Chapter 5 - EMILY'S BICYCLE HAD A STICKER
The first strong lead did not come from an auditor.
It came from Emily.
Victor brought her a new bicycle.
She refused it.
“I have one.”
He stared at the rusted pink frame.
“You tried to sell it.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Fair.”
Then she pointed to a white sticker near the rear wheel.
Victor had not noticed it.
A barcode.
WAREHOUSE 3B.
Sarah looked confused.
“That wasn’t there before.”
Emily said:
“The men put stickers on everything.”
Victor’s eyes sharpened.
Briar had tagged the bicycle.
Why was it still here?
Emily explained.
“One man said bikes don’t sell good.”
So they left it.
The barcode format matched inventory stickers used by Holloway Resale.
Mara subpoenaed warehouse records.
Briar fought.
A judge ordered preservation.
Then something happened.
Warehouse 3B caught fire.
Not the whole building.
One section.
The office where paper inventory logs were stored.
No one was injured.
Fire investigators found no immediate proof of arson.
Victor refused to speculate.
But the timing was impossible to ignore.
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Digital backups became critical.
And somebody inside Briar had already copied them.
