Chapter 1 - THE WHITE PORSCHE
Jack Walker disliked rich people’s garages for the same reason he disliked luxury watch stores.
Everything was expensive enough to make ordinary mistakes feel criminal.
The Archer estate garage held six cars under museum lighting, including the white Porsche.
Charles Archer’s Porsche.
Sophie Archer stood beside it in an elegant white suit, arms folded.
Her staff watched.
So did Preston Vance.
Sophie looked Jack over from boots to grease-stained jacket.
“You’re the miracle mechanic?”
Jack shrugged.
“I fix cars.”
She pointed at the Porsche.
“Nobody’s started it since my father died.”
“Okay.”
A few staff members laughed at his lack of reaction.
Sophie smiled.
“Fix it, Mr. Walker…”
She let the pause stretch.
“…and maybe I’ll marry you.”
More laughter.
Jack opened the engine lid.
“Funny.”
That killed half the room’s amusement.
He inspected wiring first.
He checked battery isolation, fuel cutoff, and the telematics module.
Then he stopped.
Around a narrow panel near the rear firewall were fresh tool marks.
Not factory.
Not old.
Recent.
Jack touched them.
“Who opened this?”
Preston immediately stepped forward.
“Nobody. Close the car.”
Jack looked at him.
“I didn’t ask you.”
Sophie’s smile disappeared.
Jack removed two screws.
Then four.
Behind the panel sat a steel capsule.
Sophie inhaled sharply.
Engraved on the lid:
C.A.
Charles Archer.
Preston went pale.
“This is ridiculous.”
Jack lifted the capsule.
The tamper seal was broken.
“Someone already opened it.”
Sophie turned toward Preston.
“How would you know what was inside?”
“I don’t.”
Jack opened the capsule.
A brass key.
An encrypted drive.
Preston lunged.
“Give me that!”
Two security officers blocked him.
The garage door opened.
Attorney Maya Chen entered carrying a sealed folder.
She placed it on the hood of a Bentley.
“This was delivered to my office six months ago with instructions.”
Sophie stared.
“What instructions?”
Maya broke the seal.
“If a steel capsule is recovered from Charles Archer’s Porsche, open immediately in Sophie Archer’s presence.”
Preston backed away.
“No.”
Maya handed Sophie the first page.
Sophie read.
Then read again.
“What…?”
Maya looked directly at her.
“Your father transferred control of the founder voting trust to you.”
Sophie’s hands began shaking.
Preston’s face drained white.
Then Jack looked down at the broken seal.
May you like
Someone had found the capsule before them.
And whatever they wanted from it, they had not found everything.
