The first federal team reached the old Carter research property forty-three minutes after Claire ended the call.<\/p>\n
I knew because Detective Harris called Lena instead of me.<\/p>\n
He was finally learning.<\/p>\n
Lena listened, asked only practical questions, and came into the bedroom after I had finished feeding Nora.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot confirmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That had been my first fear.<\/p>\n
If Arthur had gone to destroy records, burning the building seemed obvious.<\/p>\n
Lena understood from my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey see no smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of place is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBig.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree buildings. Main research building, warehouse, residential annex.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residential.<\/p>\n
Containment rooms.<\/p>\n
The phrase made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnybody there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris said they\u2019re clearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shifted Nora onto my shoulder.<\/p>\n
My daughter made a tiny sound and settled against my neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want updates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReal ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot \u2018we\u2019re handling it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also need food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI ate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ate half a piece of toast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
That sentence meant something different now.<\/p>\n
Food had become another thing my body did not trust.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the plate on the dresser.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed it to me without making the moment bigger than it needed to be.<\/p>\n
I ate while Nora slept against my chest.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later Harris called directly.<\/p>\n
I put him on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found the residential wing.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many rooms?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOccupied?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the sixth?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
My heart began hammering.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Lena sat straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAdult woman. Approximately sixty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe initially gave us one that appears false.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClinic identity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCondition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDehydrated. Disoriented. No immediate life-threatening injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long was she there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoor locked?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom outside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cage returned so quickly I almost smelled welding smoke.<\/p>\n
Different building.<\/p>\n
Different decade.<\/p>\n
Same method.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was the name on the door?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cRuth Allen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer real name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe now says Miriam Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena whispered, \u201cHis wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWidow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man who died at North Mercer Bridge twelve years earlier.<\/p>\n
His widow was alive inside Arthur\u2019s original containment property.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Arthur keep her twelve years?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that she was held continuously.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s confused. She says she was brought there yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she hasn\u2019t been missing twelve years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did she live?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside Richmond, according to preliminary records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy bring her now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came to me before Harris said anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas left something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarris?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur knew police reopened Vale\u2019s death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought Miriam had evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe keeps asking for a blue book.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin chilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cLedger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they find one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris consulted notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked whether \u2018the blue book is safe.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk what\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who took her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says two men.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hasn\u2019t identified anyone yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel was already in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles double?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Dr. Kent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were too many people.<\/p>\n
But the pattern was narrowing.<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s system needed people who looked legitimate enough to escort someone without causing alarm.<\/p>\n
A doctor.<\/p>\n
A security professional.<\/p>\n
A family friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Miriam know Thomas was involved with Northstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor had claimed Vale discovered one Northstar payment.<\/p>\n
Maybe he discovered far more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does she know about the crash?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t gotten there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she\u2019s receiving medical treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated the delay.<\/p>\n
I also understood it.<\/p>\n
That contradiction had become familiar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else is at the property?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDestroyed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome rooms were cleared recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDust patterns suggest within days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cComputers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral removed. Others left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cContainment equipment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris went quiet.<\/p>\n
My grip tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocks. Restraint mounts. Camera systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six rooms.<\/p>\n
Not cages.<\/p>\n
Rooms designed to look ordinary until someone tried to leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMixed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecent use?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow recent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne room has fresh bedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMiriam\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to narrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen someone else was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNone visible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonal items?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgents are processing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo sign.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left before agents arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity system was wiped at 8:02 this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The time mattered.<\/p>\n
Before Claire talked.<\/p>\n
Before we knew about the property.<\/p>\n
Arthur was ahead.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid somebody warn him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew law enforcement would eventually find it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why leave Miriam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris did not answer.<\/p>\n
That question stayed with me.<\/p>\n
Arthur did not strike me as careless.<\/p>\n
Leaving Miriam alive inside a locked room could be a mistake.<\/p>\n
Or a message.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about my file?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found an intake cabinet.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat straighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still reviewing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitial assessment from six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s investigation after Marcus met me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject has limited institutional insulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase matched Claire\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh relational loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Lena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancially independent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely manageable through spouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
Documented.<\/p>\n
Real.<\/p>\n
Not Claire remembering.<\/p>\n
Arthur had put my supposed weakness on paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he recommend?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProceed with marital integration.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarital integration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he didn\u2019t arrange our meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo evidence of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut after Marcus met me, Arthur recommended marrying me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lena swore softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Marcus see the report?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInitialed.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
He had read it.<\/p>\n
He had known exactly how Arthur evaluated me.<\/p>\n
And married me anyway.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily because of it.<\/p>\n
But never innocent of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Marcus\u2019s intake like?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAge sixteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur profiled Marcus as a teenager?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re reviewing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSubject demonstrates sensitivity to status deprivation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Arthur had identified Marcus\u2019s deepest weakness before adulthood.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hates being denied what he thinks belongs to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be one interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStrong paternal resentment. Maternal dependency complicated by competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Victor.<\/p>\n
It sounded clinical.<\/p>\n
Almost bloodless.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat recommendation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChannel ambition through controlled responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur designed Marcus too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. He studied him and gave the family instructions for managing him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The system had not only classified outsiders.<\/p>\n
It classified its own children.<\/p>\n
People became risk profiles.<\/p>\n
Needs became levers.<\/p>\n
Families became management problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Claire\u2019s file?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot found.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur removed his daughter\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Evelyn\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPresent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPresent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMissing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pattern.<\/p>\n
Arthur removed files most dangerous to himself.<\/p>\n
Claire.<\/p>\n
Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Charles.<\/p>\n
Perhaps his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is in Victor\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll discuss once verified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Victor know you found it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he react?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether the sealed section was intact.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cSealed section?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nora stirred.<\/p>\n
I moved her carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything from Miriam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris spoke to someone in the background.<\/p>\n
Then returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just identified one of the men who brought her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Kent.\u201d<\/p>\n
That fit.<\/p>\n
A doctor was less threatening.<\/p>\n
A familiar professional.<\/p>\n
He could claim she needed evaluation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDescription?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder. Gray hair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she identify a photo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShow her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will when medically appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase irritated me less this time.<\/p>\n
Maybe because Miriam was alive.<\/p>\n
Maybe because I remembered what it felt like when nobody cared whether something was medically appropriate for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when they brought her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says Kent told her Thomas\u2019s old records had surfaced and she needed protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had met Kent years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas\u2019s company medical program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
The network had relationships stretching decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was driven to the property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVoluntarily?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe asked to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoor locked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe blue book.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently Thomas kept handwritten notes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMiriam says she doesn\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Arthur believe her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe says Thomas gave it to someone before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe will only say \u2018the lawyer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne looked up from her laptop across the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris asked Miriam\u2019s treating officer.<\/p>\n
The answer came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe doesn\u2019t know the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMale? Female?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFemale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWeek before Thomas died.\u201d<\/p>\n
My attention moved to Marianne.<\/p>\n
She was general counsel around that period?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
She became general counsel the year after Vale died.<\/p>\n
But she worked legal operations before then.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarianne.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Thomas Vale?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he give you anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
A long silence.<\/p>\n
Lena stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarianne.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Harris\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met him once privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a week before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he give you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cA blue notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
The entire room froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave it to Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said if anything happened to him, I should get it outside Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you chose Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed he had broken from Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you what was in it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you read it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames. Payments. Dates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you tell police after Thomas died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles told me the notebook was secured and exposing it immediately would put Thomas\u2019s family in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed once.<\/p>\n
It had no humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo everyone protected everyone except the people actually in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Charles do with the book?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMiriam thinks it still exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur thinks so too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explained why she had been brought to the property.<\/p>\n
Arthur needed the notebook because Northstar was reopening.<\/p>\n
Maybe the blue book held something not preserved in the archive.<\/p>\n
Something Vale wrote outside the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen find him before Arthur does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris answered quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then another officer spoke on his end.<\/p>\n
Harris\u2019s tone changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat room?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not move it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He returned to us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found something in the fresh room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA hospital wristband.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNora again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
He read the name.<\/p>\n
Lauren Beck.<\/p>\n
The woman who impersonated me.<\/p>\n
The woman supposed to fly to Phnom Penh.<\/p>\n
The woman whose passport remained in Chicago.<\/p>\n
She had been at the original Northstar property.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow recent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBand dated yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she treated somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther belongings?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHairbrush. Clothing. Empty medication blister pack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat medication?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Kent.<\/p>\n
Medication.<\/p>\n
Containment.<\/p>\n
The old system repeating itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Lauren alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur moved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy take her to Northstar after the impersonation failed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris\u2019s answer was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo decide what to do with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phrase made my skin crawl.<\/p>\n
Arthur did not dispose of problems emotionally.<\/p>\n
He processed them.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind the blue book,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFind Lauren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd find Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Lena looked at Marianne.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gave Vale\u2019s notebook to Charles twelve years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Arthur\u2019s message says the old agreement still stands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if the blue book is what Charles has used to keep Arthur away all this time?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
But the possibility fit.<\/p>\n
A dead man\u2019s handwritten record.<\/p>\n
Evidence outside Northstar.<\/p>\n
Evidence Arthur could not edit remotely.<\/p>\n
Evidence Charles may have preserved as leverage against the man he once helped disappear.<\/p>\n
And now Arthur had returned to the beginning because the one thing he had never controlled might still be there.<\/p>\n
The first federal team reached the old Carter research property forty-three minutes after Claire ended the call. I knew because Detective Harris called Lena instead of me. He was finally … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8304","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\/8304","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=8304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8344,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8304\/revisions\/8344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}