Gregory looked stronger than he had the previous night, but not by much.<\/p>\n
A police officer stood outside his hospital room. Another investigator waited inside beside the window, recording equipment arranged on a tray.<\/p>\n
Daniel entered with Lena and Richard.<\/p>\n
Gregory saw the document tube in Daniel\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped beside the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen they\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I still don\u2019t know who \u2018they\u2019 are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The investigator identified herself and confirmed Gregory had requested to make a voluntary statement.<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want everything recorded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart with Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hasn\u2019t become useful yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n
Daniel felt Lena watching him, perhaps waiting for anger to interfere.<\/p>\n
He forced himself to sit.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe operation was supposed to target you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian Rane wanted you removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSay it clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt nothing new. The shock had already happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Adrian give the order?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles Voss handled communication.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLogistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho gave final authorization?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where it changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRane\u2019s people required confirmation from the legacy trust before acting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Daniel died and the succession failed, they needed assurance the old claim would be recognized.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Elaine was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo whose confirmation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone was using her trust credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s patience tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were inside this for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was inside one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me your piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded weakly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days before the crash, Charles told me the operation had been approved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgainst me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Anna know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe afternoon she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped breathing normally.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes filled with shame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t let them do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou waited until that afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had been trying to stop it another way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat way?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI delayed access. Changed schedules. Fed Michael bad information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of Margaret\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n
She had done the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many people were secretly disrupting the same murder?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory gave a bitter, exhausted laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than were willing to stop it openly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel wanted to hit him.<\/p>\n
Instead he gripped the chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you were in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell her about my car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did she take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned over the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou warned my wife someone planned to kill me using my car, and hours later she drove that car into the attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s monitor quickened.<\/p>\n
Lena touched Daniel\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n
He pulled away but stepped back.<\/p>\n
Gregory whispered, \u201cShe said she had a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat plan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did she contact?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes opened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The certainty mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then Anna knew Charles was part of the operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel sat again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she know about Elaine\u2019s credentials?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found that the authorization approving your removal came through a legacy trust authentication tied to Elaine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImpossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew it was impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen someone forged it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike my signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike Anna\u2019s later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
A pattern.<\/p>\n
Dead people could not deny signatures.<\/p>\n
Dead people could not testify.<\/p>\n
Dead people made useful authorities.<\/p>\n
Richard asked, \u201cHow were the credentials generated?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOld Voss legal systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis firm retained archived identity records from the original trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel remembered Robert\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n
Voss, Keene & Adler.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould Charles generate them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
Daniel saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward the investigator.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret had access too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe broke into Voss\u2019s archive years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Every side possessed enough stolen information to impersonate the others.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Margaret authorize the attack?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer landed harder than Daniel expected.<\/p>\n
Margaret claimed she tried to save him.<\/p>\n
She might also have possessed the credentials that authorized his death.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Anna suspect her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hear the conversation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes, remembering.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018If you want me to believe you\u2019re protecting Daniel, prove it. Stop the car.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop what car?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed she meant Michael\u2019s team.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen whoever she called either couldn\u2019t or wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory nodded.<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of Margaret.<\/p>\n
She had admitted knowing the attack was coming.<\/p>\n
She claimed she delayed surveillance.<\/p>\n
Had Anna called her?<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she had copied the ownership file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rane Trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of the storage locker.<\/p>\n
Some of the materials there were genuine.<\/p>\n
Some planted later.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s original copy might still be somewhere else.<\/p>\n
Gregory continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the crash, Charles ordered me to clean up Bellmont\u2019s records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou altered the accident file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou removed Lena\u2019s report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou authorized destruction of my car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood again.<\/p>\n
Richard moved slightly, ready to intervene.<\/p>\n
Daniel did nothing.<\/p>\n
He simply looked at Gregory.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew the brakes had been damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you destroyed the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if the investigation continued, they would go after Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s voice became almost inaudible.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you buried Anna to protect Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned away.<\/p>\n
The room blurred for one dangerous second.<\/p>\n
He focused on the window frame.<\/p>\n
On the rain outside.<\/p>\n
On anything except Gregory\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
Lena asked the next question.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you Sophie would be targeted?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory wiped his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnonymous message.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf police pursue the vehicle, the child becomes the next accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Charles know about the message?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you be sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I asked Charles to leave Sophie alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t know what I was talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
Daniel felt the pieces rearranging.<\/p>\n
Someone outside Charles\u2019s operation had threatened Sophie to make Gregory suppress evidence.<\/p>\n
Margaret had the information.<\/p>\n
Margaret had a history of controlling people through selective threats.<\/p>\n
But so could someone using her methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you save the message?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy personal phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one missing at the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
Gregory looked genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat phone has everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMessages. Names. Payment instructions. Photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy carry it while fleeing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to give it to someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew where she was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you left her alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI owed her that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel thought of Eleanor hiding in Vermont while Gregory participated in the company that had driven her there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Eleanor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she was the only protector still independent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew about Robert\u2019s nomination?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recommended him to Bellmont because Robert asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died before I joined Bellmont.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me instructions years earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Samuel\u2019s succession dispute ever resurfaced, I was supposed to help you become someone Daniel could trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
The anonymous message had been partly true.<\/p>\n
Richard had been placed beside Daniel.<\/p>\n
But not by Margaret.<\/p>\n
By Robert.<\/p>\n
Daniel watched Richard absorb that.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Margaret know?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she influence it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tried to recruit Richard without him knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClients. introductions. career opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stared.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cDid any succeed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert designed the path carefully. He wanted Richard\u2019s relationship with Daniel to develop naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked away.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the investigation began, Daniel saw relief in him.<\/p>\n
Not because manipulation had not occurred.<\/p>\n
Because his friendship with Daniel might still have been real.<\/p>\n
The investigator asked Gregory to return to the crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Mrs. Mercer died, what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Anna wasn\u2019t the target.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Michael blamed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Adrian know Anna had been investigating?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted everything she collected destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Charles comply?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel caught the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles realized Anna\u2019s evidence could protect him from Adrian.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Leverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he kept some.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Michael?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael blamed Adrian for putting him in the position.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid that create the split?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt widened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Lena.<\/p>\n
The factions had fractured further after Anna\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Her death had not solved their problem.<\/p>\n
It had destabilized the entire network.<\/p>\n
Gregory coughed.<\/p>\n
The nurse checked his monitor but allowed the interview to continue.<\/p>\n
Daniel asked, \u201cWhat happened the morning after Anna died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew the wrong person had died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she had been watching Michael.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s pulse sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know before the crash that Anna had my car?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe claimed she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Margaret knew things before anyone should have known them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exactly what Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI accused her of letting Anna die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory looked toward Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me Anna made her own choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s breathing stopped for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat choice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cExact words.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018Anna understood the price of changing the target.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
Changing the target.<\/p>\n
Not accidentally taking his car.<\/p>\n
Not unknowingly stepping into an attack.<\/p>\n
Changing the target.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what she said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt nauseated.<\/p>\n
Anna had known.<\/p>\n
She had taken his car deliberately.<\/p>\n
Richard whispered, \u201cShe saved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the word lacked force.<\/p>\n
The memories returned.<\/p>\n
Sophie sick.<\/p>\n
Daniel planning to return to headquarters.<\/p>\n
Anna insisting she would handle an errand.<\/p>\n
Her taking his keys.<\/p>\n
Her last text.<\/p>\n
Stay with Sophie. I\u2019ll be home soon.<\/p>\n
Daniel had read it for three years as an ordinary message.<\/p>\n
Now it sounded like goodbye.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Gregory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s eyes filled again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they were going to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could have called police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t trust police channels.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could have told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would have stopped her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be why she didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood.<\/p>\n
He could not remain beside the bed.<\/p>\n
He walked into the hallway.<\/p>\n
Richard followed but kept his distance.<\/p>\n
Daniel pressed both hands against the wall.<\/p>\n
Anna had not simply died because she borrowed his car.<\/p>\n
She may have chosen the car because she knew someone was waiting for him.<\/p>\n
The idea was unbearable.<\/p>\n
Not noble.<\/p>\n
Not comforting.<\/p>\n
It made him furious with her.<\/p>\n
She had left Sophie.<\/p>\n
She had left him.<\/p>\n
She had decided alone.<\/p>\n
Again, protection through secrecy.<\/p>\n
Again, someone believing love gave them the right to make an irreversible choice for another person.<\/p>\n
Lena came out several minutes later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory remembered where Anna said she was going before the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told him she had to meet someone who could prove who forged Elaine\u2019s authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was the meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena handed him a note.<\/p>\n
An address.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized the neighborhood but not the building.<\/p>\n
Richard searched.<\/p>\n
The address had belonged to a small private office complex.<\/p>\n
One tenant occupied the relevant suite three years earlier.<\/p>\n
Vale Strategic Intelligence.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna was going to meet Margaret the night she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel felt anger return.<\/p>\n
Margaret had omitted that.<\/p>\n
She had spoken to him as though she were an observer.<\/p>\n
She had been waiting for Anna.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The anonymous number did not answer.<\/p>\n
Daniel tried again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Then a message arrived.<\/p>\n
I wondered when Gregory would tell you.<\/p>\n
Daniel typed for the first time.<\/p>\n
Did Anna choose my car knowing about the attack?<\/p>\n
The response took nearly a minute.<\/p>\n
Yes.<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Another message.<\/p>\n
But not for the reason Gregory thinks.<\/p>\n
Daniel typed.<\/p>\n
Then tell me.<\/p>\n
The reply appeared.<\/p>\n
Come alone.<\/p>\n
An address followed.<\/p>\n
Richard read it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows what Anna did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe also spent decades manipulating everyone around your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly why you don\u2019t go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the address.<\/p>\n
An abandoned rail depot outside the city.<\/p>\n
Margaret had finally stopped hiding behind anonymous calls.<\/p>\n
Whatever happened there, Daniel intended to hear the truth from the woman Anna had been trying to reach.<\/p>\n
Gregory looked stronger than he had the previous night, but not by much. A police officer stood outside his hospital room. Another investigator waited inside beside the window, recording equipment … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10913"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10993,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10913\/revisions\/10993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}