"What instructions?"
"If his son ever requested access, we were to provide the contents without delay."
He led them downstairs.
A security door opened.
Beyond it was a long corridor lined with metal boxes.
The manager stopped at number 417.
He inserted two keys.
The safe opened.
Inside was a small notebook, a USB drive, and a sealed envelope.
Ethan picked up the notebook.
It contained handwritten entries from Daniel.
The first page was dated October 18, 2019.
The fire was not an accident. Jonathan has the original recording. Michael Bennett is helping us. Samuel has betrayed the family.
Ethan turned the page.
Victor believes he controls the project. He does not. The money comes from a larger organization. They are using the city as a testing ground.
Another page contained a list of names.
Several were politicians.
Others were police officers.
At the bottom was a name that made Sophia freeze.
MICHAEL BENNETT.
Beside it was a handwritten note.
Michael knows where the original master recording is hidden.
Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
"My father knew everything."
Ethan nodded.
Then he opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter addressed to him.
My dearest Ethan,
There are things I never told you because I wanted you to grow up believing that our family was ordinary.
Your mother did not die from illness, as I told you.
Ethan stopped.
He read the sentence again.
His mother, Laura Cole, had died when he was fourteen.
The official explanation had been a sudden medical complication.
Daniel had always refused to discuss the details.
Ethan continued reading.
She discovered that Samuel was financing Nightfall. She threatened to expose him. Three days later, she was found unconscious in our home. The police called it an accident. I knew it was murder.
Ethan's hands began to shake.
I wanted to tell you. But Samuel warned me that if I spoke, you would suffer the same fate.
He could barely breathe.
I am sorry, son. I have failed to protect the people I love.
The letter ended with one sentence.
The truth about your mother is hidden in the place where she took her last photograph.
Ethan lowered the paper.
Sophia placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Where was that?"
Ethan thought for a moment.
Then he remembered.
Their old family house.
Before it was sold, his mother had kept a small photo studio in the attic.
He had not visited it in years.
The bank manager suddenly cleared his throat.
"There's one more item."
He handed Ethan a small audio recorder.
"Your father requested that you listen to this only after reading the letter."
Ethan pressed play.
Daniel's voice filled the room.
"Ethan, if you're hearing this, then Samuel has probably returned."
A pause.
"Your uncle was never the harmless man you remember. He was intelligent, charming, and ambitious. But he believed the world belonged to those powerful enough to control it."
The recording continued.
"Samuel didn't simply finance Nightfall. He designed the entire operation. He recruited Victor, manipulated Hayes, and used the mayor to protect the project."
Ethan clenched his jaw.
"There's something else you must know."
Daniel's voice became quieter.
"Samuel was the one who arranged your mother's death."
Sophia looked at Ethan.
His face had gone completely pale.
The recording ended.
Suddenly, the bank's emergency alarm sounded.
The manager rushed toward the door.
"What is happening?"
A security guard appeared at the end of the corridor.
"Everyone remain where you are!"
Ethan grabbed the notebook and USB drive.
Sophia looked toward the security cameras.
"Someone has locked down the building."
The lights flickered.
Then every screen in the corridor turned on simultaneously.
A familiar face appeared.
Samuel Cole.
Ethan's uncle smiled.
"Hello, nephew."
Ethan stared at the screen.
Samuel continued.
"I see you've found your father's little collection."
He leaned closer.
"Now, Ethan, I want you to listen carefully. Your father has made many mistakes. Don't make the same ones."
Ethan shouted at the screen.
"Where is he?"
Samuel smiled.
"He's safe. For now."
"Let him go!"
"Bring me the notebook, and perhaps we can discuss that."
Ethan looked down at the documents.
Then Samuel said something unexpected.
"By the way, I have something that belongs to you."
A new image appeared.
It showed Laura Cole.
His mother.
Standing beside a young Samuel.
Both were smiling.
And on the back of the photograph was a date.
One day before her death.
Ethan had spent most of his life believing that his uncle Samuel was dead.
He remembered him as a funny man who brought gifts during holidays and told stories about traveling across the country.
Samuel had taught him how to ride a bicycle.
He had attended Ethan's tenth birthday party.
And now Ethan knew that the same man had arranged his mother's murder.
The discovery left him feeling strangely empty.
Not angry.
Not even surprised.
Just empty.
At midnight, Ethan and Sophia reached the old Cole family house.
The property had been abandoned for years.
Its windows were covered with wooden boards, the garden had become overgrown, and the front door was damaged.
Ethan used the metal key from the bank to open the side entrance.
Inside, everything smelled of dust.
The furniture remained where it had been left.
His mother's favorite painting still hung above the fireplace.
He walked slowly toward the stairs.
Sophia followed.
"You okay?"
"No."
He stopped at the photograph of his parents.
"But I'm going to be."
They entered the attic.
The old photo studio was still there.
A wooden desk stood beside a broken camera.
Ethan searched the drawers.
Nothing.
He checked the cabinets.
Nothing.
Then Sophia noticed something unusual.
A small mark beneath the floorboards.
"Look."
They removed the carpet.
A hidden compartment was concealed beneath the wood.
Inside was a metal box.
Ethan opened it.
There were photographs, a cassette tape, and a handwritten journal.
The first photograph showed Laura Cole standing beside Jonathan Reed.
The second showed her speaking to Michael Bennett.
The third showed her entering the mayor's private residence.
Ethan opened the journal.