The First Break & The Knock at the Door

The early morning fog settled like a shroud over the ancient tombs. The towering mausoleums cast long, eerie shadows as Jessica, Leanna, Kevin, Hannah, and Olivia stepped cautiously onto the worn cobblestone paths.

"I hate cemeteries," Hannah muttered under her breath, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

"You're not alone," Kevin said, scanning their surroundings. "Let's just find whatever we’re supposed to find and get out."

Leanna unfolded the notebook, tracing her fingers over the deciphered coordinates. "The entry should be near the old Jesuit chapel. If the numbers are correct, we’re looking for something... here."

They stopped in front of a crumbling marble tomb. The name Lazarus Vellum was etched faintly into the stone, half-erased by time.

Jessica exhaled sharply. "No way."

Kevin ran a hand over the inscription. "Lazarus Vellum. The same name we found in the notebook. He’s supposed to be dead."

"Then why did our whistleblower send us here?" Olivia asked, kneeling to inspect the base of the tomb.

Leanna crouched next to her and ran her hands along the seams of the marble. "Because we’re missing something. Look closer—this stone has been moved recently."

Jessica pulled a flashlight from her bag and shone it along the base. A faint groove, barely perceptible, ran along the edges. "It’s a panel," she whispered.

Leanna reached into her bag and produced a small crowbar. She wedged it into the groove and with a forceful push, the panel slid open just an inch. Jessica and Kevin grabbed hold and pulled it the rest of the way.

Inside, buried in the darkness, was a rusted metal box. Leanna carefully lifted it out, brushing off the dust. The others crowded around as she unlatched it and flipped open the lid. Inside lay a single flash drive, a faded photograph of a man in a white lab coat, and a note written in Spanish.

Olivia translated aloud: "They know. Leave while you can."

Jessica swallowed. "This just keeps getting better."

******************************

Back at the hotel, the gang sat in a tight circle around Olivia’s laptop. The flash drive was plugged in, but its contents were encrypted.

"Military-grade encryption," Olivia muttered, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I can get through it, but it’s going to take time."

Jessica sat back, running a hand through her hair. "Someone died to get this to us. We need to be smart."

A sudden knock at the door froze them in place. Kevin instinctively reached for his backpack, where he had stashed a small knife. Leanna motioned for everyone to stay quiet as she moved toward the peephole.

A man stood outside, dressed too neatly for this part of town. His posture was relaxed, but there was an edge to his stance. It was controlled and deliberate.

He knocked again, this time softer. "Señorita Lindström?" His accent was impeccable. "I believe we have mutual interests."

Jessica’s heart pounded. Lindström was her alias.

Leanna turned back to the group, her voice low. "What do we do?"

Nobody moved. The man outside waited.