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“Thank you for staying late. It’s appreciated.”
Once again, Noah leaned entered the Sentinel Storage offices while Carol locked the office door behind him. “Not a problem, honey. Glad to help.”
“I just need to confirm all bases were covered.”
Carol grinned. “Which base are you on now?”
Noah tried not to wince as he looked at his notebook. “Going back fifteen years, how many other units have been rented out long-term?”
Noah’s military career was only two years and two tours, but the infantry unit and training had left a lasting impression. During the patrol briefings, in case of contact or separation, a rendezvous point was always designated, as well as a fallback or secondary position. The storage unit could have been considered an RV point, and if Noah had time to plan, he would have had a secondary place nearby. The next storage facility was six miles away, leaving few options.
“We’re not supposed to give out customer information.” Carol gave him a wink as she scrolled through the rental agreements. “This won’t take long.”
She wrote down a series of numbers and dates on a notepad while one finger tapped against a keyboard. “There are quite a few long-term agreements, but these are the ones from ten to sixteen years ago.” Finished, she tore the page off the pad and passed it over. “You can’t mention where you got this. It isn’t much, but I need this job.”
“You have my promise.” Noah scanned the notes and smiled. Six units with dates were more than he hoped.
“Thank you so much. Hopefully, there won’t be any problems. I’ll be back in the morning or the next day.”
Noah headed to the parking lot after saying good night and got in a compact rental car. Having a vehicle was essential, and the risk was low. While he did have to show a driver’s license, it was paid for with the corporate credit card. Someone would have to search each rental agreement in the state for his name. One day, it may come to that, but he would deal with it then. For now, he was under the radar.
After starting the car, he didn’t travel far. A small plaza with a dry cleaner and nail salon was a hundred yards down the road. The empty parking lot had a direct line of sight to the Sentinel Storage.
A minute later, Carol turned off the office lights and locked the front door. She climbed in her small Honda and headed home. Noah turned on the dome light and looked at the list.
Three of the units were only four by three feet and were dismissed. The next two were larger and paid monthly by credit card. Five of the six units had a first and last name attached. The last on the list was the exception.
6634990-8
A corporate account paid in full for twenty years for locker seven on T Block—an eight by twelve-foot heated room.
Noah didn’t believe in coincidences as a general rule.
The familiar sense of excitement made Noah grin as he pulled the small bag out of the backseat. He didn’t have time to buy more appropriate attire, but jeans and a green T-shirt with running shoes would do the job. After changing, Noah locked the car and made his way along the side of the property. He had spotted security cameras at the front gate, and they were easily avoided.
However, it left him with a daunting task. The eight-foot fence had a foot of barbed wire along the top. Moving between a spruce tree and the lot's rear corner, Noah planted the running shoe's toe in the diamond-shaped opening. Then, with a grunt of effort, he began the slow climb. Old injuries made his right shoulder ache, but Noah was physically fit and could ignore it. At the top, he carefully stepped over the barbed wire and dropped down onto the grass near a picnic table. Unsure of what may happen next, he moved the table closer to the corner in case he had to leave in a hurry.
Security lights illuminated the main gate and the interior aisles. Staying close to the building and away from the fence, Noah followed the letter sequence north until he found T Block.
He had to get within arm's length to read the numbers.
At number seven, he paused and took a deep breath before he gently knocked against the metal door and whispered. “Leslie Taylor, open up. It’s Detective Noah Hunter. I’m alone.”