“Get back!”
Grant fought against their grip.
“Find the archive, Carter! Find the original ledger!”
They dragged him through the doorway.
His voice echoed down the corridor.
“And don't trust the person who gave you this job!”
The door slammed.
Carter stood alone.
The small brass key was still in his hand.
Chapter 19: A Father's Secret
Carter had spent twelve years believing his father's death was an ordinary tragedy.
His father, Samuel Carter, had worked in corrections for more than twenty years. He had been respected, disciplined, and deeply committed to his job.
One evening, he had failed to return home.
The next morning, police informed the family that his vehicle had been found near an isolated road.
The investigation concluded that he had lost control of the vehicle during heavy rain.
There had been no witnesses.
No clear evidence of another vehicle.
No reason to question the conclusion.
Carter had been twenty-seven years old.
He had attended the funeral, comforted his mother, and eventually followed his father's career path.
Now, twelve years later, a prisoner was telling him that his father had been murdered.
And the name appeared in a secret ledger beneath Blackwood.
Carter looked at the paper again.
Access point B-7.
He had to find it.
But first, he needed to get out of Cell 214.
He examined the door.
The electronic lock had been activated from the security station.
There was no manual release inside.
He moved toward the observation window.
The corridor was empty.
Then he heard footsteps.
Someone stopped outside.
A key turned.
The door opened.
Blake stood there.
“Move,” he whispered.
Carter stared at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Saving your life.”
“Where's Grant?”
Blake looked down.
“They took him.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Then we find out.”
Blake shook his head.
“You don't have time.”
He handed Carter a staff jacket.
“Put this on. You're leaving through the laundry corridor.”
Carter didn't move.
“Why are you helping me?”
Blake's expression tightened.
“Because I was there twelve years ago.”
Carter went still.
“What?”
Blake looked toward the corridor.
“My father was the officer who signed the original report on your father's death.”
Carter grabbed his arm.
“What did he tell you?”
Blake swallowed.
“He said your father hadn't lost control of his vehicle.”
“Then what happened?”
“He said someone had followed him.”
Carter's grip tightened.
“Who?”
Blake looked directly at him.
“Thomas Whitaker.”
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then the alarm sounded.
A red light flashed above the corridor.
A computerized voice announced:
“Security lockdown. All personnel remain at assigned locations.”
Blake cursed under his breath.
“They know.”
Carter slipped the brass key into his pocket.
“Then we move now.”
Chapter 20: The Last Message
They reached the laundry corridor just as the security doors began closing.
Blake used his access card.
The first door opened.
The second did not.
“Come on,” Carter whispered.
Blake tried again.
The system flashed red.
ACCESS DENIED“They've revoked my clearance.”
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Someone shouted.
“Stop! Both of you!”
Blake turned.
Three officers were approaching from the opposite end of the corridor.
Carter pulled him through a side door.
They entered a storage room filled with cleaning equipment and folded uniforms.
Blake locked the door.
“There's another way out,” he said. “Through the old maintenance tunnel.”
“Where does it lead?”
“Under the north wall.”
Carter examined the room.
“Show me.”
Blake moved a metal shelving unit aside.
A narrow access hatch was concealed behind it.
He pulled the handle.
The hatch opened with a metallic groan.
Carter climbed down first.
The tunnel smelled of damp concrete and rust.
Blake followed and closed the hatch above them.
They moved through the darkness.
After several minutes, Carter's phone vibrated.