Vale did not speak for several seconds.<\/p>\n
The voice on the phone did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoward?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale looked older than he had ten minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know where.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Reagan understood before I did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quarry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale looked at her.<\/p>\n
Arthur heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cReagan is with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stepped toward the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinnley.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the receiver from Vale.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have me.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you do sound like Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting tired of people saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you want me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have something belonging to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt belonged to my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire believed many things belonged to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean the four million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat money was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom marked it as criminal proceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother had an irritating habit of turning suspicions into moral certainties.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the incorporation photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you Kestrel\u2019s fourth partner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartner is a generous word.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat word would you use?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArchitect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad had called Kestrel his creation.<\/p>\n
Arthur claimed the architecture.<\/p>\n
Maybe both were true.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you build it for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEfficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney laundering.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose idea was that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why you need to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not tell me now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Carter is listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the camera.<\/p>\n
Vale unplugged the desk phone from its wall socket.<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s voice continued.<\/p>\n
The call was not using the line.<\/p>\n
Carter controlled the building.<\/p>\n
Arthur controlled Carter\u2019s systems.<\/p>\n
I held the receiver away.<\/p>\n
\u201cImpressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur said, \u201cQuarry office. One hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if I don\u2019t come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCamden will.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDriving toward me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad had said he lost Carter\u2019s men.<\/p>\n
Maybe they had stopped following because they wanted him to reach the quarry.<\/p>\n
I called Dad.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Vale grabbed his coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father asked for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been dead twenty years. I have questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reagan said, \u201cThat\u2019s what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale rounded on her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he was alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me after Camden\u2019s crash. That was eight months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t certain before then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Arthur want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to Finnley.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
We left Dennis Industrial through the loading dock.<\/p>\n
Dawn had arrived fully now.<\/p>\n
Employees would begin appearing within an hour.<\/p>\n
My first day of freedom had not yet ended, and I had already broken into my childhood home twice, crawled beneath it, been shot at, discovered my dead father alive, learned my mother had stolen four million dollars as evidence, and found out the father of the detective who arrested me had apparently been directing events from his own grave.<\/p>\n
Oakwood suddenly seemed administratively simple.<\/p>\n
The quarry lay twelve miles south.<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s cemetery truck stood outside the abandoned office.<\/p>\n
Driver\u2019s door open.<\/p>\n
No Dad.<\/p>\n
Vale parked behind a concrete barrier.<\/p>\n
We approached on foot.<\/p>\n
No visible guards.<\/p>\n
That was worse.<\/p>\n
The office door stood open.<\/p>\n
Arthur Vale sat inside.<\/p>\n
He looked nothing like his photograph anymore.<\/p>\n
Thin.<\/p>\n
White hair.<\/p>\n
Walking cane against his chair.<\/p>\n
Oxygen tube beneath his nose.<\/p>\n
Dad sat opposite him.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Unrestrained.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Dad looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you not to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stopped answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale entered behind me.<\/p>\n
His father looked at him.<\/p>\n
Neither moved.<\/p>\n
Twenty years of death sat between them.<\/p>\n
Finally Vale said, \u201cYou let me bury you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI stood beside a coffin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale drew his pistol.<\/p>\n
Reagan stepped aside.<\/p>\n
Dad remained seated.<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at the weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you intended to shoot me, you would have done it before asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale lowered it.<\/p>\n
Not because he forgave him.<\/p>\n
Because Arthur was right.<\/p>\n
I placed the incorporation photograph on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at Mom\u2019s younger face.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire hated that photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed it made us look respectable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, direct answers were more disturbing than evasions.<\/p>\n
Arthur tapped Dad\u2019s image.<\/p>\n
\u201cCamden built a good company. He was ambitious, capable, and na\u00efve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad said, \u201cI wasn\u2019t na\u00efve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou signed documents you didn\u2019t understand because I told you they were routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad said nothing.<\/p>\n
Arthur continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cKestrel was designed to move legitimate money between international subsidiaries efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Dad\u2019s version.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who corrupted it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward Reagan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer employer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reagan\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat employer?\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalcyon Capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalcyon used Kestrel to route bribes and undeclared funds. Claire discovered it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere were you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to contain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting choice of words.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire believed I was protecting Halcyon. She was partly correct.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was protecting Howard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were entering law enforcement. Halcyon knew who you were. They threatened to implicate you in transactions connected to my accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI staged my death to remove leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you knew, they could extract it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
Every father in the room had apparently attended the same school of parenting.<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I understand the explanation. That isn\u2019t the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He accepted that.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire stole four million from a Halcyon transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo bait them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen hid the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd created a trust for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she believed no one would look at her teenage son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe made me part of the scheme.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe made you a dead end.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched the ledger beneath my jacket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why has everyone spent years chasing me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Claire left one final safeguard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at the ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe book is incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s letter said the first page was incomplete.<\/p>\n
Arthur meant something larger.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow incomplete?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe account names are coded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are names beside them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOperational names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ledger can prove the network existed. It cannot prove who ultimately owned several key accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s the key?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe four million?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trust records contain the original transfer signatures. Claire embedded the account identities in the transaction documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she wanted the evidence split.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ledger plus trust.<\/p>\n
Neither enough alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho controls access?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale said, \u201cI\u2019m trustee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at his son.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Camden was declared dead, Claire\u2019s trust moved to its final condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat condition?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinnley became sole controller.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even know it existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to know something exists for a legal condition to activate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are the records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe-deposit facility in Bellweather.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Dad leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Carter want?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter wants money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You misunderstand. He no longer wants Kestrel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why chase the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause somebody ordered him to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward the quarry window.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hoped you could tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reagan said, \u201cYou control him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI controlled him once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did that change?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My arrest again.<\/p>\n
Arthur continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarter\u2019s debts made him useful. I paid them. In exchange, he provided information about Dennis Industrial.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recruited him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou turned my stepson against me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was already against you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Finnley?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never ordered your arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned.<\/p>\n
Vale\u2019s face had gone gray.<\/p>\n
Arthur continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Howard there was a credible threat against you. He and Camden constructed the theft case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfterward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you approve?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen save the distinction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled out Mom\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wrote that you were omitted because she couldn\u2019t prove whether you protected or controlled Kestrel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire never resolved that question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad said, \u201cBellweather is two hours away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at his watch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you should leave now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur turned to his son.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty years dead and you think you still give me orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to tell you something about your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale stopped.<\/p>\n
I watched his face.<\/p>\n
Whatever Arthur meant, it had reached him.<\/p>\n
Reagan touched my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not move.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if I open the trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn who owns the accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will die.\u201d<\/p>\n
The calmness of the answer chilled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that a threat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA warning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA prediction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinnley isn\u2019t opening anything until federal investigators are involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Then relaxed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Progress.<\/p>\n
Small, expensive progress.<\/p>\n
I asked Arthur, \u201cWho has been giving Carter orders?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I expect you to discover it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A vehicle approached outside.<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale drew his weapon.<\/p>\n
Dad did too.<\/p>\n
Reagan moved toward the rear door.<\/p>\n
I remained beside Arthur.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou invited him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I needed to know whether he would come for me or you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vehicle stopped.<\/p>\n
A door opened.<\/p>\n
Carter entered alone.<\/p>\n
No weapon visible.<\/p>\n
He saw Arthur.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappointed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSurprised.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Carter looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinnley.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should ask Arthur who authorized the transfer into the garage they used to frame you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Arthur.<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
Carter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t Camden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe garage lease. The equipment. The payment that created the paper trail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale said, \u201cI arranged it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter reached slowly into his jacket.<\/p>\n
Vale raised the gun.<\/p>\n
\u201cEasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carter withdrew a folded document.<\/p>\n
He placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginal authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
The signature at the bottom was not Dad\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not Vale\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not Carter\u2019s.<\/p>\n
REAGAN DENNIS.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
Her face went white.<\/p>\n
Carter smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk your stepmother why she personally paid to put you in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vale did not speak for several seconds. The voice on the phone did. \u201cHoward?\u201d Vale looked older than he had ten minutes earlier. \u201cWhere are you?\u201d \u201cYou know where.\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11326"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11346,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11326\/revisions\/11346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}