Chapter 32
Avery met with Shaun at Tate Industries over the weekend.
“We need to open up the safe as soon as possible, Avery,” Shaun said. “Mr. Hertz has been pestering us for a decision. I don’t know if I should tell him the truth or lie to him… I’m stuck because I have nothing to show for it!”
Avery nodded and said, “I wrote down some numbers on a piece of paper last night. I think my father’s passcode would be a combination of these numbers.”
Shaun took the piece of paper out of Avery’s hand, glanced at the numbers, then nodded and said, “Let’s give it a try now!”
They entered the secret chamber, approached the safe, and began trying out possible combinations.
However, things did not go as smoothly as they had hoped.
After countless failed attempts, Avery frowned and let out a heavy sigh.
“Would Wanda know what the code is?” she said. “The code to our front door is a combination of my dad and Wanda’s birthdays. He was good to her before he got sick.”
Shaun shook his head and said, “If she knew how valuable this new system is, she would have taken it with her before she left.”
“Do you think someone could have already taken the things in the safe?” Avery asked.
“That’s impossible!” Shaun exclaimed. “I check the surveillance cameras here daily. No one, apart from u s, has entered this room.’
“I see…” Avery said. “Is there no other way to open it up if we don’t have the code? I really can’t think of anything else other than the numbers I wrote down.”
Shaun looked glum, and he began to pace back and forth.
“There might be another way,” he said moments later. “If we can’t crack the code, the only thing we can d o is break the safe door. However, doing that may damage its contents. It’s a pretty big risk.”
Avery stayed silent.
“Let me think about it!” Shaun said. “We’ll just have to break into it if we can’t figure something out.”
Avery looked like she had something on her mind, but responded, “Okay.”
“Avery, are you acquainted with Elliot Foster?” Shaun asked with a hint of suspicion.
“I’m not,” Avery said as she hesitantly shook her head. “I would have already asked him for help if I did.”
“Really? A friend of mine said they saw you enter the elite neighborhood where he lives yesterday.”
Avery’s cheeks flushed in an instant.
“Oh… I have a friend who lives around there. She had something to talk to me about, so I just went there t o see her for a bit.”
“Ah… I didn’t know you had such.wealthy friends,” Sean said skeptically.
“They had a successful business before, but things didn’t work out.”
“I see… Well, you can go now since we can’t crack the code. I’ll think about it a little more.”
“Okay, thank you!”
Avery walked out of the hidden room and left the building.
Once she was gone, Shaun inspected the piece of paper she had left behind. He studied it long and hard.
Was it really possible for the successor of Tate Industries not to know such an important code?
Shaun’s suspicions about Avery continued to increase.
Moments later, he sent a text message to Wanda, who immediately called him upon receiving it.
“What do you mean Jack left something behind?”
“Did you really think that Jack was out to ruin his own daughter by leaving the company to her?” Shaun sneered. “I always thought that you were a smart woman, but it turns out you’re in the dark about this, too.”
Wanda picked up on Shaun’s clue and suddenly turned cheerful.
“What exactly did Jack leave Avery?!” “A safe. It’s a big one, too. Its contents are priceless, but Jack apparently forgot to give Avery the passcode.”
Shaun had decided to join forces with Wanda. “If you can tell me what it is, I’ll make sure to give you a cut of the profits,” he said.
“How much exactly are you willing to cut? I’m not in if it’s a small amount?” said Wanda.
“I’ll give you twenty percent,” Shaun snickered. “It doesn’t matter if you decide to work with me or not. It never belonged to you, anyway.”
“Deal! I’ll do it. How long is the code?”
“It needs six digits. I’ll send you a photo of the numbers Avery said were significant to Jack, and the combinations we tried that did not work this afternoon. Let’s see if you find any inspiration from that.”
