Darkness changed the farmhouse instantly.<\/p>\n
The windows stopped being windows and became black rectangles reflecting the kitchen back at Victoria: Daniel beside the counter, Sarah crouched near the hallway, Victoria herself standing with her pistol raised toward a front door she could barely see.<\/p>\n
Outside, gravel shifted beneath someone\u2019s boots.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestigator Hale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s stolen voice came through the loudspeaker again.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the door and step onto the porch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria looked at her phone.<\/p>\n
The real Elena\u2019s message remained on the screen.<\/p>\n
I\u2019M TWO MILES AWAY. SOMEONE BLOCKED THE ROAD.<\/p>\n
Victoria typed with one thumb.<\/p>\n
HOW MANY WITH YOU?<\/p>\n
The answer arrived almost immediately.<\/p>\n
ME + 4 STATE. TREE ACROSS ROAD. MOVING ON FOOT.<\/p>\n
Victoria wrote:<\/p>\n
DO NOT USE RADIO.<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
UNDERSTOOD.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved close enough to whisper. \u201cThey\u2019ll cut the power next.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already killed the porch light.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t the house power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria looked at him.<\/p>\n
Daniel pointed toward a breaker panel beside the pantry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place has a generator.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou prepared the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone else did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside, a vehicle door slammed.<\/p>\n
Sarah whispered, \u201cWe don\u2019t have later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria agreed.<\/p>\n
She looked toward Daniel\u2019s pistol on the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shoot only if someone comes through that door with a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave her a tired look. \u201cThat was already my plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have formal firearms training?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tonight isn\u2019t the night to discover confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah almost laughed despite herself.<\/p>\n
The sound died when the front doorknob moved.<\/p>\n
Slowly.<\/p>\n
Someone tested it.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
A second voice came from outside, male and natural this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Hale, we have a warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria said nothing.<\/p>\n
The man continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are interfering with the lawful apprehension of Daniel Cross.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cThere\u2019s no warrant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria believed him, but belief was irrelevant.<\/p>\n
\u201cSlide it under the door,\u201d she called.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then: \u201cOpen the door and we\u2019ll show it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you don\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n
No response.<\/p>\n
Victoria edged toward the side window and stayed beneath the sill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho issued it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich court?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man outside finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t make this harder than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria glanced toward Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently court names are classified now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
The kitchen lights died.<\/p>\n
The refrigerator hum stopped.<\/p>\n
The farmhouse became completely silent.<\/p>\n
Daniel whispered, \u201cGenerator should start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three seconds passed.<\/p>\n
Five.<\/p>\n
Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey disabled it,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
Victoria looked toward the back door.<\/p>\n
\u201cExit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCellar,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed toward a narrow pantry door.<\/p>\n
Victoria frowned. \u201cThat\u2019s a pantry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFloor hatch.\u201d<\/p>\n
A heavy impact struck the front door.<\/p>\n
Sarah jumped.<\/p>\n
Another blow rattled the frame.<\/p>\n
Victoria moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cCellar. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed the binder.<\/p>\n
Victoria caught his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re here for the evidence, carrying it makes us slower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s why they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another impact.<\/p>\n
Wood cracked.<\/p>\n
Sarah opened the pantry.<\/p>\n
Daniel reluctantly shoved the binder beneath a loose section of cabinetry instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have copies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent places.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The front door splintered.<\/p>\n
Victoria entered the pantry last and shut the narrow door.<\/p>\n
Daniel lifted a square section of floor.<\/p>\n
Cold air rose from darkness.<\/p>\n
Sarah descended first.<\/p>\n
Daniel followed.<\/p>\n
Victoria heard the front door finally give way.<\/p>\n
Men entered the house.<\/p>\n
No shouting.<\/p>\n
No police commands.<\/p>\n
That answered several questions.<\/p>\n
Victoria lowered herself into the cellar and pulled the hatch almost closed above her.<\/p>\n
Daniel switched on a small red flashlight.<\/p>\n
The cellar was deeper than Victoria expected. Stone foundation walls surrounded shelves of canned food, water containers and old tools.<\/p>\n
Sarah pointed toward the far wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind stacked crates was another door.<\/p>\n
Victoria looked at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really weren\u2019t hiding here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns this place?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA woman named Margaret Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Vale\u2019s widow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dead oversight administrator.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou neglected to mention that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were busy pointing a gun at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Footsteps crossed the pantry overhead.<\/p>\n
Victoria motioned toward the second door.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel pulled the crates aside.<\/p>\n
The door opened into a narrow concrete passage.<\/p>\n
Not old construction.<\/p>\n
Victoria touched the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was built recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVale used the property as a fallback site.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor witnesses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor anyone he couldn\u2019t trust the system to protect.\u201d<\/p>\n
They entered.<\/p>\n
Daniel closed the door behind them.<\/p>\n
The passage smelled of wet soil and concrete dust. Electrical conduit ran along one wall, but no lights worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow far?\u201d Victoria whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a hundred yards.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEquipment shed near the south field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Above them, something crashed.<\/p>\n
The intruders were searching the house.<\/p>\n
Victoria checked her phone.<\/p>\n
No signal underground.<\/p>\n
They continued.<\/p>\n
Halfway through the tunnel, Sarah stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She pointed.<\/p>\n
A thin red light blinked near the ceiling.<\/p>\n
Victoria examined it.<\/p>\n
A camera.<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen were you last here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria looked directly into the lens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew about the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
Behind them came a muffled metallic bang.<\/p>\n
The cellar door.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found it,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
They ran.<\/p>\n
The passage ended at a steel ladder.<\/p>\n
Daniel climbed first and pushed against the hatch above.<\/p>\n
It did not move.<\/p>\n
He tried harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom outside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMust be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Footsteps echoed faintly behind them.<\/p>\n
Victoria looked around.<\/p>\n
No alternate exit.<\/p>\n
The tunnel had become exactly what the attackers wanted: a narrow channel with no cover.<\/p>\n
Daniel climbed down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s breathing accelerated.<\/p>\n
Victoria touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow thick is the hatch?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel answered. \u201cSteel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHinges?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWalls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConcrete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria raised her phone.<\/p>\n
Still no service.<\/p>\n
The footsteps behind them became clearer.<\/p>\n
Daniel lifted his pistol.<\/p>\n
Victoria looked toward the blinking camera.<\/p>\n
Someone was watching.<\/p>\n
She understood suddenly.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurn off the red light.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour flashlight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He switched it off.<\/p>\n
Complete darkness.<\/p>\n
Victoria whispered, \u201cThey have night vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah\u2019s voice came from beside her. \u201cThen how does darkness help?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria took off her jacket.<\/p>\n
She climbed the ladder until she could reach the camera housing, then draped the jacket over it.<\/p>\n
The blinking red dot disappeared.<\/p>\n
Daniel understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t see us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can still hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria climbed down.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah, stand against the right wall. Daniel, opposite side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChanging the picture they\u2019re expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n
The footsteps approached.<\/p>\n
A beam appeared around the bend.<\/p>\n
White light.<\/p>\n
One person first.<\/p>\n
Maybe others behind.<\/p>\n
Victoria flattened herself beside the tunnel wall.<\/p>\n
The beam grew brighter.<\/p>\n
A man came around the bend carrying a compact rifle.<\/p>\n
He expected three trapped people directly ahead.<\/p>\n
He did not expect Victoria two feet from him.<\/p>\n
She struck the weapon aside and drove her shoulder into his chest.<\/p>\n
The rifle discharged.<\/p>\n
The blast inside the tunnel was deafening.<\/p>\n
Concrete dust fell.<\/p>\n
Daniel lunged.<\/p>\n
Together they forced the man down.<\/p>\n
Victoria trapped his weapon arm while Daniel kicked the rifle away.<\/p>\n
A second flashlight appeared around the bend.<\/p>\n
\u201cDown!\u201d Victoria shouted.<\/p>\n
Sarah dropped.<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed the first attacker and dragged him partly upright.<\/p>\n
The second man saw his own partner blocking the line of fire and hesitated.<\/p>\n
Victoria used the moment.<\/p>\n
She fired once into the ceiling ahead of him.<\/p>\n
The shot was not intended to hit.<\/p>\n
The second attacker recoiled.<\/p>\n
Daniel shoved the captured man toward him.<\/p>\n
Both stumbled.<\/p>\n
Victoria seized Sarah\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack.\u201d<\/p>\n
They ran toward the hatch.<\/p>\n
Daniel followed.<\/p>\n
The steel panel above them suddenly opened.<\/p>\n
Night air rushed in.<\/p>\n
A silhouette appeared.<\/p>\n
Victoria raised her weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria!\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s real voice.<\/p>\n
Victoria froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cIdentify.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCaptain Elena Morris. You called me at 3:42 this afternoon because Dalton and Cole cuffed you on County Road Sixteen. You told me to bring an outside supervisory response.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specific.<\/p>\n
Unlikely to have been obtained from a voice sample alone.<\/p>\n
Victoria lowered the weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena, move!\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena reached down.<\/p>\n
Sarah climbed first.<\/p>\n
Daniel next.<\/p>\n
Victoria was halfway up when gunfire cracked through the tunnel.<\/p>\n
Elena pulled her through.<\/p>\n
State officers opened fire toward the passage entrance.<\/p>\n
Victoria rolled onto wet grass.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeal it!\u201d<\/p>\n
Two officers covered the hatch while another dragged a heavy agricultural trailer across it with a utility vehicle found in the shed.<\/p>\n
Shots struck steel from below.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
Elena crouched beside Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah sat against the equipment shed, shaking.<\/p>\n
Daniel stood nearby holding his side.<\/p>\n
Victoria saw blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrazed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena called for a medic.<\/p>\n
Victoria looked toward the farmhouse.<\/p>\n
Two dark vehicles remained near the porch.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid anyone leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw one vehicle pull out as we approached.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDirection?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObscured.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecure the vehicles they left.\u201d<\/p>\n
State officers moved toward them.<\/p>\n
Daniel pressed a cloth against his side.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won\u2019t have left anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople always leave something.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the captured attackers remained in the tunnel.<\/p>\n
If he was alive, he mattered more.<\/p>\n
Victoria approached the hatch.<\/p>\n
Elena caught her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need him alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I. That\u2019s why you\u2019re not climbing back into a tunnel with armed men.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria reluctantly agreed.<\/p>\n
The tactical officers entered from the farmhouse end.<\/p>\n
Several minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then Elena\u2019s radio\u2014on an encrypted state channel now\u2014crackled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne subject in custody. Second subject deceased. No additional contacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria closed her eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
One alive.<\/p>\n
Enough.<\/p>\n
They brought the prisoner out through the cellar.<\/p>\n
He was the man Victoria had tackled.<\/p>\n
His forehead bled. One wrist appeared broken. Otherwise he was conscious.<\/p>\n
He wore black tactical clothing without insignia.<\/p>\n
No badge.<\/p>\n
No visible identification.<\/p>\n
Victoria crouched in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
She recognized the expression.<\/p>\n
Not confidence.<\/p>\n
Training.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho sent you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes did not change.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Then Daniel came closer.<\/p>\n
The prisoner saw him.<\/p>\n
His reaction was tiny.<\/p>\n
But Victoria caught it.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Daniel did too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The man looked away.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake off his left glove.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena did.<\/p>\n
A small tattoo sat between the man\u2019s thumb and wrist.<\/p>\n
Three intersecting lines inside a circle.<\/p>\n
Daniel went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Victoria asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original program mark.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProgram?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe transfer teams used it on equipment. Not people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria studied the tattoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who tried to keep you from making this worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was calm.<\/p>\n
Victoria recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
Not the man who had spoken outside.<\/p>\n
The man from the telephone.<\/p>\n
The caller who knew Dalton had confessed.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner smiled again.<\/p>\n
Victoria crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me Voss wasn\u2019t at the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me Daniel found something he didn\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen help me understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner\u2019s eyes shifted toward Elena.<\/p>\n
Victoria noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows Captain Morris.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena stiffened.<\/p>\n
The man continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuestion is whether she knows herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria said nothing.<\/p>\n
The prisoner looked directly at Elena.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk your mother what your father was doing the night Thomas Vale died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother has dementia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner leaned back against the patrol vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019ve been paying for her care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena struck him before Victoria could stop her.<\/p>\n
One sharp blow across the mouth.<\/p>\n
The prisoner spat blood onto the gravel and smiled.<\/p>\n
Victoria stepped between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s trying to divide us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena stared at him.<\/p>\n
Victoria turned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho pays for her care?\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already found the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me the name.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Daniel.<\/p>\n
Then toward the farmhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still think that ledger records bribes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it record?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDebts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cFavors. Protection. Silence. People moved where governments couldn\u2019t move them. People hidden from criminals. People hidden for criminals. By the end, nobody remembered which was which.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho controlled it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t credible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only true thing anyone has told you tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria thought of Daniel saying nearly the same thing.<\/p>\n
A system without a single leader.<\/p>\n
That made it harder to destroy.<\/p>\n
The prisoner continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoss wants the old network dead. Sloane wants to own what remains. Daniel wants to expose everything. Sarah wants her brother back.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved to Elena.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Captain Morris wants to believe her father was a decent man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally he looked at Victoria.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want there to be a clean answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria held his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, something resembling exhaustion crossed his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the people still hidden by that system to stay alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria understood the implication.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I expose the ledger, I expose protected locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWitnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictims.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why they\u2019ve kept everything buried. They always use the innocent people as the excuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you think publishing names won\u2019t get them killed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never said publish them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI copied it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou set this entire investigation in motion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
Victoria turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel did not answer.<\/p>\n
The prisoner did.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk him who sent your photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria stared at Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk him where he got the anonymous address,\u201d the prisoner continued.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s silence deepened.<\/p>\n
Victoria stepped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat address?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n
Sarah looked frightened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message that identified you came through an encrypted drop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose drop?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Vale\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victoria stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cVale was already dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen someone had access after his death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner laughed quietly.<\/p>\n
Victoria turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know who.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But I know what Vale called that person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The prisoner looked at Victoria with sudden seriousness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Custodian.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darkness changed the farmhouse instantly. The windows stopped being windows and became black rectangles reflecting the kitchen back at Victoria: Daniel beside the counter, Sarah crouched near the hallway, Victoria … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3346"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3362,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions\/3362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}