Chapter 9 - The Midnight Platform
Central Station was nearly empty when Daniel arrived.
Rain struck the glass roof in steady waves, and every announcement echoed through the marble hall.
Eleanor had wanted to call the police.
Victor had warned against it.
In the end, all three came.
Daniel carried the music box beneath his coat and kept the brass W-3 key in his pocket.
They reached Platform Eleven five minutes before midnight.
No trains were scheduled there.
Only one man stood beneath the clock.
He wore a gray hat and held a violin case.
Victor stopped walking.
“That’s him.”
Daniel studied the stranger.
Arthur Vale appeared older than Samuel, but the resemblance was unmistakable. Same narrow eyes. Same sharp jaw. Same calm expression that revealed nothing.
Arthur smiled when they approached.
“Lydia’s boy.”
Daniel’s hand tightened around the music box.
“You sent the note?”
Arthur nodded.
“And the photograph?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Samuel?”
Arthur’s smile faded.
“Looking for me.”
Victor stepped forward.
“You were supposed to be dead.”
Arthur looked at him with amusement.
“You were supposed to be in prison.”
Eleanor glanced between them.
“What happened on the night of the fire?”
Arthur tapped the violin case lightly.
“Everyone asks about the fire. Nobody asks what happened the day before.”
Daniel said, “Then tell us.”
Arthur opened the violin case.
There was no instrument inside.
Instead, it contained six reel-to-reel tapes, each labeled with a number matching the hidden numbers in Daniel’s tattoo.
1. 4. 7. 9. 12. 18.
Daniel stared at them.
“The locations.”
“No,” Arthur replied. “Recording dates.”
Eleanor leaned closer.
“What was recorded?”
“Meetings. Threats. Negotiations. Confessions.”
Victor’s face hardened.
“Those tapes were destroyed.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Copies were destroyed.”
A distant train horn sounded.
Arthur removed Tape Seven and handed it to Daniel.
“This one contains your mother’s final statement before the fire.”
Daniel reached for it.
Before he could take it, Arthur pulled it back.
“Not yet.”
“What do you want?”
“The W-3 key.”
Victor immediately said, “Don’t give it to him.”
Arthur laughed.
“Victor still believes the key opens a room.”
Daniel watched him carefully.
“What does it open?”
“A safe hidden beneath the Winter Room floor.”
“And what’s inside?”
Arthur looked at Daniel’s wrist.
“Proof of who your father really was.”
The platform lights flickered.
A train appeared in the darkness, moving far too fast for an unscheduled platform.
Arthur stepped backward.
“Decide now.”
Daniel reached into his pocket.
At that exact moment, a gunshot shattered the station clock above them.
Glass rained onto the platform.
Arthur dropped behind a pillar.
Victor pulled Eleanor to the ground.
Daniel turned toward the opposite platform.
May you like
A figure stood near the tracks, holding a pistol.
It was Samuel.
