Finch Mottley's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Finch returned to the kiosk at dawn. A new notice glowed there, jagged-edged and bright. It listed their vault by name. The threat was clear. Move the evidence, or watch it burn. Finch read it twice. Their hands stayed steady. They walked back to the vault and unlocked the door. The copper sheet still hung on its frame. The transferred signature still clung to the wall. Both had hours, maybe less. They dragged in a heavy steel crate from the back chamber. Reinforced bands. Tight seams. Finch lifted the warning sheet off its frame and laid it flat inside. The lifted signature went in next, pressed between clean panels. Finch pulled out a glowing wax seal stamped with strange script. They pressed it across the lid. The mark cooled hard. Now the contents were logged, dated, official. Tampering would leave proof. They shoved the crate behind a false panel in the rear wall and set the panel back in place. The vault looked empty. The evidence was hidden inside its own hiding place. Finch locked the door and stepped out into the cold air. The threat had failed. But whoever wrote it knew where the vault was. They were watching. And now they knew Finch had moved first.