Chapter 11 - The Calm

Maria did not leave were her curtain was , she was lost in thoughts until sunrise.

She in a dark for hours quietly. Her back was against the wall and folding her knees. She was still unto the USB drive. She had not let it go the entire night. Not once. She was checking it now and then to make sure it was still there, she was so scared a hand will appear thought the wall and snatch it from her.

The security men had done their check. Nothing unusual, they said, There cameras were active and no one came in or went out.

But she still had the picture of her car on her screen                                    

And she knew whoever took the picture know what she drove and where it will be parked.

That was not nothing.

That was a message. A clear one.

We are watching you. We are close. And we are not scared of you.

Maria finally decided to stand up after everything. Her whole body was aching her. Her back hurt. Her neck hurt.

She was looking so weak like a lot has been happening to her and she could not keep up again.

She touched her face softly.

"We cannot give up now," she said to herself. "Not now. Not yet."

She took her bathe and went downstairs.

The was so quiet more like never before without Walton, every was just there. Peace but void of emotions.

She went into the kitchen.

One of them working in her kitchen, looked up

She said “Good morning Madam”

Maria replied “Good morning”

"Breakfast is almost ready, may I serve you?"

Maria sat down "Yes please. Anything. Whatever is there."

Bisi nodded and started working quietly. She went straight to make food without asking anything about the current situation. She just cooked. And Maria was so happy for that because she did strength to explain anything at that point.

While she was eating her phone started ringing

Harrison.

She picked it immediately. "Harrison."

"Maria." His was like the voice who did not sleep well too. “ I have a meeting with the prosecutor by nine I will love to have you there too”

"I will be there," she said.

"And Maria, listen to me." He paused. "Last night, I had an office break."

She stopped eating fast to listen attentively.

"What?"

"I came early to my office and its was looking messed up. My desk. My files. The cabinet where I had the copy of the documents."

"Did they take anything?"

"The physical copies are gone," he said. "But the digital copies are still secure. Priya had them backed up in three different places before she left yesterday. They could not get to those."

Maria exhaled slowly. "So Robert knows."

"Yes," Harrison said. "He knows what we have. And he wants I by all means."

"Then we must move very fast with all we are doing," Maria said.

"Okay. Nine o'clock. Don’t come late."

She drooped the call, pushed the food one side and stood up, she was not hungry anymore

Bisi was just looking at her without saying a word

Maria got up. And said “Thank you”.

"Are you okay madam” Bisi asked.

Maria looked at her. The woman's eyes were honest. Not curious. Just caring.

"All is well," Maria said. "Soon."

She did not believe what she just said but she had it say because that the hope she had.

She got to Harrison's office few minutes to nine.

The office looked exactly like he described. Someone tried has much as possible to make the office look like it was not disturbed but the owner knew his office every well.

"This was a very professional theft," he said she walked in the door.

"I can see that," she said, as she looking around. "Robert does not use small people. Everyone he works with is paid and trained well."

Harrison was standing beside his desk, already ready for action. The prosecutor will not be happy at all

"that is his business, we just want him to listen to us," Maria said.

Priya was already prepared with her laptop. She looked up when Maria came in. "Everything is safe. "Three secure clouds, all locked. Nobody is getting these files without a direct password from me."

"Good," Maria said. "Good girl."

They left for the prosecutor’s office.

Pierce was already seated but he did not look happy like someone who just received a call and its was not a good one.

"Mr. Harrison," he said. Then he looked at Maria. "Mrs. James."

"Thank you for having us again," Harrison said.

Pierce looked at them. "I have to come clear on this with both of you. Since our meeting yesterday, I have received some... pressure."

"From who?" Maria asked.

"I cannot say."

"From Robert Thornton," Maria said directly.

Pierce could not deny it because it was him.

"He is a man of so much influence in many places," Pierce said. "And some people in positions above me are not comfortable with how fast this case is moving."

"People who are protecting a murderer," Maria said.

"Maria—" Harrison started.

Robert Thornton killed Daniel Kesser. He framed my husband. He has been erasing people who know too much. Marcus Chen is dead. Harrison's office was broken into last night. And somebody sent a picture of my car to my phone at midnight. So I am not going to talk carefully around this. Not today."

Pierce looked at her and said “Do you know your husband office was broken into this morning”.

Maria felt the blood leave her face. "What office?"

"His main corporate office. Blackwood Towers. A small team. They went through his personal records."

"How long ago?" Harrison asked.

"Around four this morning," Pierce said. "The building security did not catch them immediately because they used fake IDs that matched names of actual employees. By the time its was confirmed they had already gone.

Robert was not after them again. He was actively cleaning. Removing anything that could be used against him. Making sure that even if the case went to court, he had already controlled what could be found.

"So he is destroying evidence," she said.

"He is trying to," Pierce said.

"Then you have to move now," Maria said. "Not next week. Now. Today. Before he destroys everything else."

Pierce looked so distressed. “Mrs. James, can please take it easy”

"Do you?" Maria said. "My husband is in an isolation centre while the man who did the murderer is walking freely and killing anyone he likes to clean up his mess, do you kinow how urgent his is?"

The room was quiet for a second.

Harrison cleared his throat.

Pierce looked Maria with a face that cannot be read and pressed a button on the desk. "Send in Detective Ola."

After some minutes Detective Ola came in a man in his late forties. A very mature man who listens before he speaks

"This is Detective Ola," Pierce said. "he Handles cases like this I have told him about the situation”.

Detective Ola sat without permission, she made Maria understand he is man that moves on his one pace without permission.

"You have the USB files?" he asked.

Maria said. “Yes”

"May I see them."

Priya opened her laptop and turned towards him.

Detective Ola looked without much gesture. His face stayed the same. Maria was looking at his eyes when he saw the video file. Something shifted in them. Just slightly.

"Play it again," he said to Priya.

Priya played the garage footage.

Detective Ola watched Marcus Chen stepped out of his car. Looked around and went inside the building. Exactly 15 minutes before Daniel’s time of death.

"And where was your husband at this time?” Ola asked Maria.

"Outside the country," she said. "I have his travel records. Boarding passes. Hotel check-in confirmation. His name is in the airline system."

Ola nodded slowly. "Someone accessed Daniel's accounts from your husband's IP address. But your husband was not in the country."

"Which means someone spoofed his IP or used a device that had been preloaded with his credentials," Maria said. "Someone who had access to his technology. Someone like a trusted legal advisor."

Ola looked at Pierce. Then back at Maria.

"Marcus Chen is dead," he said.

"I know," Maria said. "Robert killed him to close that door. But the door is already open. The emails between Robert and Marcus are on that drive. The financial records showing where the money went. Daniel's own handwritten notes connecting everything. It is all there."

Ola sat back. He was quiet for a little while.

"This is strong," he finally said.

"Strong enough?" Harrison asked.

Ola looked at him. "Strong enough to reopen the investigation with a new direction, yes. Whether it is strong enough to get Walton James out of isolation immediately, that is a different conversation."

"Why?" Maria said.

"Because the judge who signed the isolation order is not going to reverse it just because we have new evidence. We have to go through a formal process. A hearing. Documentation filed properly. And even then, there are people who will try to slow it down."

"People Robert has in his pocket," Maria said.

Ola did not say yes. But he did not say no either.

"What I can do," he said, "is open a parallel investigation into Robert Thornton directly. Quietly, without alerting his people. If we can build a solid enough case on his end, we can go to a senior court and challenge the isolation order from a higher position. It takes the pressure off Pierce and puts it somewhere Robert has less control."

Maria looked at Harrison. He gave a small nod.

"How long will that take?" Maria asked Ola.

"If you give me everything on that drive, and I start today, a week. Maybe ten days."

"Marcus Chen's sister," Maria said. "Her name is Sarah. She reached out to me. She has been watching everything from the side. She knows things, things that are not on the USB drive. She is scared, but she contacted me twice. If someone can get to her safely, she may testify."

Ola's eyes sharpened. "Sarah Chen is alive?"

"Yes. She called me from unknown numbers. She said Robert had her brother killed and made it look like suicide."

"She would be a key witness," Ola said.

"She is also terrified," Maria said. "So whoever reaches out to her needs to be careful. She is not going to come forward easily."

"I know how to handle people like that," Ola said. He stood up and looked at Pierce. "Give me authority to move on this."

Pierce was quiet for an second. Maria could see the distressed on his it was so obvious, who every called him and scared him that morning was really a good threat to his life.

"So we have it then," Pierce said . "But Ola, this has to be clean. Everything by the book. If we are going after Robert Thornton, we cannot give his lawyers any room to breathe."

"Understood," Ola said.

He looked at Maria once more. "Mrs. James. I want you to know, your husband is lucky."

Maria shook her head slowly. "He is not lucky. He just has someone who refuses to leave."

Ola almost smiled. Almost.

They left his office and headed for Harrison’s car

Both of them were quiet and no spoke to each other.

Then Harrison said, "I liked the way you handled it."

"I just said what needed to be said," Maria replied.

"Pierce was on the fence when we walked in. You pushed him to the right side."

"Did I?" She was looking outside the widow. "Because I really did nothing"

"Sometimes that the best thing you can do," Harrison said.

Maria did not say a word to that. She was thinking about Walton. About what he was going through in that isolation cell right now. About whether anyone had told him that Robert had broken into his office. About whether he was eating. About whether he was sleeping.

She had a visiting request she had submitted through Harrison two days ago. It was still pending.

"Can you check on my visiting request?" she said.

"I already did this morning," Harrison said. "Still under review."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

"that means someone that is working for him is holding it on purpose."

"Robert."

"Most likely. Or one of his people inside the system."

Maria said. "So he cannot see me. He has no idea what is happening outside."

"No."

"And I have no way of telling him we are close."

"Not today," Harrison said. "But let’s say weekend, If Detective ola moves fast we should be able to shake the system at the isolation Center."

Maria opened her eyes. "I need to send him something. Even a note. Something that tells him we have not stopped."

Harrison said. Then he said, "there was Chaplain who visit the isolation center. He is not restricted the way visitors are."

Maria looked at him. "is he someone we can trust with this?"

"He married my sister," Harrison said. "Yes. I trust him."

"Can he take a message?"

"I will give a phone call later today."

Maria was satisfied a little and looked outside the window again.

The city was moving passing them, everyone was living their normal activities, having conversations, living their normal lives. And somewhere in that city her husband sat without, not being attended to, only God knows how is coping.

She just wanted him to know he is not alone

She wanted him to know just a little longer

She was  back at the mansion, she had  never been in his study room but which to try it for the first time.

It was neat inside. A very nice dark wooden table and a lamp and single framed Photograph nothing else.

Maria looked at  the photograph.

It was an older man. Strong-looking. Standing in front of the earlier version of Blackwoods tower.

She just knew that will be Walton’s father.

She then sat down on the chair behind the desk still holding the frame.

"Your son is a strong man," she said. "But a solid man too. I believe that now."

She put the picture down.

On desk, she noticed a paper under the lamp, she did not want to touch it but she did

She unfolded it.

Its was a letter from his father before he was killed, telling him to fight for what it his.

Maria read it twice.

There she sat with looking at his father picture and make a promise she did not say out loud before that she is not leaving

Not when it was over. Not when he was out. Not when the contract expired.

She was not going to leave.

She was so pained but she will stay no matter what and she will make sure he is out, safe and justice is served.

But she knew herself.

And she knew that what she felt was not performance.

It was not the contract.

It was not pity.

It could be something else

And was already tired of pretending and living in  shadows.

That evening,

She got a call from Harrison so she picked it.

"He got the message," Harrison said.

Maria straightened up. "The chaplain went?"

"An hour ago. He said Walton was quiet when he read it. But he asked the chaplain to carry something back."

"What?"

"He said to tell you," Harrison paused like he was reading something, "'Don't stop. Not now. I am still here.'"

Maria just kept calm in her mind

"Okay," she said. "Okay. Thank you."

She ended the call.

She sat there for a moment.

Then she said up on the table and started writing all her connections, leads, contacts and every name she had come across from the previous week still date.

Robert Thornton had money. He had connections. He had people on the inside.

But Maria had some he never had, and will never have.

She had nothing to lose.

And anybody with no0thing to lose can be very dangerous.

She was writing until her hands were aching.

Then she kept writing.

"The office was cleared," the man said. "Harrison's copies are gone."

"Not all of them," the seated man said.

The other man said nothing.

"She has backup files," the seated man continued. "She has a detective now. And she has Elena Kesser on her side." He was quiet for a while. Then he said, "She is smarter than I thought"

"So what the next plan?"

The man at the stand got up and walked towards his window

"We stop being careful," he said. "It is time to end this directly."

He picked up his phone.

"Find out everything about Maria Collins. Where she came from. What she is afraid of. Who she loves."

He paused.

"Everyone have something to lose," he said. "Find hers."

That night, Maria finally slept.

Not long. Not peacefully.

But she slept.

One more day.

She told herself that every morning now.

One more day.

Because that was all you needed. You did not need to win everything at once. You just needed to survive today, and tomorrow you survived tomorrow.

One more day.

And she would keep doing that until her husband walked back through that door.