Chapter 7 - THE CABIN OF SIX GRAVESBlackwood Ridge lay two hours north of the city, beyond winding highways and miles of dense forest.
Sofia watched the road through the window of Nathan's SUV.
Rain slid across the glass.
The mountains rose ahead like dark silhouettes against the morning sky.
Thomas's warning replayed in her mind.
They buried six bodies beneath that cabin.
She had asked Nathan to turn back after hearing it.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she wanted to understand why Gabriel had warned Thomas instead of contacting her directly.
Nathan had argued that the cabin might contain crucial evidence.
Elena agreed.
So they continued toward Blackwood Ridge with two additional investigators following behind.
They reached the property shortly after sunrise.
The cabin stood at the end of a narrow gravel road.
Its wooden walls were weathered, and vines climbed along the porch.
No vehicle was visible.
The windows were dark.
Elena approached first with the tactical officers, who checked the building and found it empty.
Only then did Sofia enter.
The interior smelled of dust and damp wood.
A small kitchen occupied one corner.
An old fireplace stood against the far wall.
There was a narrow bed, a table, and a shelf containing several books.
Sofia noticed a photograph resting beside the fireplace.
She picked it up.
A little girl stood between Michael and Isabelle Laurent.
She wore a yellow dress and held a birthday cake.
It was Sofia.
On her seventh birthday.
She remembered that photograph.
Her father had framed a copy for the living room.
Gabriel had kept one too.
Her eyes filled.
Nathan approached quietly.
“He was following your life.”
Sofia nodded.
“He wasn't allowed to be part of it.”
A floorboard creaked beneath her foot.
She looked down.
One plank was slightly raised.
Nathan examined it.
Then he noticed a small metal latch concealed beneath the edge of a rug.
Together, they pulled the rug aside.
A wooden trapdoor occupied the center of the room.
Elena joined them.
“Don't open it until we check for hazards.”
A specialized team inspected the floor and surrounding area.
After receiving clearance, the officers lifted the trapdoor.
A narrow staircase descended into darkness.
The smell that rose from below was cold and earthy.
Nathan switched on a flashlight.
The beam revealed stone walls.
Metal shelves.
And six rectangular wooden boxes arranged in two rows.
Sofia felt her stomach tighten.
“Are those coffins?”
Elena nodded.
“Possibly.”
The investigators descended carefully.
Each box was marked with a number.
One through six.
Nathan opened the first.
Inside was a skeleton wrapped in deteriorating fabric.
The second contained similar remains.
So did the third.
Sofia stepped back.
“Who were they?”
Elena examined the labels.
“There are no names.”
Then she noticed something carved into the wall.
Three horizontal lines inside a circle.
The symbol of the Circle.
Beneath it, someone had scratched a sentence into the stone.
THEY WERE NOT THE GUILTY ONES.
Sofia read the words aloud.
Nathan looked grim.
“These might be people who tried to expose the organization.”
“Or innocent people used to conceal something,” Elena added.
At the far end of the cellar stood a metal cabinet.
Inside were six sealed envelopes.
Each bore a name.
The first read Daniel Mercer.
The second read Claire Varenne.
The third read Isabelle Laurent.
Sofia froze.
Her birth mother.
Her adoptive mother.
Both names together.
The fourth envelope read Dr. Samuel Price.
The fifth read Robert Kane.
The sixth read Gabriel Varenne.
Nathan carefully opened Isabelle's envelope.
Inside was a photograph showing Judge Morel speaking to a younger Robert Kane outside a restaurant.
A date had been stamped along the bottom.
Three days before Isabelle died.
Sofia stared at the picture.
“He hired Kane.”
Nathan nodded.
“It certainly suggests a connection.”
The other envelopes contained financial records, witness statements, and copies of correspondence.
One document showed payments made through a private investment fund.
Another identified a hidden account used to compensate corrupt officials.
Elena carefully photographed everything.
Then Sofia opened the envelope bearing Gabriel's name.
Inside was a short handwritten note.
If this is discovered, I am probably dead.
The six coffins are not what they seem.
They contain the people the Circle erased from the world. But only four are actual victims.
Sofia looked up.
“Only four?”
Nathan examined the note.
It continued.
Two of these graves are empty because two people survived. One is me.
Sofia scanned the remaining lines.
The other survivor is the person who betrayed us all.
She looked toward Elena.
“Someone else escaped?”
Before Elena could answer, an engine roared outside.
The officers rushed toward the staircase.
Gunfire erupted near the cabin.
Nathan grabbed Sofia and pushed her behind the metal cabinet.
A voice shouted from above.
“We're under attack!”
Sofia heard breaking glass.
Then the heavy thud of footsteps.
A moment later, silence descended.
Nathan raised his weapon.
A shadow appeared at the top of the cellar stairs.
An elderly man stepped into view.
Silver hair.
Tired eyes.
A scar near his temple.
He wore a dark green jacket.
His hands were raised.
Sofia stared.
She recognized him immediately.
Gabriel Varenne.
Her father.
He looked at her with tears in his eyes.
“Sofia.”
Her lips trembled.
“Dad?”
Gabriel took one step forward.
Then he looked past her toward Nathan.
May you like
His expression changed from tenderness to terror.
“Get away from that man, Sofia. Nathan Cole works for the Circle.”
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