Adrian's Last Move
Chapter 10 - Adrian's Last Move
The guard outside the guest suite had not been bribed or attacked. Adrian had escaped through a maintenance passage built during the mansion's original construction. Nora knew every corridor in Halcyon House, but even she had forgotten the narrow stairway behind the linen closet.
His phone and wallet remained in the room.
On the bed, he left one note.
Evelyn, I am going to fix the one thing I can still fix.
Noah immediately contacted investigators. Security teams searched the estate and surrounding roads. Evelyn read the note three times, trying to decide whether it was a threat, an apology, or another manipulation.
Then Celeste remembered a conversation.
"Adrian said Marcus kept a second set of records at the old Harbor Hotel," she explained. "He called it insurance. The building has been closed for renovation."
The Harbor Hotel was the first property Samuel and Evelyn's mother purchased together. It stood on the edge of the river, empty except for construction equipment and a night watchman.
Evelyn insisted on going.
Noah objected. "The police are already on their way."
"If Adrian is trying to destroy evidence, I need to know. If he's trying to recover it, he may be in danger."
"You still care what happens to him."
"I care what happens to the truth."
They reached the hotel as dawn light faded behind a storm-dark sky. The front entrance was unlocked. Inside, water dripped through exposed pipes, and plastic sheets moved in the wind like pale ghosts.
They found Adrian in the old ballroom, kneeling beside an open safe. Documents and drives were spread across the floor.
He looked exhausted.
"I wasn't going to burn them," he said before anyone asked. "I came to get Marcus's original contracts. They prove he planned the fraud before he approached me."
Noah kept his distance. "Why escape?"
"Because I knew you would stop me, and because I knew Marcus would send someone."
A sound came from the balcony above them.
A man stepped from the shadows, holding a metal bar. He was one of Marcus's security contractors. His orders were clear: recover the files and make the scene look like a construction accident.
Adrian moved between the man and Evelyn.
The fight was brief and chaotic. Noah pulled Evelyn behind a column while police entered through the lobby. Adrian was struck in the shoulder before officers restrained the attacker.
As paramedics examined him, Adrian looked at Evelyn.
"I know this doesn't make us even."
"No," she said. "It doesn't."
May you like
"I did not expect it to."
For the first time that night, he spoke without demanding forgiveness.
