Chapter 18 - The Hidden Safe
That evening Daniel returned to Michael's office alone.
He could not stop thinking about the room measurements.
The missing space.
The reinforced walls.
The strange ledger.
He carefully examined every bookshelf.
Every cabinet.
Every picture frame.
Nothing.
Then he noticed something unusual.
One section of the wooden floor sounded different beneath his footsteps.
Hollow.
He rolled back the rug.
A faint square outline appeared in the hardwood.
A concealed floor hatch.
Using a flat pry bar from his toolbox, Daniel lifted it carefully.
Beneath sat a heavy steel safe built directly into the foundation.
No electronic keypad.
Only a mechanical combination lock.
Daniel smiled slightly.
Michael had always used predictable numbers.
Birthdays.
Anniversaries.
Football scores.
He tried several combinations.
Nothing.
Then he remembered something Lily had mentioned.
Rebecca celebrated the day Daniel left for overseas every single year.
Not Lily's birthday.
Not holidays.
That date.
He entered it.
Click.
The safe opened.
Inside were several passports.
Multiple bankbooks.
Bundles of cash.
And one sealed envelope marked in bold handwriting:
To Be Opened Only If Daniel Returns
Daniel slowly reached toward it.
Before his fingers touched the paper...
The lights throughout the house suddenly went out.
May you like
The entire building fell into darkness.
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