Running my hands over every surface and corner, I found the holy grail behind a set of filing cabinets. With a quick flick of my finger, the lock released, and I was able to swing the filing cabinet away from the wall. I wasn't sure what exactly I was after, but the thing was that Kirby’s unusual eyes were more than just rare. They were such an exotic color that legends and myths about eyes like hers were made. Purple eyes were only possible if, somewhere in her genetic makeup, at least one person had a bit of albinism, which was almost as rare as her eyes.

Someone not obsessed with eyes may not know that particular fact, but that was the thing about a collector. We learned all there was to know about what was collected. Kirby mentioned that her mother got pregnant on a mission and that she had a moment of weakness with some random guy. I called bullshit. Margaret was many things, but fucking a random guy type, she was not.

This meant one of two things. Either Margaret was raped and didn’t want to admit it, or Margaret knew who Kirby’s father was and had kept it a secret her entire life. I was betting on the second. I didn’t have any reason to believe that was the case, but I’d studied Agent Lawson almost as much as I had her daughter, so it was a gut feeling.

So that left one question. Why would she lie?

I punched in the numbers from Kirby’s phone and knew if this didn’t work, I was going to have to run for the exit. “Moment of truth.”

With the press of the last number and a quick twist of the handle, the door gave a soft clunk and pop sound as it released. Flicking on the phone’s light, I rummaged around inside the safe and found an assortment of expensive items. The fancy watch and diamond jewelry set would’ve been enticing if I'd been a typical robber, but I wasn’t. Zeroing in on the files, I pulled them out one at a time. I thumbed through the boring documents, not seeing anything out of place until I reached the thick investment portfolio.

“What do we have here, Margaret? You’re quite the devious woman, after all. I’m impressed.”

I took pictures of everything that would be useful and then some. The folder looked innocent enough at first glance, but the very last page had a name on it that was well-known in these parts. Looking closely at the paperwork, it seemed like a business agreement, but it didn’t read properly, at least not for any normal business.