None of them had the energy to clean up. "We should try calling Tonya again. " Maya said, but her voice lacked conviction. They'd already left dozens of messages. Elijah rubbed his temples. "Her number's disconnected now. " "They're thorough. " "Thorough? " Lena repeated, the word bitter in her mouth.
"They buried my son without telling me? Like he was nothing? Like I was nothing? " The silence that followed felt heavy enough to crush them. A car passed outside, its headlights sweeping across the room's faded wallpaper. Maya started to speak, but stopped at a sharp knock on the door.
They all froze. The knock came again, more urgent this time. Elijah moved to the door, peering through the peephole. His breath caught. "It's Tanya. " He opened the door to find her soaked from the rain, clutching a laptop bag to her chest.
Her airport security badge was gone, replaced by dark circles under her eyes. "I'm sorry. " She said, stepping inside. "I couldn't risk calling. They're watching everything. " "You disappeared. " Maya said. "We thought" "They fired me this morning.
Evidence mishandling. Said if I stayed quiet and left town, they wouldn't press charges. " Tonya's laugh was hollow. "But I spent two days copying everything I could find first. " She pulled out her laptop, hands shaking slightly. "The airport stop wasn't random. After it happened, Captain Voss called our police chief directly.
I have the recorded call. " They gathered around as she played the audio. Voss's polished voice filled the room. "The remains need to be delayed. There may be unauthorized materials that weren't properly cleared before transport. " "Materials? " Lena asked. "Documents," Tonya explained.
"Voss was worried something hadn't been removed from Noah's effects before burial. " "Here. " She pulled up emails. "Internal messages showing Voss ordered an urgent search of the casket during the hold period. " Maya leaned closer to read. "They were looking for papers? " "Or digital storage. Something Noah hid. " Tonya opened more files. "The timing matches.
Noah dies under questionable circumstances. The body is rushed into transport. But then, there's a public incident. And suddenly Voss is desperate to search the remains before they leave the airport. " "But they buried him anyway," Lena said. "So they must have found what they were looking for. " "No. " Elijah stood up straight.
"They searched the wrong place. " Everyone turned to him. He continued, "They searched the coffin during the hold. But Noah's personal effects case was logged separately because of the transport disruption. It stayed in my custody the whole time. " Understanding dawned on Maya's face. The case never went to the mortuary with the body.
"Noah was smart," Tonya said softly. "He would have known his belongings would be searched if anything happened. But he also knew about escort protocol. That personal effects stay with the escort officer. " Elijah crossed to the corner where he'd placed the simple black case. It looked ordinary, standard military issue.