Chapter 7 - THE GHOST OF PIER 42
Arthur looked exactly as I remembered him, only older, his face weathered and heavily scarred from a life on the run. “Arthur,” I breathed, the shock freezing me in place. “Hello, Eleanor,” Arthur said, his voice raspy. He aimed the rifle down at us. “Marcus thought he was the one pulling my strings. He thought keeping me in Geneva made him the master. He forgot who taught him how to steal.” The massive man on the floor leveled his rifle at Derek. Derek dropped the flashlight. It clattered loudly on the concrete. “Let my son go,” Derek pleaded. “I didn’t take the boy to get the four million from Marcus,” Arthur said, slowly descending the metal stairs. “I took him to get you here, Eleanor.” He reached the ground floor and walked toward me. “Marcus ruined my life,” Arthur spat. “He framed me for the embezzlement, forced me to fake my death, and stole the empire we built. But you... you let everyone believe I was a monster. You never defended me.” “Because all the evidence pointed to you!” I said, standing my ground. “You vanished! What was I supposed to think?” Arthur stopped a few feet away. He pulled a small, brass key from his pocket and threw it at my feet. “That’s the key to a safety deposit box in Zurich,” Arthur said. “Inside is every piece of evidence proving Marcus was the mastermind fifteen years ago. Bank records, forged signatures, emails. Everything.” I looked down at the key, then up at him. “If you had this, why didn't you use it?” “Because Marcus had a dead man’s switch on my family,” Arthur said, his voice cracking with sudden emotion. “He threatened to kill my daughter if I ever surfaced. I had to wait until she was safe. She finally defected to London last week. I’m free.” The massive guard behind Leo checked his watch. “Boss, cops are three minutes out.” “I’m not going back to prison, Eleanor,” Arthur said. “I’m taking the van. I leave the boy. You take the evidence and destroy Marcus in court.” Arthur turned to leave. But as he turned, the heavy metal doors of the warehouse slammed open. It wasn’t the police. It was three men in dark suits, armed with silenced pistols. Marcus’s cleanup crew. They had bypassed the police response. The lead man didn't hesitate. He raised his gun and fired at Arthur. Arthur gasped, taking a bullet to the shoulder. He collapsed behind a stack of crates. The massive guard returned fire, the loud cracks of his rifle echoing through the cavernous space. “Leo!” Derek screamed. Derek sprinted across the open floor, dodging bullets, and dove behind the crate where Leo was cowering. He wrapped his body around his son. I was trapped near the door, pinned behind a rusted forklift. The cleanup crew advanced, moving with military precision. They were going to kill everyone to protect Marcus's secrets. I looked around desperately. My eyes landed on the warehouse’s main breaker box on the wall near me. I grabbed a heavy wrench from the floor, swung it with all my strength, and smashed it into the electrical panel. Sparks showered the air, and the entire warehouse plunged into pitch-black darkness.
