Chapter 39 The Hunt Begins
The address was in the old industrial area of the city. There were streets that smelled of rust and decay concrete warehouses and broken windows.
There was a damp chill in the air. It had an acrid taste and tasted like metallic dust.
The buildings loose siding rattled with each wind gust. There was a mist of my breath. With a slight tremble I grasped my phone.
My heart pounded my ribs. This was a big risk. I couldn't go back now though.
The earpiece carried Carson's voice. “Annabel please speak with me. Are you certain about this?” he inquired.
“I'm sure.” I said steadily. “This is the only option.”
Across the line he sighed. “I don't like this. Not in the slightest. Everything about this feels wrong.”
“I know.”I replied. “Keep your phone on the line.”
I rounded a corner. The building was ancient and the brick walls had faded graffiti. A broken and rusted chain-link fence drooped in front of it.
A single flickering lightbulb was suspended above a door made of rusted metal. The low buzzing sound that it made was menacing. From the mailing record that was the address. I opened the door.
It made a loud startling noise in the silence as it creaked. I went through the door. The musty stale air was present. A distinct kind of cold—one that was bone-chilling—was present.
The floor was covered with tangled wire piles. Like bones broken machine parts were lying around. White sheets like ghosts covered the ancient machinery.
A dripping noise from somewhere in the dark was the only sound to break the heavy silence. As the outside light flickered shadows stretched and danced.
“What do you see?” inquired Carson.
“Just a bunch of nonsense. A former warehouse.” I muttered.
I moved closer, my footsteps resonating. The concrete walls reflected the sound. The location seemed vast.
I noticed a tiny office with a light on in the rear. A solitary rectangle of light that is pale yellow. I held my breath, I wasn't expecting anything but I hoped I got a lead and stop going round in circles.
“I'm heading to the office.”I said, my heart beat faster.
“Annabel, be careful. Leave if something seems strange. Immediately. Do not hesitate. Don't wait for me.” he said.
I said “I will.”
I arrived at the office door. The door was open. Slowly, I pushed it open. The space was tiny and covered in dust.
A file cabinet a desk and a couple of chairs. A thin coating of gray dust covered everything. A laptop is also on the desk.
It's screen glowed in the dark room a faint light. It was next to a coffee cup that was half empty. I had everything I needed. It remained in place. Looking at the screen I took a seat.
The files were accessible. Schematics. Network diagrams and intricate schematics. System blueprints for security. They resembled a labyrinth, a really intricate one. And names. So many names.
Even though they were only codes there were so many of them that it was overwhelming. An entire network, a network of players with connections.
My voice was low and a little out of breath as I said “Carson I think I found something.”
“What is it? What's on the screen?”
“It is a network. An entire system of…Security strategies. It's probably Laura Price's network. This is so much larger than we anticipated.” I clarified.
“Is there anything you can download?” he inquired. “Get everything. Do whatever you can. I need to see it. I can give it a shot.”
My fingertips swept across the keyboard. I discovered an Operations folder. There were encrypted messages within. Lots of them. There are too many to read. I began moving the information to a portable flash drive.
“Is Claire there? Is there any indication of her?” he inquired.
“No but hold on.” I replied.
I came across a folder.I clicked on it. It was empty. But there is a single text file underneath it. I opened it.
I am aware of your presence.
I felt my blood freezing. The words appeared to leap from the screen.
“Carson.” I uttered. My voice sounded choked.
His tone had become alarming. “Annabel? What's wrong? What did you find?” he asked.
“She was aware of my approach.” I said my heart hammered my ribs. “The document. It's a message. It was left for me by her.”
The screen abruptly displayed a message. A call was coming in. A footage. Claire Bishop was the sender.
Perplexed I glanced around the empty room. She wasn't here. I made the accept click. The screen became animated. It was a real-time feed of the warehouse. A camera. She was using a covert camera to watch me.
But it wasn't Claire who was on the screen. A different woman. Her face was expressionless and icy. She had dead eyes.
The woman said “Annabel.”
The tone of her voice was flat. “She's not here “
My mind was spinning as I gazed at the screen. I questioned “Who are you?”
“Not important. We only work as the cleanup team. Annabel you're a bit late for the party.”
I inquired “How about Laura Price?”
I felt sick to my stomach.
“Let's just say that the people you trust the most are the ones who betray you the most dangerously.”
Then the screen turned black.
The call was cut off. The ensuing silence was deafening. My knuckles turned white as I held onto the desks edge.
I sat still, staring at the blank screen now. I tried putting one and two together but nothing was making sense. Someone must have been leaking information that should have been leaked.
My voice cracking I said “Carson are you still there?”
“I'm here. What did she say?”
I opened my mouth to explain everything but I could only feel hot air in my stomach.
I simply gazed at the blank screen while mentally reliving the words. But I said nothing, what is all this about?
“What’s happened? Talk to me Annabel!”