Chapter 7 - A WARNING WRITTEN IN GLASS|
Maya did not tell James what she suspected until she had checked the footage three times.
The label on the toolbox was genuine. Halloran Whitmore used the same white tags on its facilities equipment, and the serial number belonged to a unit listed as missing from a storage building outside Chicago.
That did not prove who had carried it into the estate.
It did prove that the connection between the two organizations was more direct than she had believed.
James listened without interrupting.
"Could the equipment have been stolen?"
"Yes."
"Could someone have reused the toolbox?"
"Also yes."
"So we need the person, not just the object."
"Exactly."
James turned to Cross.
"Check the visitor credentials, maintenance requests, and every access point near that cabinet. No shortcuts."
Cross left.
Maya returned to the financial files.
At 9:40 p.m., a guard knocked on her office door.
"Miss Reeves, Mr. Kang would like you to come to the west gallery."
She followed him down the corridor.
The gallery lights were dim, and the tall windows reflected the estate's interior. James stood beside a glass display case containing antique watches.
"What's wrong?" Maya asked.
He pointed toward the far wall.
A narrow crack ran through one of the display panels. Beneath it, someone had scratched a message into the protective film.
STOP DIGGING.
Maya felt a chill.
"Did anyone touch the case?"
"No," James replied. "The damage was discovered during the evening inspection."
"Then the message was written from inside the room."
"Or the panel was removed and replaced."
Maya studied the marks.
The letters were uneven, but the final word had been pressed deeply enough to leave grooves in the glass beneath the film.
"This wasn't written by someone trying to be subtle."
"It's a threat."
"It's also a distraction. Whoever did this wants us focused on the gallery."
James looked at her.
"What makes you say that?"
"The message is visible from the doorway. It's designed to be found. If the goal were simply to frighten us, a note in my room would have been easier."
She walked to the display case.
"Have you checked the other exhibits?"
"Not yet."
"Then start there."
Cross returned with two guards and began examining the gallery. Within ten minutes, they found a small access panel behind a decorative column. The panel had been opened recently.
Inside was a network cable connected to a device not listed on the estate's equipment inventory.
James's expression darkened.
"Another listening device?"
"Possibly," Maya said. "But this one could also be transmitting data."
Cross disconnected the device under the supervision of a technical specialist.
The specialist examined it and looked troubled.
"This is a network bridge. It could have been used to copy traffic from the estate's internal system."
"How long has it been here?" James asked.
"Hard to say. The installation is clean. It may have been active for weeks."
Maya thought of the intercepted letter, the forged approval, and the missing maintenance equipment.
Someone had been collecting information.
Not merely watching James.
Preparing.
"What information could they have accessed?" she asked.
"Schedules, internal communications, possibly financial files if the network wasn't properly segmented."
James turned to Cross.
"Assume the system is compromised. Isolate the affected network and preserve the logs."
The specialist nodded.
As the technicians worked, James moved closer to Maya.
"Are you frightened?"
She considered lying.
"Yes."
"Good."
She looked at him sharply.
"Good?"
"Fear means you understand the risk. Pretending you aren't frightened won't make you safer."
Maya looked back at the damaged display.
"Then I hope you're frightened, too."
James gave a short, humorless laugh.
"I am."
For the first time, he sounded less like a man accustomed to command and more like someone confronting a danger he could not simply intimidate into disappearing.
A guard hurried into the gallery.
"Mr. Kang, we've found something in the staff parking area."
He handed James a clear evidence bag.
Inside was a broken keycard.
Maya recognized the logo immediately.
May you like
It belonged to Halloran Whitmore.
On the back, someone had written her name.
