My Daughter's Birdhouse Was Smashed by Syndicate Muscle, Revealing an Antique Key to a Sealed Underground Vault and a 30-Year Mob Murder
The darkness was absolute, broken only by the weak beam of my LED lantern. The methane smell was now thick, making my eyes water.
“Stay with me, Chloe,” I whispered, pulling her tighter. “Hold my hand.”
The thudding from the sub-basement paused. A sudden, chilling silence. Then, a low, hissing sound.
It was too fast. Even with Kopek’s incendiary devices, they wouldn’t release the gas so quickly.
A horrible thought struck me. Julian Kopek. He knew Hennessey and Viktor would eliminate him once the building burned. He’d be a loose end.
He must have decided to double-cross them.
I knew the building’s infrastructure like the back of my hand. The central methane gas bypass was located near the main electrical breakers, exactly where Kopek had been earlier. It was designed for controlled release, but if manually triggered…
Kopek was attempting to trigger an early gas line rupture, hoping to collect a solitary $500,000 insurance payout for himself, claiming it was an accident before Viktor could even set his own fire.
He wouldn’t care who was inside.
“We need to move, now,” I said, my voice urgent. “Stay close.”
I navigated the workshop by memory, grabbing my heavy-duty work gloves and a multi-tool. The hiss was growing louder, emanating from the direction of the main floor.
“What is that smell, Daddy?” Chloe coughed, burying her face in my jacket.
“Bad gas, sweetie,” I said, trying to keep the fear from my voice. “We need to get to the steam pipes.”
I knew the old 1928 steam lines ran parallel to the gas lines in the subterranean tunnels. They were incredibly unstable but also incredibly powerful.
As we crept through the now-silent hallways, the methane odor intensified. It was overwhelming, cloying, burning the back of my throat.
Then, I heard movement. Not Viktor’s heavy boots, but a nervous, scuttling sound.
A figure darted from behind the main electrical panel. It was Kopek, clutching a small, battery-powered drill. His eyes were wide with a frantic glee, a dangerous desperation.
He saw me, and his eyes instantly narrowed. “Devlin! What are you still doing here?”
“Trying not to suffocate, Kopek,” I snarled, pulling Chloe behind me. “You just turned on the main gas bypass, didn’t you?”
Kopek’s smile was chilling. “Accident, superintendent. Total accident. The gas lines were old, you know. Poor maintenance.”
He pointed the drill at a small, corroded pipe junction near the floor, dangerously close to the electrical panel. “Just a small breach, for the insurance claim. Nothing personal.”
He started to activate the drill, aiming for the pipe. If he punctured it, the entire building would go up in a massive explosion.
“Stop!” I yelled, lunging forward.
Kopek yelped, pulling the trigger on the drill. The bit whirred, spinning towards the old metal.
I threw the multi-tool like a dart. It struck Kopek’s hand, knocking the drill from his grasp. He cried out, clutching his injured fingers.
He glared at me, his face twisted with hatred. “You ruined everything! Hennessey’s going to kill me anyway, but now I don’t even get my half million!”
He fumbled for something in his pocket, his eyes darting to Chloe.
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed from the stairwell. “Julian! What in God’s name are you doing?”
Viktor. He had breached the sub-basement and was coming up. He could smell the gas.
Kopek’s face drained of all color. He knew he was caught.
He made a desperate run for a side door, but Viktor’s enforcers, now just a few steps behind, cut him off.
“I can explain!” Kopek screamed, but his words were drowned out by Viktor’s furious roar.
“You greedy, worthless worm!” Viktor shouted. “You were supposed to wait for my signal!”
As Viktor’s men converged on Kopek, I knew my chance was now. The gas was pouring into the upper floors. I had to get to the 1928 valve protocols.
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