Chapter 62 - The Man on the Screen
No one moved for several seconds.
Daniel Hale stood clearly visible in the surveillance image from Storage Locker E-17. Time had changed him, but not enough to erase the face Harold remembered.
The same deep-set eyes.
The same habit of tilting his head slightly when studying a lock.
The same calm expression that had once reassured volunteers during fires, floods, and collapses.
Samuel gripped the edge of the table.
“That recording is current?”
Marcus nodded.
“Twenty-three minutes old.”
“Could it be manipulated?”
“The system stores duplicate footage on separate servers. Both copies match.”
Michael stared at the screen.
“He looked directly at the camera.”
Elena enlarged the final frame.
Daniel had paused before leaving the corridor. Instead of hiding his face, he had raised one hand toward the lens.
Three fingers remained extended.
The others folded against his palm.
Catherine immediately understood.
“The third rendezvous signal.”
Harold’s eyes remained fixed on Daniel’s face.
“We haven’t used that signal in thirty-one years.”
“What does it mean?” Elena asked.
Harold answered quietly.
“Do not follow directly.”
Marcus folded his arms.
“That sounds convenient.”
“It was used when someone believed a route was compromised.”
Elena studied the image again.
“So Daniel knew we would see this.”
“He wanted us to.”
“Then why warn us not to follow?”
Harold finally turned away from the monitor.
“Because someone else was watching the locker before he arrived.”
The security team reviewed footage from the surrounding corridors. At first, nothing unusual appeared.
Then a technician noticed a reflection in the polished elevator door.
A second figure stood near the emergency staircase.
Dark suit.
Gloved hands.
Three interlocking circles pinned discreetly beneath the collar.
Daniel had not entered the facility alone.
May you like
He had entered while being hunted.
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