The sound of heavy leather boots on stone steps vibrated through the quiet vault. Lily froze, her hands gripping the yellowed paper that proved she was the true heir to the Sterling estate.
She backed into the shadow of the metallic deposit boxes, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. If Victoria’s men had tracked her here, she would never make it out of the vault alive with the documents.
“Who’s there?” Lily called out, her voice echoing off the damp brick walls. “Stay back!”
A tall figure emerged from the stairwell shadows, pulling down the collar of a heavy dark coat soaked from the rain. As the dim overhead light bulb swayed, illuminating the stranger’s face, Lily’s heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t one of Victoria’s mercenaries.
It was Marcus, the local town sheriff’s young deputy—and her late father’s closest confidant.
“Lily, lower your voice,” Marcus whispered urgently, stepping closer while looking nervously back up the stairs. “I saw Julian’s car parked down the block. Victoria knows you came to the vault.”
Lily hesitated, holding the papers firmly against her coat. “How do I know I can trust you, Marcus? You work for the town—the town Victoria pays off!”
Marcus pulled an old silver pocket watch from his coat—a watch that belonged to Lily’s father. “Your father gave me this the night he vanished. He told me that if you ever found key #42, I had to ensure you reached the state court in the city safely. Victoria isn’t just trying to hide the money, Lily… she’s trying to destroy the town’s land registry tonight.”
Before Lily could answer, the heavy iron vault door at the top of the stairs slammed shut with a deafening metallic bang. The lights flickered once… and went completely black.
(To be continued in Episode 5…)
