Chapter 65 - The Missing Volume
The discovery of Volume I transformed the investigation.
Margaret no longer believed Office 7C had been the organization's true headquarters. It was merely an operational office—a place where ideas already developed elsewhere had been implemented inside Vance Dynamics.
The real question had changed.
Where was Volume II?
Forensic specialists examined every inch of the black leather book.
Hidden beneath the inside cover, they discovered tiny impressions left by decades of pressure.
Someone had once stored another book directly beside it.
The leather fibers still carried microscopic traces of blue fabric.
A preservation expert compared the residue with archival materials.
"It's velvet."
Arthur looked surprised.
"A protective case?"
"No."
The expert shook his head.
"A library case."
Margaret immediately ordered investigators to search every executive archive, retired office, and historical storage facility for records of custom blue velvet document cases.
Hours later, an archivist produced a forgotten procurement invoice.
Twenty-one years earlier...
Three custom archival cases had been ordered.
Only one remained in the company's possession.
Two had never been accounted for.
Arthur quietly folded the invoice.
"So there were three volumes."
Margaret nodded.
"And we've only found the first."
No one in the room spoke.
Somewhere, two additional books had survived two decades without being discovered.
May you like
If they still existed, they might contain names that no one had yet uncovered.
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