Chapter 7 - The Escape Plan
We formulated a reckless, dangerous plan while sitting in the booth of the diner.
Marcus explained that Daniel kept a heavy biometric safe hidden behind a bookshelf in his home office.
"He uses it to store the cash payments and the digital ledger," Marcus said.
"But his fingerprint scanner is outdated, it relies on thermal heat and optical imaging."
I looked at him, completely confused about how we could bypass that kind of security.
"I still have a keycard to the hospital morgue, Clara."
"We can use forensic lifting tape and a specialized gelatin pad to copy his fingerprint from the hospital waiting room."
I agreed to the insane idea because I had absolutely no other choice.
We drove back to the hospital, parking far away from the main entrance to avoid Daniel's men.
Marcus used his paramedic uniform to walk right past the security desk without being questioned.
I waited in the dark alley behind the cafeteria, nervously checking my phone every five seconds.
Twenty agonizing minutes later, Marcus emerged from the side door holding a small, clear plastic case.
He had lifted a perfect thumbprint from a coffee cup Daniel had discarded in the waiting room trash can.
"Did you see Emily?" I asked frantically.
"She is heavily guarded, but she is safe for now because they are in a public building," he assured me.
We drove back to Daniel's neighborhood under the cover of darkness.
The house was completely dark, meaning Daniel was likely still at the hospital dealing with the legal paperwork.
We crept up to the smashed back door and slipped quietly inside the silent house.
We made our way up the stairs toward the master bedroom and the adjoining office.
Marcus found the hidden safe exactly where he remembered it being.
He carefully placed the gelatin fingerprint over the glowing optical scanner.
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The light flashed green, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
But instead of cash and a digital ledger, the safe contained a single, terrifying object.
