The Betrayal At Room 237 - Full Story

The night sky over Long Island was illuminated by brilliant orange and red flames. Fire engines line the driveway of the historic Sterling Estate, their sirens blaring loudly into the crisp air. Smoke curled into the air, carrying the scent of burning wood and old paper.

Amy and Julian arrived in the Maybach, jumping out of the vehicle before it had even come to a complete stop.

"Amy! Stay back!" the chief firefighter warned as Amy tried to rush toward the grand entrance. "The structural integrity of the west wing is compromised!"

"My father's study!" Amy screamed through the sound of roaring flames. "The safe in the west wing!"

Julian grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back into a safe embrace. "Amy, look at me! Don't go in there! It's too dangerous!"

"All of his physical blueprints were in that vault, Julian!" Amy wept against his chest, watching the roof of the west wing collapse in a shower of brilliant sparks. "The original green design patents that weren't uploaded digitally! They're burning!"

Julian held her tightly, his arms an unyielding shield against the terrifying heat. "We'll recover, Amy. I promise you, we will find out who did this."

An hour later, the fire was finally brought under control, though the entire west wing of the estate was reduced to smoldering charcoal.

A detective from the arson squad approached Amy and Julian as they sat near the ambulance, where paramedics had wrapped a shock blanket around Amy's shoulders.

"Miss Sterling?" the detective asked, holding a legal pad. "I'm Detective Vance. Preliminary investigation shows clear signs of arson. We found remnants of accelerant near the side entrance of the west wing."

"Was anyone inside?" Julian asked sharply.

"No physical casualties," the detective replied. "However, security footage from the perimeter gates captured a silver sedan leaving the property three minutes before the fire broke out."

"Did you get a license plate?" Amy asked, her voice raspy from smoke inhalation.

"The plate was fake," Detective Vance said, "but we managed to pull a partial image of the driver from the high-definition gate camera."

The detective pulled out a digital tablet and displayed a frozen frame from the security footage.

Amy leaned in to look. The man driving the silver sedan had a distinct tattoo of a silver falcon across his neck.

Julian gasped softly beside her.

Amy turned to him immediately. "Julian? You recognize him?"

Julian's face grew exceptionally grave, his jaw setting into a hard line. "That's Viktor Cross."

"Cross?" Amy repeated, her mind racing. "As in... Penelope's father?"

"No," Julian said coldly, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "Viktor Cross is Penelope's uncle. He's a notorious fixer who works for high-level corporate syndicates in Eastern Europe. My father hired him three years ago to handle... unsavory business off the books."

"Your father is in police custody!" Amy exclaimed. "How could he have ordered an arson attack from a holding cell?"

Julian looked at the burning ruins of the estate, his eyes dark with realized horror. "Arthur didn't order this. Arthur was just a puppet, Amy. The real force behind the takeover of Sterling Global was never my father."