Chapter 28 - The Cabinet That Should Have Been Empty
While forensic officers searched the storage unit, Ethan slowly approached the old filing cabinet.
It was locked.
Detective Harris tried the brass key.
It didn't fit.
The locksmith accompanying the team quickly opened it without causing damage.
Inside were dozens of folders.
Every one neatly labeled.
Not with names.
With dates.
The earliest file was twelve years old.
The newest...
Only three weeks old.
Detective Collins opened the most recent folder first.
His expression changed instantly.
"Harris..."
"You need to see this."
Inside were photographs.
Hundreds of them.
Ethan.
Walking to the hospital.
Buying groceries.
Waiting at bus stops.
Leaving physical therapy.
Helping Maya into a taxi.
The timestamps covered nearly five years.
Someone had documented almost every movement of Ethan's life.
The mother from the bus would have been horrified to know that while strangers judged Ethan for a few minutes...
Someone else had been watching him for years.
Dr. Lewis quietly whispered,
"This isn't random surveillance."
"It's obsession."
Another folder contained photographs of Maya.
Hospital entrances.
Playgrounds.
School events.
Birthday parties.
Even images taken through hospital windows.
Detective Harris carefully closed the file.
"This investigation just became far more serious."
The forensic officer opened another folder.
Medical reports.
Copies of spinal scans.
Blood tests.
Surgical diagrams.
Confidential hospital records.
"How did they get these?" Dr. Lewis asked.
"No outsider should have access."
Collins looked toward the orthopedic specialist.
"Unless someone inside the hospital was helping them."
Before anyone answered, one of the technicians called from the back wall.
"Detective!"
"I found something."
The filing cabinet wasn't against solid concrete.
It had been hiding a narrow steel door.
No handle.
May you like
Only a small circular keyhole.
The brass key in Harris's hand suddenly seemed much more important than anyone had realized.
