It was a voice I did not expect to hear.

It was not Ethan.

And it was not Daniel.

The voice belonged to Dr. Vance.

I held my breath and pressed my back harder against the metal shelving.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

The beam of his flashlight cut through the dark, closer this time.

“I know someone is down here,” he said.

His shoes squeaked on the damp concrete floor.

He stopped just one aisle over from where I stood.

I clutched Claire’s folder tight against my chest.

The paper crinkled slightly in my grip, and I froze.

Vance sighed, a heavy, tired sound.

A phone buzzed in his pocket.

He answered it quickly.

“Yes,” he whispered into the receiver.

“I’m in the basement now.”

“No, I haven’t found the discrepancies yet.”

“I’m looking for the 2024 files.”

There was a pause as he listened to the person on the other end.

“I understand the risk,” Vance said, his voice shaking slightly.

“If Whitmore finds out what really happened in that room, we are all ruined.”

He turned and began walking back toward the main entrance.