The entries were dated two weeks before her death.
Samuel believes he can control the project. Victor is afraid of him. Richard Hayes is taking orders from someone outside the city.
Another entry:
I found the original recording. It shows who entered the control room before the explosion.
Ethan turned the page.
The final entry was dated October 17, 2019.
If anything happens to me, the recording must reach Daniel. I have hidden it where no one would think to look.
Sophia examined the cassette tape.
"Do you have a player?"
Ethan shook his head.
But the journal contained a clue.
A small drawing showed an old clock tower beside a river.
Underneath it were the words:
TIME NEVER FORGETS.
Ethan recognized the place.
The Blackwood Clock Tower.
It had been built over a hundred years earlier and stood near the river, just a few blocks from Riverside.
They left immediately.
But as they reached the street, a black SUV pulled up behind them.
The headlights flashed.
Sophia shouted.
"Get down!"
Gunshots shattered the car windows.
Ethan pulled her behind a concrete wall.
Three armed men stepped out of the SUV.
One shouted:
"Give us the box!"
Ethan looked at Sophia.
"Can you get to the car?"
"Not with them watching."
He examined the street.
An old delivery truck was parked near the corner.
He pointed toward it.
"On my signal."
He waited until the nearest guard turned.
Then he threw a metal object toward the opposite side of the street.
It struck the pavement with a loud bang.
The guards turned.
"Now!"
They ran.
Sophia reached the truck first and opened the passenger door.
Ethan jumped into the driver's seat.
The engine started.
He accelerated just as another shot struck the rear window.
They disappeared into the night.
At the clock tower, Ethan found a small metal panel behind the main clock mechanism.
The compartment contained a microfilm reel.
Sophia examined it.
"This could be the original evidence."
Ethan looked around.
"Can we read it?"
"Not here. We need a scanner."
They returned to the apartment building they had been using as a temporary hideout.
Sophia connected the microfilm scanner to her laptop.
The first image appeared.
It showed the Riverside control room at 10:31 p.m.
A man stood beside the emergency shutdown panel.
He was holding a small device.
The second image showed him entering a restricted laboratory.
The third showed him leaving the building minutes before the explosion.
Ethan leaned closer.
The man's face was visible.
It was Samuel Cole.
Sophia enlarged the image.
"Your uncle."
Ethan stared at the screen.
The next image showed Samuel meeting with Richard Hayes.
But the final photograph was the most disturbing.
It showed Samuel standing beside a woman.
Laura Cole.
She appeared to be unconscious.
Samuel was holding her handbag.
Ethan felt his body go cold.
Then Sophia discovered another detail.
The microfilm contained a handwritten message.
The explosion was intended to destroy the evidence. The fire was started remotely. The emergency systems were disabled by Samuel Cole.
Beneath it was a second sentence.
But the man who gave the final authorization was not Samuel.
Ethan frowned.
"Who was it?"
Sophia opened the final image.
The name appeared clearly.
THOMAS CALDWELL.
The mayor.
Before they could examine anything else, the laptop suddenly disconnected.
Sophia checked the system.
"Someone is accessing our network."
The screen turned black.
Then a message appeared.
YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES.
A countdown began.
10:00.
9:59.
9:58.
Ethan looked at Sophia.
"What is this?"
She checked the network logs.
"Someone has activated a remote deletion protocol."
"Can you stop it?"
"Maybe. But the signal is coming from inside this building."
They searched the apartment.
The source was a small device hidden behind the electrical panel.
Sophia removed it.
The countdown stopped.
But the laptop remained black.
Then a video appeared.
Samuel Cole sat inside a dark room.
Beside him was Daniel.
His face was bruised.
Samuel smiled.
"Hello again, Ethan."
He placed a gun against Daniel's head.
"You have something I want."
Ethan stepped toward the screen.
Samuel continued.
"Bring me the microfilm. Come to the Riverside facility tomorrow night."
"Let him go."
"Bring the evidence, and your father walks away."
Ethan stared at Daniel.
His father slowly raised his head.
Then he mouthed two words.
DON'T COME.
The screen went black.
Sophia turned toward Ethan.
"We can't give him the evidence."
Ethan nodded.
"No."
He picked up the microfilm.
"We're going to expose him."
But neither of them noticed the tiny red light blinking inside the wall.
Someone had been listening to every word.
And somewhere across the city, Samuel Cole was already preparing his next move.
The next evening, Blackwood City was preparing for its annual Founders' Gala.
The event was held at the Grand Meridian Hotel, where politicians, business leaders, celebrities, and wealthy investors gathered to celebrate the city's history.
Mayor Thomas Caldwell was expected to deliver the keynote speech.
Victor Hargrove would attend as the main sponsor.
And Richard Hayes had been assigned to oversee security.
It was the perfect place to expose them.
Ethan and Sophia spent the entire morning planning their operation.
They had copied the microfilm, extracted the most important images, and prepared a video presentation.
Their plan was simple.
Sophia would access the hotel's central surveillance network.
Ethan would enter the ballroom and deliver the evidence directly to the press.
If everything worked, the truth would be broadcast across the city before the authorities could intervene.
But they had one problem.
They needed someone inside the gala.
Someone who could get them past the security checkpoints.
At 3:20 p.m., Ethan received a message.
It came from Margaret Shaw.
I'M ALIVE. I KNOW WHERE YOUR FATHER IS. MEET ME AT THE OLD RIVERSIDE BRIDGE.
Ethan immediately called her.
No answer.
Sophia looked at him.
"Is it a trap?"
"Probably."
"Then why go?"
"Because she may be our only chance to save Daniel."
They drove toward the bridge.
Margaret was waiting beside the railing.
Her face was pale, and one arm was wrapped in a bandage.