Chapter 4 - The Motel Room Secrets
The Riverview Transit Lodge looked even worse in the gray light of a rainy afternoon. The neon sign outside sputtered, its letters casting a sickly pink glow over the gravel parking lot.
Ethan parked his SUV outside Room 14. Mara Leland was already there, waiting with a heavy plastic crate to collect whatever belongings Clara Brooks had left behind for her daughters.
The room was small, cold, and smelled of damp wool and old grease. A single mattress lay on a metal frame, covered in a thin, worn quilt. On the small laminate table sat a plastic bowl with two dried pieces of bread, just as Sadie had described.
"She was hiding something here," Mara said, kneeling by the baseboard near the small sink. "Look at the dust patterns. Someone was moving this panel recently."
Ethan knelt beside her. Using the edge of his silver pocket knife, he pried away the loose piece of wood. Inside the dark recess lay a small, blue leather notebook with a worn elastic band, and a heavy, industrial-grade flash drive wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag.
He pulled them out, his fingers trembling slightly. He opened the blue notebook. The first page was dated six years ago, written in Clara’s elegant, precise handwriting.
“Ethan thinks the algorithm is finished,” the entry read. “He thinks he took the whole engine. But he only took the first gear. He didn't understand that the code changes based on seasonal human behavior patterns. I kept the core script. If he ever hunts me down, I’ll give it to him. If he doesn't... I’ll keep it for Sadie’s future. I just hope my lungs hold out long enough to see her grow.”
"She knew," Ethan said, a sharp pain tightening in his chest. "She knew I wouldn't come back for her."
Before he could close the book, the door to the motel room swung open with a violent crash. Two men in dark windbreakers stood in the doorway, their hands buried deep in their pockets.
"Mr. Cole," the larger of the two said, his voice flat. "Julian Vance sent us to collect the electronic components left in this room. We don't want any trouble with a guy your size, but that flash drive belongs to Apex Logistics now."
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Ethan stood up slowly, shifting his body to completely shield Mara and the plastic crate. "You can tell Julian that if he wants my data, he can come to my boardroom. But if he steps into a room where a mother died, he better be prepared to stay here."
The smaller man moved his hand toward his belt, but the sound of an approaching siren from the highway made both men freeze. They exchanged a quick look, turned, and vanished into the fog before the police cruiser could even turn into the parking lot.
