Chapter 55 - The Man Waiting Below
The elevator descended slowly.
Thirty seconds.
One minute.
Nearly two.
Far deeper than any quarry maintenance level should have extended.
Finally...
The doors opened.
A long underground corridor stretched before them.
Electric lights glowed softly overhead.
Not abandoned.
Not ruined.
Perfectly maintained.
Footsteps echoed somewhere ahead.
Daniel stepped forward.
At the end of the corridor stood a single wooden door.
It was already open.
Inside waited a spacious office lined with shelves of carefully organized archive boxes.
An elderly man sat quietly behind a large oak desk.
Gray suit.
Silver hair.
Calm eyes.
He did not appear surprised to see them.
Instead, he slowly closed the book he had been reading.
"I wondered how long it would take."
Daniel stared.
"You know who I am."
The man smiled gently.
"I knew your grandfather."
"I knew your father."
"And I've been expecting you for fifteen years."
Samuel discreetly reached for his recorder.
The elderly man noticed.
"You may record everything."
"I have nothing left to hide."
Daniel took one careful step closer.
"Are you Edward Langford?"
The man looked down for a moment.
Then raised his eyes again.
"My dear Daniel..."
"Edward Langford has been dead for a very long time."
He folded his hands on the desk.
May you like
"But the man everyone has been calling Edward..."
"...is sitting right in front of you."
