The two wounded men were carrying different secrets.
But neither knew how close those secrets had come to colliding.
Arthur Delbury stared at the brass key inside the evidence box.
W-17.
He had spent most of the night trying to understand what the inscription meant.
Now the answer seemed almost worse than the mystery.
It meant nothing.
Not officially.
No government department.
No registered company.
No warehouse.
No military designation.
Nothing.
Arthur picked up the telegram again.
"Run it through every archive."
Collins looked at him.
"We already did."
"Then run it again."
"Arthur..."
"Every archive."
Collins hesitated.
"Even the old ones?"
Arthur looked up.
"Especially the old ones."
Collins understood.
The old archives were where inconvenient things went to disappear.
He took the telegram and left.
Evelyn remained beside the evidence board.
Her eyes had returned to Henry's photograph.
"There's something bothering me."
Arthur placed the telegram down.
