The Lost Equation - Chapter 9 snippet

Chapter 9: Going Postal

Carrying his lead, Ransome charges up the steps and across the porch toward the door, then sits and waits for me to open it. Inside, he drops the loose end of the lead and waits for me to unhook it and put it away before heading to the kitchen for the water bowl.

I cross the room and look over Aspen before turning to my desk and checking the service for new messages. There have been none since we left. I open the top left drawer of the desk and take out the key to the Range Rover. I lift the letter from the desk, refold it, and ease it back into the envelope.

"Ransome," I call. The drinking stops, and he rounds the end of the island and stops beside me.  He looks up expectantly. "Time for me to go to town and see your girlfriend, Mildred." He blinks and does his best to mimic the word. "Yes, Mildred. Now you're on guard while I am gone. Affirmative?" Ransom barks and then heads for the big window, sitting and staring out.

 I head down the stairs to the lower level of the house. This level matches the footprint of the house above in dimensions but contains the climatized and climate-controlled garage, which was large enough for four vehicles but now houses just the Range Rover. Also on this level are the wine cellar, the house's mechanical room, and a storage room.

I cross the garage portion and stop outside the storage room door. I enter my PIN into the Trilogy lock and get the green light before turning the lever and stepping in.  The lights come on automatically as I enter, and I pass a mountain bike I never ride now, a treadmill covered in boxes, three sets of custom golf clubs from various makers I have never opened, and stacks of boxes containing God knows what.

Against the back wall is a stack of "Banker Boxes." I sort through them until I find the one with the bags. I pull out two of the D-Tech 10×14 Clear Evidence/Property Bags. I place the open letter so it can be read through the clear back, and do the same with the envelope in the other. I peel the backer off the seals and close the tops.  There is no need to annotate the front; I don't yet know what they mean or pertain to.