CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
The Missing Minutes
The security room plunged into darkness.
The soft hum of the monitors died instantly, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to swallow the underground chamber whole.
Michael froze.
The only light came from the blinking green LED on the recovery drive.
Then—
Click.
The doorknob turned.
Someone was outside.
Michael instinctively reached for the heavy flashlight hanging beside the server rack.
"Who's there?" he called.
No answer.
The door opened slowly.
A figure dressed in black stepped inside.
Their face was hidden beneath a hood.
Before Michael could react, the intruder lunged toward the computer.
"No!"
Michael grabbed the edge of the desk, trying to block the screen.
The hooded figure shoved him backward.
He stumbled into a filing cabinet, knocking folders across the floor.
The intruder yanked the encrypted hard drive from the computer and sprinted toward the exit.
Michael recovered just in time to grab the stranger's sleeve.
The fabric tore with a ripping sound.
For one brief second, he caught sight of a slender wrist wearing an expensive gold bracelet engraved with the letter E.
The intruder twisted free and disappeared into the darkness.
By the time Michael reached the hallway, the emergency lights flickered back on.
The corridor was empty.
Five minutes later, Arthur arrived at the security room with Detective Harris.
Michael was still breathing heavily.
"They took the drive."
Arthur's face hardened.
"What did you see?"
"I couldn't see the face."
He held up the torn piece of black fabric.
"But whoever it was..."
"...they were wearing this."
Detective Harris carefully examined the cloth.
"Anything else?"
Michael hesitated.
"There was a bracelet."
"What kind?"
"Gold."
"A single letter engraved on it."
Arthur looked up.
"What letter?"
"E."
The room fell silent.
Detective Harris glanced toward Arthur.
"That could belong to anyone."
Arthur didn't respond.
His thoughts had already gone elsewhere.
Upstairs, Eleanor sat alone in the estate's library.
She calmly sipped tea while reading an antique history book.
Her expression never changed as Arthur entered.
"You wanted to see me?" she asked.
Arthur closed the door behind him.
"The security room was broken into."
Eleanor slowly lowered her teacup.
"How unfortunate."
"They stole evidence."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Arthur watched her carefully.
"You don't seem surprised."
She smiled politely.
"I've lived long enough to know that criminals often return to destroy evidence."
Arthur stepped closer.
"Someone wore a bracelet engraved with the letter E."
Eleanor looked directly into his eyes.
"So?"
"My name begins with E."
"So does yours."
Arthur said nothing.
He knew his mother well enough to recognize when she was carefully choosing every word.
Meanwhile, Clara sat alone inside a small holding cell at the police station.
The gray walls felt impossibly cold.
She stared at her cuffed hands.
For three years she had called the Vance estate home.
Now...
She wasn't sure she would ever see it again.
A young female officer approached the bars.
"You have a visitor."
Clara looked up hopefully.
"Arthur?"
The officer shook her head.
"No."
An elderly woman stepped into view.
She wore a faded blue cardigan and carried a small paper bag.
Clara gasped.
"Grandma?"
Margaret Bennett smiled warmly.
"I came as soon as I heard."
Clara rushed forward and embraced her through the bars.
"I'm sorry."
"You've done nothing wrong."
"They think I stole."
Margaret gently held her granddaughter's face.
"I raised you."
"I know exactly who you are."
Clara finally broke down completely.
For the first time since her arrest, she allowed herself to cry without trying to stay strong.
Back at the mansion...
Arthur couldn't sleep.
He entered the boys' playroom.
Leo sat on the floor holding a family photo.
Toby had fallen asleep beside him.
Leo looked up.
"Did they let Clara come home?"
Arthur knelt beside his son.
"Not yet."
Leo's eyes filled with tears.
"She promised she'd read me the next chapter tonight."
Arthur wrapped an arm around him.
"I know."
Leo whispered,
"Grandma doesn't like Clara."
Arthur remained silent.
Then Leo added something that made him look up.
"I saw Grandma go downstairs after the police came."
Arthur frowned.
"When?"
"Right before the lights went out."
The next morning...
Detective Harris returned with a search warrant.
"The attempted theft of evidence changes everything."
Arthur led him into the security office.
Michael had spent the entire night rebuilding the damaged system.
"I couldn't recover the stolen drive," Michael admitted.
"But..."
Arthur looked up.
"What?"
Michael opened a diagnostic screen.
"The thief copied the file before stealing it."
Detective Harris frowned.
"So?"
"They were in a hurry."
Michael pointed toward a small line of text hidden inside the system log.
Automatic Cloud Sync: Completed Successfully
Arthur's eyes widened.
"The footage..."
Michael nodded slowly.
"...was uploaded before the drive was removed."
Hope returned to the room.
Detective Harris smiled for the first time.
"Can you download it?"
Michael's expression suddenly changed.
"I can."
"But..."
Arthur hated that word.
"What now?"
"The file is encrypted."
"Can you unlock it?"
Michael shook his head.
"No."
"Who can?"
"There was only one person who designed this security system."
Arthur recognized the name immediately.
"Ethan Brooks."
"The cybersecurity consultant?"
Michael nodded.
"He created the encryption."
"He also built the backup protocol."
Arthur grabbed his car keys.
"Call him."
Michael hesitated.
"There's one problem."
"What?"
"He retired."
"Where is he now?"
Michael sighed.
"No one knows."
Across town...
Inside a quiet lakeside cabin, a bearded man in his early forties sat repairing an old radio.
His peaceful morning was interrupted by the vibration of a secure satellite phone he hadn't touched in almost two years.
He frowned.
Only one person still had that number.
Arthur Vance.
The man stared at the ringing phone for several seconds.
Finally...
He answered.
"Arthur."
Arthur didn't waste a moment.
"I need your help."
Ethan Brooks listened silently.
"I told you I'd left that life behind."
"I know."
"This isn't about business."
"What is it about?"
Arthur looked through the window toward the empty driveway where Clara used to greet the boys every afternoon.
"It's about an innocent woman."
A long silence followed.
Then Ethan quietly asked,
"What happened?"
Arthur took a deep breath.
"Someone framed the maid who raised my sons."
"And the only proof..."
"...is locked inside a file that only you can open."
Ethan closed his eyes.
He had spent years walking away from the world of secrets.
Now...
May you like
It had come looking for him once again.
End of Chapter 3
