Lunar Temptations

Ch 41

"No. By the time we all got back to our work, it was too late. They were gone, and Macy was badly hurt," she said, and I felt disappointment rush through me. I rubbed a frustrated hand through my hair and sighed.

This was too much and enough for the day, but still, it was nothing. Before coming here, I was sure I would find something, but all of it was of no use. Esther's involvement was confirmed, but I couldn't prove it. She was successful in stealing the evidence, and with the way everything was going, we would never be able to get it back from her, and nobody knew when Macy would wake up from her coma. The case might go cold, and who knew what other crimes those assholes would go on committing if the trial didn't happen anytime soon?

The only hope left right now was the evidence in Esther's possession. If I could just get it...

"Lisa, do you want to help Macy?" I asked, as a plan formulated in my head. It was risky, and I would be putting a lot at stake, but if it succeeded, then it would be worth it. She nodded as if I would change my mind if she wouldn't.

I knew what I was about to ask of her would make her doubtful, but I also knew she wouldn't say anything to anyone since it was about Macy, and I was helping her out.

My hands landed on the cold metal knob as I twisted it. Much to my surprise, it twisted open swiftly. The wooden door squeaked as I pushed it, and I took a final look around before stepping inside. The hallway was empty, and the guards were lured away by Lisa, that too quite easily. I released a shaky breath as I closed the door behind me.

It would not have been easy to break into Esther Castillo's office if it wasn't for Lisa's help. When I told her that I suspected the evidence might be in Esther Castillo's office, she was ready to help me. The elegant furniture and the clean desk had that woman's name written all over it, and I knew without any doubt that she must have the drive somewhere here if she hadn't already gotten rid of it. The way it was guarded than the other rooms confirmed my suspicion the moment I saw those guards standing there. According to my planning, Lisa could only distract them for a few minutes, and I had to find the drive till then.

The drive was our only lead in this case, and I was closer to it now. Despite the risks, this was my only chance to get the evidence back, and I had to fulfil my promise to Paula as soon as possible.

"If I were Esther," I thought out loud, looking around. Two cameras were located on the opposite walls; unlike Esther, I didn't know how to erase them. Though if I found the drive, then I wouldn't have to worry about them, and they would only serve as proof that the drive was found here.

"Then where would I hide the drive?" I murmured, searching a few top drawers of the desk located in the centre. It was empty, along with several others on that desk. I expected that. Who would hide a stolen drive, filled with evidence, in the front drawers? - I thought, and that was when it hit me. That was it. If it wasn't in the front drawers or anywhere in sight, then it must be in the least predictable places.

That was something I would expect Esther to do, hide it in the most impossible place. My hands crept underneath the desk to search for any hidden sections or knobs, but to my dismay, there were none. Time was running out, and I had only a few minutes left. A shaky breath escaped my lips, and I reminded myself of Paula and her wails as she begged me for justice.

I couldn't let her down, not while her daughter was in a coma, and she was suffering every day because of the injustice that happened to her on the very grounds I stood on.

I took another detailed look at the office. It had a desk, a chair, a lamp, and a couch placed at the farthest end of the room. The bookshelf was out of the question, since Esther wouldn't be too naive to have a secret room built behind it or have a pulling book type of thing as the key to the entryway. That would be too cliché for her, even. I had already searched the desk thoroughly, and it had nothing except stacks of files and some basic office essentials. The lamp was also out of the question, and that left me with the couch.

I eyed it curiously before approaching it. Now as I looked at it, it did seem a little out of place and sketchy. The said piece was not in one piece but rather seemed to be divided into compartments and had a modern look to it while the rest of the room was filled in a vintage layout. I traced a hand over it and pressed on the different compartments. None of them budged. Just as I was about to give up, did I spot a tiny black spot at the lower end of the couch?

My brows furrowed, and I instantly reached down to it. Upon closing in, did I realize that it was a button? My eyes widened, but not at the realization, but at the approaching footsteps. Without thinking twice, I pressed the button, and a compartment shot open. My suspicion had proven to be correct, and a low gasp escaped my lips.

"Oh, my Goddess!" I mumbled when my eyes landed on the object inside it.

The drive.

I grabbed it, and the door flew open the moment I turned around. They weren't guards, and I had already figured that out, since the ten minutes were still not over, and even if they were over, the guards would still not barge into the room, unknowingly of my presence inside. It was someone else, and my guess was Esther.

My eyes followed the many figures standing in the doorway. Well, I was right. Esther Castillo stood there with a small army of guards.