Chapter 6 - THE CHASE TO FIRST LAKESHORE
Claire ran to Richard's sedan and found his driver, Marcus, already behind the wheel.
"Follow them," she said.
Marcus did not ask questions.
The SUV tore through downtown Chicago, cutting lights and nearly clipping a bus. Claire called the bank while holding the dashboard with her free hand.
"Lock box 714," she told the night manager. "No access without me."
The manager hesitated. "Mrs. Cole, your box was opened forty minutes ago."
Claire's stomach dropped.
"By whom?"
"By you."
The line went dead.
The SUV turned into the underground entrance of First Lakeshore Bank.
Marcus braked behind it.
"Stay here," he said.
Claire was already out of the car.
Inside, the marble lobby was nearly empty. A security guard lay dazed beside the elevator, conscious but bleeding from the forehead.
"Two women," he said. "Went downstairs."
Claire grabbed his radio and ran to the vault level.
The elevator doors opened on chaos.
Boxes had been pulled from walls. Papers covered the floor. Vanessa stood at box 714, ripping open envelopes.
Evelyn held a pistol aimed at the bank manager.
Claire stopped.
"Put it down," she said.
Evelyn turned. "You should have signed the papers."
"You should have raised a son who could earn his own money."
Vanessa found a black ledger and laughed. "Got it."
Claire charged her.
They crashed into the metal boxes. The ledger slid across the floor.
Evelyn swung the pistol toward Claire.
Marcus appeared behind her and struck her wrist with a fire extinguisher. The gun skidded away.
The bank alarm began screaming.
Vanessa snatched the ledger and sprinted for the emergency stairs.
Claire followed.
Halfway up, Vanessa tore out a page, lit it with a pocket lighter, and dropped it.
Claire stamped out the flame.
Only one line remained readable:
May you like
THOMAS COLE - ALIVE - BLACKWATER FARM.
Then the stairwell door slammed above her.
