Adrian's confession
381 Words
The police escorted Tracy and Oliver into a secure interrogation room.
Behind the glass sat Adrian Lancaster.
His clothes were torn, and a bruise darkened one side of his face. Yet the moment he saw Tracy, he stood up.
"I knew you'd come," he said quietly.
Oliver frowned.
"Adrian, enough secrets. Tell us what's going on."
Adrian looked at his brother with regret.
"I can't tell you everything... not yet."
Oliver's patience snapped.
"People have died! Ethan is dead, we're being hunted, and Tracy's life is in danger. Start talking!"
Adrian lowered his eyes.
"I joined Phoenix two years ago."
The room fell silent.
Tracy stared at him.
"You... worked for them?"
"I pretended to," Adrian corrected. "I was trying to find out who was really in charge."
Oliver folded his arms.
"And did you?"
Adrian nodded.
"I discovered something that changed everything."
He turned to Tracy.
"The reason they're after you isn't because of the Lancaster fortune."
"Then why?"
Adrian reached into his pocket.
A police officer stepped forward, but Adrian slowly produced a tiny silver key.
"I hid this before they arrested me."
He placed it on the table.
"It opens a safety deposit box at Crescent National Bank."
"What's inside?" Tracy asked.
"A journal."
"Whose journal?"
Adrian took a deep breath.
"Your mother's."
Tracy froze.
"My... mother's?"
"Everything is in that journal. The truth about your birth, Project Phoenix, and why your parents spent years running from the Lancaster family."
Oliver picked up the key.
"We're going to that bank."
Adrian suddenly grabbed Oliver's wrist.
"Be careful."
Oliver met his brother's eyes.
"Why?"
Adrian's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Because Phoenix already knows about the journal."
At that exact moment, the station's fire alarm blared.
Red lights flashed across the hallway.
An officer rushed into the room.
"Everyone evacuate! There's a fire in the evidence wing!"
Marcus's voice crackled over Oliver's phone.
"Sir, this isn't an accident. The security cameras just went offline."
Oliver looked at Tracy.
"The journal is our only chance."
As they hurried out of the station, neither of them noticed a black sedan pulling away across the street.
Inside, a mysterious woman smiled as she watched them leave.
"Let them find the journal," she murmured.
"It contains exactly what I want them to see."
- Writer
