Chapter 5 - The Bank Vault
I quickly stepped back into the shadows of an adjacent alleyway.
Victoria was wearing a black designer dress, her blonde hair pulled back tightly.
She handed a thick envelope of cash to the bank manager, who quickly slipped it into his jacket.
They knew exactly where Garrett had hidden the documents.
They had bribed the local authorities, bought off the lawyer, and now they were buying the bank.
I watched through the glass as the manager led Victoria toward the heavy steel doors of the vault.
If she opened Garrett’s box, my only leverage would be gone forever.
I scanned the alleyway and noticed a large electrical box attached to the rear of the bank building.
Garrett had always complained about this small town’s outdated infrastructure.
I picked up a heavy piece of rusted iron pipe lying near a dumpster.
With both hands, I swung the pipe as hard as I could against the main electrical conduit.
Sparks showered into the air, and a loud popping sound echoed down the street.
Instantly, every single light inside the bank went completely dark.
The security alarms immediately began wailing, filling the quiet town with a deafening siren.
I dropped the pipe and casually walked around to the front entrance.
In the confusion, several customers and tellers rushed out the front doors.
I pulled my scarf over my head, kept my head down, and slipped inside against the flow of the panicked crowd.
The lobby was pitch black, illuminated only by the red flashing emergency lights.
I crept toward the rear of the building, navigating by memory.
I found the open vault door.
Inside, Victoria was screaming at the manager in the darkness, demanding he manually unlock the boxes.
I slipped quietly into the vault, my footsteps completely silenced by the thick carpet.
I felt along the metal wall until my fingers brushed against the brass plate of box number 402.
I inserted my key into the slot and turned it.
It clicked loudly, opening smoothly just as Victoria shined her phone flashlight in my direction.
“You!” she shrieked, lunging across the small space.
I grabbed the thick leather folder from inside the box.
Before she could reach me, I stepped backward and violently shoved the heavy steel vault door.
It swung shut with massive momentum, locking Victoria and the corrupt manager entirely inside the soundproof room.
I stood alone in the dark bank lobby, holding my husband's deepest secrets.
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But as I opened the folder, the first document I saw wasn't a deed or a bank statement.
It was a life insurance policy taken out on me, signed by Garrett the day before we were married.
