They gathered again in Ibrahim's apartment the atmosphere heavy, with tension. Giovanni recounted his visions—the hidden documents, the silenced land surveyor, the tainted groundwater charts.
"The dark center is a location " he concluded, shaking from the lingering reverberation. "They interred the truth there. Quite literally. To construct their fabricated future upon it."
Ibrahim displayed a geological survey of the industrial area. "Look here. A deserted waste discharge pipe. From the chemical factory. It was meant to be decontaminated. A test initiative for Osborne's 'eco revival.'" He indicated a location, on the chart. "If your goal was to conceal something you'd lock it away in that spot."
Maria examined the map then shifted her gaze to Giovanni's arm. She followed a swirl of the tattoo. "This path…it corresponds to this service road. The maze is a map. Giovanni you are the guide."
A scheme, delicate and perilous took shape. That night they intended to visit the conduit. To uncover what had been concealed. It stood as the concrete proof capable of revealing the deception and they wished, shattering its grip, on Giovanni.
However Raphael Ronald, the detective formally handling Osborne's death case was approaching it from a different perspective. Annoyed by the absence of proof his team had conducted a new search, around Osborne's apartment. A neighbour at stepping forward remembered a woman—aloof skilled blonde—calling on Osborne late on the night of his death. A drawing crafted from that account was now placed on Raphael's desk. It strongly resembled Helena Helga.
Additionally the coroner's conclusive report identified residues of a slow-acting heart poison, in Osborne's body. A poison that could only be sourced from specialized labs. Raphael's doubtful intellect, strained by the prominence of the case was ultimately driven to a deduction: this was an internal conspiracy.. His roster of suspects possessing both the expertise and the cold-bloodedness was shrinking.
He showed up at Arthur's clinic for a follow-up—an excuse—right when the group was getting ready to depart. He noticed the strain the quiet talk Jacques inspecting a flashlight.
"Heading out somewhere Doctor Alexander?" Raphael inquired, his ingrained instincts kicking in.
"A nocturnal plant study " Maria remarked confidently her sense crafting a swift untruth. "Uncommon lichen thrives in abandoned areas."
Raphael's gaze meanwhile was fixed on Giovanni. He noticed the man's paleness. How his hand repeatedly moved toward his left forearm. He recalled Isabella Ivywood's fascination, with this reserved librarian.
"You need to be cautious " Raphael remarked, his voice yet his eyes sharp. "Industrial areas, after dark can pose risks. Filled with…concealed dangers." It was both an alert and a test.
Once he departed the heaviness of his focus lingered on them. "He's aware we're relocating " Isabella stated. "We must leave immediately."
Beneath the cloak of a moonless night they traveled to the area. Jacques brought a crowbar and a shovel. Isabella held a camera. Maria had a bag filled with salt and protective talismans. Arthur bore his supplies.. Giovanni held the map searing on his skin guiding them onward.
The rusted grate secured with a padlock, over the waste conduit was located where Ibrahim's map showed. The lock appeared recent. Jacques quickly broke it open using the crowbar.
The odor that drifted forth was not one of rot but rather of chemicals and moist concrete. A slender passage sloped down into darkness. Giovanni's arm burned intensely now the throbbing powerful it resembled a heartbeat pulsating through his whole body.
"This is the moment " he murmured his words lost within the shadows.
When Jacques directed the beam of light down the passage it reflected off an object than ten meters away: a pile of sealed plastic boxes with a small locked strongbox situated next, to them.
The buried truth.
From the darkness, beyond a close ruin a set of night-vision goggles shimmered. Helena Helga, the enforcer observed their entry. She whispered into a radio. "The anomaly is guiding them to the core. They've reached the conduit. Lock it down."
From overhead an engine whirred. Not to escape. To drive forward. A huge excavator, illegally stationed at the site sprang to action its tracks churning toward the dirt and debris stacked by the conduit opening.
They were inside the maze. And someone was starting to collapse the walls.