Chapter 10: The Fire at First National Trust
For a split second, no one moved.
"The bank is on fire?" Richard repeated.
Daniel nodded, still holding his phone.
"The fire department received multiple emergency calls less than five minutes ago."
Samuel's face turned pale.
"They're destroying it."
Victoria looked sharply at him.
"You think this was intentional?"
"I don't think."
He grabbed his coat.
"I know."
Richard was already heading for the door.
"Daniel, have my car brought to the front entrance. Call the fire chief and tell him Richard Ashford is on his way."
"Yes, sir."
Within minutes, they were speeding through the rain-soaked streets in a black SUV.
Victoria sat in the back beside Samuel, the brass key to Box 317 clutched tightly in her hand.
She couldn't stop staring at it.
"If someone wanted whatever is inside that vault," she said quietly, "why wait twenty years?"
Samuel kept his eyes on the passing city lights.
"Maybe they didn't know where it was."
"And now?"
"They do."
Victoria frowned.
"How?"
Samuel looked at her with regret.
"Because I came out of hiding."
The realization hit her hard.
"They followed you."
Samuel nodded.
"I'm afraid so."
Ten minutes later, the SUV turned onto Jefferson Avenue.
The old First National Trust Bank stood at the end of the block.
Or at least, what was left of it.
Flames burst through the shattered windows of the abandoned building.
Smoke billowed into the night sky as firefighters battled the blaze from every direction.
Police officers had established barricades, keeping reporters and onlookers at a safe distance.
Richard rolled down his window.
A police captain immediately recognized him.
"Mr. Ashford."
Richard stepped out.
"What happened?"
The captain shook his head.
"No one's certain yet."
"When did the fire start?"
"About twenty minutes ago."
Samuel quietly whispered,
"Exactly when we decided to come."
Victoria heard him.
Her stomach tightened.
Someone had known.
Richard led the group through the police line after speaking briefly with the fire chief.
The chief pointed toward the rear of the building.
"The fire is mostly on the upper floors."
"What about the basement?" Samuel asked immediately.
The chief looked surprised.
"The basement hasn't been affected yet."
Samuel let out a slow breath.
"Thank God."
Victoria noticed the reaction.
"The vault is below ground."
Samuel nodded.
"If the fire doesn't reach it..."
"Then the contents might survive."
Just then, one of the firefighters ran toward the chief.
"Chief!"
"What is it?"
"We found something."
"What?"
The firefighter looked uneasy.
"A body."
Victoria froze.
The chief frowned.
"Who?"
"We don't know yet."
"They didn't die in the fire."
Everyone stared at him.
"What do you mean?" Richard asked.
The firefighter lowered his voice.
"The victim was already dead before the fire started."
A heavy silence settled over the group.
The captain immediately ordered detectives into the building.
Richard exchanged a look with Samuel.
"This wasn't arson alone."
Samuel nodded grimly.
"No."
"It was murder."
An hour later, the fire was finally under control.
Although the upper floors had suffered severe damage, the basement remained largely intact.
A structural engineer approached the chief.
"The lower vault appears stable."
Samuel stepped forward.
"We need access."
The chief looked at Richard.
"Who is this gentleman?"
Richard answered calmly.
"Someone with legitimate business in the vault."
The chief hesitated.
"The building is still an active crime scene."
Victoria reached into her purse and carefully removed the brass key.
"Please."
Her voice was steady.
"My family has something stored down there."
The chief studied her face.
Then he looked at Richard.
"If we allow this..."
Richard nodded.
"I'll accept full responsibility."
After a long pause, the chief stepped aside.
"You'll have ten minutes."
Escorted by firefighters carrying portable lights, they descended a narrow concrete staircase into the basement.
The air smelled of smoke and damp stone.
Everything was silent except for the occasional drip of water from the ceiling.
At the end of a long hallway stood an enormous steel vault door.
Its faded lettering still read:
FIRST NATIONAL TRUST
Samuel slowly walked toward it.
"I never thought I'd see this place again."
Victoria looked around.
"This place feels frozen in time."
"It is."
Richard noticed dozens of small metal doors lining the walls.
Hundreds of safety deposit boxes.
Most had been untouched for decades.
Samuel stopped in front of one.
317
Victoria's heart pounded.
She looked down at the brass key.
"It fits."
Samuel nodded.
"It always has."
Victoria inserted the key into the old lock.
For a brief moment, it refused to turn.
She took a deep breath and tried again.
Click.
The lock opened.
Richard carefully slid the small metal drawer from the wall.
It was surprisingly heavy.
Victoria lifted the lid.
Inside lay three objects.
A thick leather journal.
A sealed envelope addressed to Victoria Carter.
And an old black-and-white photograph.
Samuel picked up the photograph first.
His hands immediately began to shake.
"No..."
Victoria looked at him.
"What is it?"
He slowly turned the photograph toward her.
It showed three smiling people standing together outside a government building.
One was Victoria's father.
Another was Samuel, decades younger.
The third man wore a military uniform.
His face had been carefully scratched out with a knife.
Samuel stared at the damaged photograph in horror.
"He found it."
Victoria frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Samuel pointed to the scratched-out face.
"There used to be someone else standing beside us."
Richard looked closer.
"Who was he?"
Samuel's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The man who betrayed your father."
Before anyone could say another word...
A loud metallic slam echoed through the underground vault.
The massive steel door at the end of the hallway suddenly swung shut.
May you like
Then came the unmistakable sound of heavy locks engaging from the outside.
They weren't alone anymore.
