Chapter 14
Angelo waited until the medical team had settled into the boarding house before returning to his office.
He couldn't stop thinking about the missing photographs.
Whoever had taken them hadn't touched the money in his desk.
They hadn't taken the company documents.
They hadn't even disturbed the medical reports.
They had taken one thing.
The file containing photographs of him.
Someone wanted those photographs badly.
Angelo stood behind his desk and examined the room again.
"Let's start from the beginning," he said.
Daniel stood near the door while Marcus searched the windows and surrounding walls.
"There are no signs of forced entry," Marcus reported.
"So whoever came in had access."
"Or knew how to get through the lock."
Angelo nodded.
"Who had keys?"
"Russell."
"Who else?"
"Your housekeeper. The office staff. Possibly some of the senior mine employees."
Angelo frowned.
"That's too many possibilities."
Daniel walked over to the desk.
"Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong direction."
Angelo looked at him.
"How?"
"Maybe they didn't break in to steal the photographs."
"What else would they want?"
"To know what we know."
Angelo considered that.
The idea made sense.
The photographs showed the movements of whoever had been watching him.
They could potentially reveal the identity of the surveillance operation.
If someone took the file, perhaps they wanted to know whether Angelo had discovered their identity.
"Then why leave everything else?"
"Because everything else was useless to them."
Angelo looked toward the window.
"They're watching us."
Daniel nodded.
"Probably."
A knock sounded at the door.
Maya entered carrying a tray of coffee.
She placed it on the desk.
Angelo looked at her.
"How long have you worked here?"
She paused.
"At the boarding house?"
"And the Eagle's Beak."
Maya smiled faintly.
"A long time."
"How long?"
"Since I was seventeen."
Angelo was surprised.
"That's quite a while."
She shrugged.
"South River doesn't offer many opportunities."
Angelo picked up his coffee.
"Do you know everyone in town?"
"Almost."
"Do you know the man who arrived with the medical team?"
Maya's expression changed.
Only for a second.
But Angelo noticed.
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
She turned to leave.
"Maya."
She stopped.
Angelo looked directly at her.
"Why did you recognize him?"
She didn't answer.
"Maya?"
Finally, she turned around.
"I didn't."
"You did."
She sighed.
"Angelo, please."
It was the first time she had called him by his name.
He noticed.
"So you do know him."
Maya looked down.
"I've seen him before."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"You just said you've seen him."
"That doesn't mean I know him."
Angelo stood.
"Maya, people are dying here. Someone is following me. Someone broke into my office. I need the truth."
She looked at him with an expression he couldn't understand.
"You think I don't know that?"
Her voice was almost a whisper.
Then she walked out.
Angelo remained standing.
Something was definitely wrong.
Later that afternoon, the medical team began examining the sickbay.
Doctor Durmont accompanied them.
Angelo watched from outside as samples were collected and equipment was unpacked.
One of the specialists approached him.
"We'll need access to the mine."
"The eastern zone?"
"Especially the eastern zone."
Angelo nodded.
"You're getting it."
The man lowered his voice.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"We found traces of an unknown compound in one of the samples."
Angelo's eyes narrowed.
"Chemical?"
"We're not certain yet."
"Could it cause the symptoms?"
"We don't know."
"Then find out."
The specialist nodded.
"We'll need laboratory testing."
Angelo looked toward the mine.
"You'll have whatever you need."
That evening, Angelo returned to his office.
He opened the remaining files and began comparing the old medical reports with the mine's production records.
A pattern began to emerge.
Every major outbreak seemed to coincide with increased activity in the eastern zone.
He grabbed a pen and marked the dates.
The correlation was too strong to ignore.
Someone had known.
Someone had known for years.
Then Angelo noticed something else.
A production report from eight years earlier had been altered.
The original figures had been crossed out.
A new set had been written underneath.
Angelo stared at the handwriting.
He recognized it.
He had seen the same handwriting on several documents his mother had signed.
His stomach tightened.
His mother wasn't merely aware of the problem.
She had been involved in covering it up.
Suddenly, there was a knock.
"Come in."
Russell entered.
Angelo looked at him.
"Where were you?"
Russell hesitated.
"At the mine."
"All evening?"
"Yes."
Angelo pushed the altered report across the desk.
"Do you know anything about this?"
Russell looked at it.
His face went pale.
"Where did you find that?"
"Answer me."
Russell slowly closed the door.
"Mr. Black, there are things about your family business that you were never supposed to know."
Angelo leaned forward.
"I'm listening."
Russell looked toward the door again.
Then he spoke quietly.
"The eastern zone was never closed because of safety concerns."
Angelo's heart began beating faster.
"Why was it closed?"
Russell swallowed.
"Because we found something underground."
"What?"
Russell stared at him.
"Something that should never have been there."
Before Angelo could ask another question, the lights went out.
The entire building fell into darkness.
Then came the sound of breaking glass from somewhere downstairs.
Daniel shouted from the corridor.
"Mr. Black!"
Angelo stood.
Another sound followed.
A gunshot.
Russell froze.
Angelo looked toward the door.
Someone had come back.
And this time, they weren't looking for a file.