Chapter 10: The First Break in His Timeline
Mitchell’s next contact came at 9:40 p.m. in the form of a call to Chloe’s phone.
She let it ring through to voicemail under Patricia’s instruction. He left a short message: the man with the key had arrived at Pine Ridge, the panel was empty, and he needed an immediate explanation of where the suitcase was. His voice carried none of the measured calm he used at Apex Vanguard. It carried the sound of a schedule collapsing.
May you like
Ruiz noted the time and the content. The quiet watch at the vacation house confirmed that a male individual had entered with a key at 9:22 p.m., remained inside for eleven minutes, and left without carrying anything that matched the dimensions of the secured case. The individual was photographed leaving. A vehicle registration was already being run. Mitchell had not only lost control of the originals; he had also sent a second person into a location now documented by law enforcement.
I authorized no reply. The fiction that Chloe was still executing his instructions had served its purpose. Extending it further would only create new inconsistencies. The next phase belonged to the formal process.
