Adventure of Dallas Fontaine 2

Dallas reaches the south annex and the place feels abandoned on purpose. Rusted storage units sit in crooked rows under buzzing fluorescents, and the air tastes of oil, damp concrete, and old dust.

Murderbone pads beside him, nose low. Dallas studies the numbers, the locks, the fresh scrape marks on the floor, and the trail stops at 4B.

Inside the unit, a narrow passage drops into a service corridor below the annex. One bare bulb swings over stacked crates, a metal door below the stairwell stands half open, and papers are scattered like they were searched in a hurry.

From the corridor comes a sharp breath, then a man in a maintenance coat stumbles into view, clutching a folder to his chest. He freezes when he spots Dallas and Murderbone.

Murderbone bares his teeth, blocking the corridor. Dallas steps in, and the man backs toward the ajar door below the stairwell, panicked, cornered, and ready to bargain.

Dallas takes one measured step into the corridor, cutting off the man’s retreat. The folder dips in the man’s grip as Murderbone stays between him and the stairwell.

The folder hits the concrete with a slap. A corner pops open, spilling carbon copies and a stamped route slip marked for storage movement through the annex.

Dallas sees the hidden route notation tucked under the top sheet, a second handoff path branching past the storage units and toward a locked inner door.