Marcus connected the recorder to a portable speaker.
The first few seconds contained only static.
Then Lena's voice emerged.
Young.
Breathing quickly.
Afraid, but trying not to sound afraid.
“If anyone hears this, I'm in the old maintenance room.”
Elena covered her mouth.
Hearing her sister's voice after seven years was worse than seeing the photographs.
Lena continued.
“I found the transfer records. They're real. Animals have been moved through the aquarium without being entered into the system.”
A pause.
Footsteps could be heard faintly in the recording.
Lena whispered.
“Someone is coming.”
The recording crackled.
Then another voice appeared.
Male.
Calm.
Peter Caldwell.
“You shouldn't have copied those records.”
Elena's eyes widened.
Daniel looked at Marcus.
The recording continued.
Lena said, “People deserve to know.”
Peter answered, “People don't understand how this business works.”
“It's not a business.”
“You're seventeen.”
“That doesn't make me stupid.”
The recording ended abruptly.
Nobody spoke.
Marcus restarted it.
The same conversation played again.
This time they listened for background sounds.
A metal door.
Water.
Then a bell.
Mia raised her hand.
“Stop.”
Marcus paused.
“What?”
“The bell.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What about it?”
“There was a bell in the aquarium.”
Marcus thought.
“The old feeding bell.”
“Where was it?”
“Near the quarantine tanks.”
Mia pointed at the recording device.
“It happened three times.”
Marcus replayed the section.
The bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Richard closed his eyes.
“That was the warning signal.”
“For what?”
“An animal transfer.”
Marcus looked at the old records.
“Then the recording was made during an unauthorized transfer.”
Richard nodded.
Lena's voice returned.
She was breathing harder now.
Peter said, “Give me the drive.”
“No.”
“You don't understand what you're doing.”
“I understand enough.”
“You'll ruin people.”
“You already ruined people.”
A loud crash followed.
Lena cried out.
Then the recording went silent.
Elena gripped the table.
“What happened?”
Richard answered.
“She ran.”
“Where?”
“Toward the touch pool.”
Marcus looked at the blueprint.
The old passage connected Room 17 to the pool.
“She tried to escape through the service corridor.”
Richard nodded.
“But someone caught her.”
“Who?”
Richard looked at the floor.
“I didn't see.”
Elena stared at him.
“You were there.”
“I arrived after she fell.”
“You said she ran.”
“She did.”
“Then what happened?”
Richard's voice broke.
“She fell from the maintenance stairs.”
Silence.
“Was she alive?”
“Yes.”
Elena's face crumpled.
“Then why didn't you save her?”
“I tried.”
“Why didn't you call an ambulance?”
Richard looked at her.
“Because Peter was there.”
Elena understood.
“He threatened you.”
Richard nodded.
“He said if I called for help, Lena wouldn't be the only person who died.”
Daniel stepped between them.
“And you believed him.”
“I was afraid.”
Elena turned away.
The room seemed too small for the grief suddenly filling it.
Mia stood quietly beside Claire.
Then she asked, “What happened to the necklace?”
Richard looked at her.
“What?”
“The silver heart.”
Richard stared at the pendant lying in the evidence tray.
“Lena wore it.”
“I know.”
“When she fell, it broke.”
“Then how did it get into the pool?”
Richard looked at Marcus.
“I put it there.”
Elena turned sharply.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To hide it.”
“Why would hiding it help?”
“Because Peter was searching for the evidence Lena had collected. I knew he would search the obvious places.”
Richard looked at Gray through the doorway.
“I had seen the stingrays gather around the filtration grate. I thought the pool would be overlooked.”
Daniel frowned.
“But you said the necklace was broken.”
“I placed the pendant there first. The chain came later.”
Mia's eyes widened.
“You put it where Gray could find it.”
Richard nodded.
“I hoped someday someone would notice.”
Elena stared at him.
“And the other objects?”
“I hid what I could.”
“Why didn't you come forward?”
Richard looked at her.
“Because I was a coward.”
No one corrected him.
Marcus examined the final page of Lena's notebook.
“There's still something missing.”
Richard nodded.
“The payment records.”
“Where are they?”
“I don't know.”
Mia suddenly looked at the old storage tags.
“Maybe Room 17 isn't the end.”
Marcus frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“The room had animal tags.”
“Yes.”
“Lena wrote about transfers.”
“Yes.”
“So she would need somewhere to keep the names.”
Daniel looked at the wooden crates.
“Check them.”
They searched every crate.
Most contained obsolete equipment.
Then Marcus found one with a false bottom.
Inside was a second folder.
Elena opened it.
Bank records.
Company names.
Dates.
Payments.
Peter Caldwell's signature appeared on several pages.
Marcus photographed everything.
Then Elena found another document.
It was dated the morning Lena died.
A payment had been authorized to a private security contractor.
The recipient's name was Thomas Vale.
Elena looked at Richard.
“Thomas.”
Richard nodded.
“Thomas wasn't the person who attacked her.”
“Then why was he paid?”
“Because he helped cover it up.”
Mia looked toward the hallway.
“Then he knows where Peter is.”
Richard shook his head.
“Thomas disappeared years ago.”
Daniel said, “Maybe not.”
Everyone looked at him.
“The man outside today knew about Room 17.”
Marcus frowned.
“Richard said Peter was here.”
“No,” Daniel said. “He said Peter appeared in the photograph.”
Richard nodded.
“Peter was here.”
“Then why leave?”
Richard looked at him.
“He didn't.”
A heavy silence followed.
“What do you mean?” Elena asked.
Richard walked toward the door.
“I saw him today.”
Mia's eyes widened.
“The man with the black case?”
Richard nodded.
“No. The man Mia saw was Thomas.”
Mia shook her head.
“No.”
Richard looked at her.
“You're sure?”
“He had gray hair.”
“So did Thomas.”
“He wore white shoes.”
Richard froze.
Then he looked at Marcus.
“Peter always wore white shoes.”
Mia stared at him.
“But you said Thomas.”
Richard slowly shook his head.
“I was wrong.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“Then Peter was the man at the entrance.”
Richard nodded.
“And he came back for the evidence.”
The lights suddenly went out.
This time, the entire aquarium went dark.
A second later, the emergency alarm began screaming.
Marcus grabbed the evidence folder.
“Stay together.”
A crash came from the touch pool.
Then another.
Mia heard water splashing.
She looked toward the exhibit.
“Gray.”
They ran.
The touch pool had been disturbed.
The barrier was open.
And the evidence tray containing Lena's necklace was gone.
Click Here to continue read next: PART8: The Final Clue Led Them Back to the Water, Where Mia Saw What Everyone Else Had Missed and Elena Finally Heard Her Sister’s Truth
The Stingray Beneath the Water Changed Direction Twice, and Mia Was Certain It Was Trying to Show Her Something
Part 7 of 16
