The Memory Touch

Chapter 12 : Another Locker

The lead on Northbridge Transport had gone cold.

Ethan sat at his desk in the Forensic Division, staring at the notes in front of him.

A transportation company that had been dissolved years ago.

An abandoned warehouse.

And nothing else.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead.

There was nowhere else to go with that lead.

Not for now, anyway.

Ethan closed his notebook and sat quietly for a moment.

Then another name came to mind.

Claire Morgan.

If Claire's disappearance was connected to what he was uncovering now, then her case might be where all of this had started.

Something occurred to him.

He looked across the room at Tom.

"Tom."

"Yeah?"

Tom looked up from his paperwork.

"How long have you been with the Boston Police Department's Forensic Division?"

"About eight years."

Tom glanced at him.

"Why?"

"I've been looking into an old case from 2009."

Ethan paused.

"Claire Morgan."

Tom's expression changed slightly.

"I remember that case."

"You worked on it?"

"I did."

Tom set the file in his hands aside.

"It was the first case I worked on after joining the department."

Ethan looked at him.

"Can you tell me about it?"

Tom thought for a moment.

"It was a pretty big deal back then. Someone just disappeared without a trace."

"We searched all over Boston, but we couldn't find her. Not even a useful lead."

"I remember the chief was furious."

Ethan said nothing.

Tom continued.

"The strange part was that we had clear footage of her walking into the clinic. But when we went through all the footage we had, there was nothing showing her leaving."

"What about the people inside the clinic? Someone must have seen her."

Ethan asked.

"That's what made it so strange."

Tom shook his head.

"People were coming and going, but nobody remembered seeing her leave."

"What about the staff?"

"We questioned the security guard and the staff."

Tom paused.

"Nobody saw her leave."

He thought for a moment before adding,

"Of course, surveillance wasn't as comprehensive back then as it is now. We could only check the footage that had been preserved."

Ethan nodded.

That matched what he already knew.

Claire had entered the clinic.

But there was no reliable record showing her leaving.

"I went to the clinic recently," Ethan said. "It's abandoned now."

"No. They moved."

"When?"

"I don't remember exactly."

Tom thought for a moment.

"There should be a record of it somewhere in the old files."

"Okay."

Ethan didn't ask anything else.

Tom looked at him.

"Why are you so interested in this case?"

Ethan hesitated for a second before giving him an excuse.

"I was thinking about using it for my graduate thesis."

"Oh. I see."

Tom nodded and didn't press him any further.

He glanced at the time and picked up his jacket.

"Time to call it a day."

Ethan nodded.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you."

They left the station together.

At the end of the hallway, they said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Ethan stood there for a moment, watching Tom disappear around the corner.

Then he turned and left.

That night, Ethan lay in bed, but sleep wouldn't come.

He closed his eyes, yet the same pieces kept running through his mind.

Claire Morgan.

Riverside Private Clinic.

Professor Whitmore.

Locker 217.

Northbridge Transport.

And the "company" Michael and James had mentioned.

How were they all connected?

Ethan turned onto his side.

If Claire really hadn't left the clinic that night, what had happened to her afterward?

What exactly was the relationship between Whitmore and Claire?

And why had he kept Locker 217 for her?

Then there was the van.

What exactly had Michael and James meant by "cargo"?

Ethan opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

He knew he had several pieces of the puzzle now.

But there was still one missing link that could connect them all.

Ethan let out a long breath.

He would think about it tomorrow.

He closed his eyes.

Eventually, exhaustion pulled him into sleep.

The vibration of his phone woke him the next morning.

Ethan reached for it.

There was a message waiting for him.

It was from South Station.

Regarding Locker 217, we have organized the records you requested. Please contact us as soon as possible.

Ethan was instantly awake.

He called back.

The phone was answered quickly.

"Hi. This is Ethan Cole. I called yesterday about Locker 217."

"Hi, Ethan."

It was the same employee who had helped him the day before.

"We've gone through the records related to Locker 217 and organized everything we could find."

The employee paused.

"There's something else."

Ethan sat up.

"What?"

"We found out that Mr. Whitmore actually rented another locker."

Ethan frowned.

"Another locker?"

"Yes."

The employee hesitated.

"Would you like to come down and take a look?"

"Sure."

Ethan didn't hesitate.

"I'll be there now."

He ended the call and immediately got out of bed.

Another locker……