Chapter 5 - The Arrival at the GateAt exactly 5:12 p.m., the security cameras in the building's private garage pinged my iPad.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, looking down at the street fifty stories below. A sleek, black luxury SUV and a battered, rusted family minivan pulled up to the private valet entrance.
Marcus stepped out of the SUV, adjusting his jacket with the smug confidence of a conqueror returning with spoils. From the minivan, his brother David, David's pale, stressed-looking wife Sarah, and their three crying, disheveled kids emerged. They looked exhausted, carrying cheap plastic trash bags and heavy, scuffed suitcases stuffed with their remaining life.
Marcus gestured grandly toward the private elevator alcove, ushering them forward like a benevolent king offering shelter to his peasants. I watched him on the high-definition monitor of my iPad.
He walked up to the biometric scanner beside the private elevator door. He casually pressed his thumb against the glass pane.
Buzz. A sharp, red light flashed.
Marcus frowned. He wiped his thumb on his trousers and pressed it again, harder this time.
Buzz. Access Denied.
He tried his passcode on the digital keypad.
Buzz. Invalid Credentials.
David, holding his youngest daughter by the hand, looked at Marcus with growing anxiety. "Marc? What's going on? I thought you said we were good to go."
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"It's just a glitch," Marcus muttered, his face starting to redden as he aggressively tapped the screen. "The system is brand new. Evelyn probably messed up the settings again."
I picked up the intercom receiver, my finger hovering over the talk button. "Having trouble with the door, Marcus?"
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