Ed Villein's Arc

Chapter 12 of 12

Ed walks back to his janitor's cart and wheels it toward the main corridor. His shift doesn't end for another five hours. The flask is hidden. The party starts at six. He just needs to stay out of sight until then. Twenty minutes later, he's mopping near the break room when he sees it. The security booth sits empty. The guard's locker hangs open, his blue uniform still on the hanger, his name tag resting on the shelf. The chair where he usually sits is pushed back at an angle, like someone left in a hurry. Ed slows his mop strokes. The guard knows everything. The shed. The documents. The plan. Five hundred dollars was supposed to buy silence until tonight. A door opens down the hall. Ed glances up. The guard walks out of an executive office, his face pale, shoulders tight. A man in a pressed suit follows him, pointing back toward the room. The man's voice is low but sharp. Ed can't hear the words, but he recognizes the tone. It's the same one the executives used in court when they called him negligent. The guard nods, hands stuffed in his pockets, and the man steps back inside. The door closes. Ed sets the mop in the bucket and wheels the cart toward the service elevator. His hands stay steady. The guard didn't point him out. He walked away. If they knew about Ed, someone would already be at his cart, at his locker, asking questions. The guard held his silence. The flask is still hidden in the catering cart, marked with a coffee cup magnet on the side panel. Tonight, when the servers pour the drinks, Ed will be ready. The party is hours away, but the path is clear.