Others were marked with small symbols that appeared to indicate payments or transfers.
The final entry had been written in Daniel's handwriting.
If this notebook is found, the investigation has reached the point where the truth can no longer be contained. Do not trust the department's official records. The original evidence is not stored in D-14. This room is only the beginning.
Marcus turned the page.
A single sentence had been written beneath the final entry.
Find Samuel Reed before Victor Raines does.
Elena read the words over his shoulder.
"But Reed disappeared seventeen years ago."
Marcus looked at the photograph.
"Then we find out whether he really disappeared."
He placed the notebook and photograph inside the document box.
For the first time that evening, he felt that they had made progress. The evidence was incomplete, but it offered something more valuable than another accusation.
It offered a direction.
Then Sloane found the envelope.
It was sealed with red wax and addressed to Marcus personally.
His name had been written in Daniel's handwriting.
Marcus stared at it for a long moment before breaking the seal.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Marcus,
If you are reading this, then someone has finally found the key. I hoped you would never need it, because finding it means that I failed to return home.
I need you to understand that I did not disappear because I wanted to leave you or the family. I disappeared because the people I was investigating had discovered what I knew. I believed I could protect you by keeping you away from the case.
I was wrong.
The people responsible are not simply corrupt officials. They have built their power on the belief that every person has a price and every truth can be buried. They believe that fear will eventually silence everyone.
Do not let them convince you that justice is impossible.
The notebook contains only a portion of the evidence. The rest is hidden in a place connected to the day our father died. You will understand when you remember what he told us about the old workshop.
There is one more thing you must know.
The man who helped me hide the evidence was not working for the department. He was working against it. I trusted him with my life.
His name is Samuel Reed.
Find him, Marcus. He knows what happened to me.
And if you discover that I am still alive, do not come looking for me until you understand why I had to disappear.
Your brother,
Daniel.
Marcus lowered the letter.
For a long time, he could not speak.
Elena stood beside him, tears gathering in her eyes again.
Sloane looked toward the ceiling as though he were trying to find the strength to say something.
Finally, Marcus folded the letter and placed it inside his jacket.
"My brother might be alive," he whispered.
Neither Elena nor Sloane answered.
They understood what the possibility meant.
If Daniel had survived the night he disappeared, then seventeen years of grief had been built upon a lie. Every unanswered question, every memorial service, every quiet moment when Marcus had wondered whether his brother had suffered before dying would take on a different meaning.
But the letter also contained a warning.
Do not come looking for me until you understand why I had to disappear.
Marcus read that sentence again.
Perhaps Daniel had been forced into hiding.
Perhaps he had been protecting evidence.
Or perhaps he had discovered something so dangerous that the only way to keep it safe was to make the world believe he was dead.
A distant siren rose above the sound of the rain.
Sloane moved toward the corridor.
"We need to leave. Someone will have heard the fight."
Marcus closed the toolbox.
"Take the ledger and the cassette. Elena, keep the notebook and the letter with you."
"What about the photograph?" she asked.
Marcus looked at Daniel's face.
He carefully placed it inside his wallet.
"I'm keeping that."
They left through the rear service entrance and returned to the street. The rain had stopped, leaving the pavement shining beneath the streetlights.
Marcus had barely reached the car when his phone vibrated again.
Another message from the unknown number.
This time, there was no photograph.
Only six words.
Your brother is closer than you think.