Chapter 30 - The Council Chamber
The staircase descended nearly forty feet before opening into an enormous circular room.
Unlike the dusty archive above, this chamber appeared untouched by time.
A massive round table occupied its center.
Twelve high-backed wooden chairs surrounded it.
Each chair bore a carved symbol rather than a name.
At the far end of the room stood another grandfather clock.
Its polished oak surface reflected the team's flashlights.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Arthur stared at it for several seconds.
"That's the clock."
Mercer looked over.
"The one from Elena's recording?"
Arthur nodded.
"I'd recognize that sound anywhere."
Collins approached the table.
Every chair contained a neatly arranged leather folder.
Inside each folder were handwritten meeting agendas, coded attendance lists, and sealed envelopes that had never been opened.
"It looks like everyone left in a hurry," Reeves observed.
Arthur disagreed.
"No."
"They left exactly as they intended."
Mercer examined the room more closely.
"There isn't a single coffee cup."
"No fingerprints."
"No personal belongings."
"It feels..."
He searched for the right word.
"...prepared."
Arthur finished the sentence.
"As though they expected investigators someday."
Collins opened one of the sealed envelopes.
Inside rested only a single sheet of paper.
It contained one sentence.
Every answer creates another question.
Nothing else.
No signature.
No date.
Meanwhile, Detective Lewis examined the grandfather clock.
"Chief."
Mercer joined him.
Lewis pointed behind the pendulum.
A tiny modern digital device had been mounted inside the antique cabinet.
"A transmitter."
The technicians carefully removed it.
One analyst connected it to a portable scanner.
After several seconds, the screen displayed a shocking result.
The transmitter was still active.
It had been sending encrypted signals only minutes before the team entered the chamber.
"They knew we were here in real time," Mercer said.
Arthur remained calm.
"No."
Mercer looked at him.
"They knew we were coming before we arrived."
The realization settled heavily across the room.
Someone had anticipated every step of their investigation.
May you like
Even discovering the hidden chamber had been part of a plan laid long before.
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