The hospital moved me before the vehicle reached the county line.<\/p>\n
Nobody asked whether I wanted to go.<\/p>\n
Detective Brooks entered with two uniformed officers and told Clare and me to collect our things.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecure location.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Dererick coming here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why move me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knows where you were examined.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could reasonably assume.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n
We were taken through a service corridor instead of the main entrance.<\/p>\n
I wore borrowed hospital clothes beneath Clare\u2019s coat. My own belongings remained sealed as evidence.<\/p>\n
Outside, an unmarked SUV waited with its engine running.<\/p>\n
I climbed into the rear beside Clare.<\/p>\n
Brooks sat in front.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s the vehicle now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill southbound.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice following?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not stop it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to identify occupants and avoid forcing a confrontation in an isolated area.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan they see Dererick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot clearly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat vehicle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDark pickup.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRegistered to?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStolen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Every layer of his life seemed to contain another prepared exit.<\/p>\n
We drove away from the hospital.<\/p>\n
I watched the city through tinted glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks said, \u201cA protected interview site.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice station?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we don\u2019t want predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n
That word finally sounded intelligent to me.<\/p>\n
Dererick relied on prediction.<\/p>\n
He predicted when I would become sleepy.<\/p>\n
How I would explain bruises.<\/p>\n
What Clare would believe.<\/p>\n
What police might think.<\/p>\n
What story could replace the truth.<\/p>\n
Perhaps unpredictability was the one thing he could not comfortably manage.<\/p>\n
My thoughts returned to the pickup.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was beside him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know that anyone is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said occupants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossible occupants.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
Clare touched my wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop interrogating the detective.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice contained no criticism.<\/p>\n
Only fatigue.<\/p>\n
Brooks\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered through the vehicle system.<\/p>\n
A voice gave rapid location updates.<\/p>\n
The pickup had turned west.<\/p>\n
Then south again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does that take them?\u201d I asked when the call ended.<\/p>\n
\u201cToward the interstate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAirport?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks looked at the navigation display.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the moving map.<\/p>\n
Then I recognized the route.<\/p>\n
\u201cClare.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat road.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt goes near your apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Brooks turned partly around.<\/p>\n
\u201cAddress?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare gave it.<\/p>\n
He immediately relayed the information.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Dererick go there?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
I knew.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy computer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat computer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old laptop I keep at your place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t used that in months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has backups.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmails. Tax records. Client files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything useful to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy old password manager.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks turned fully.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it current?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But some passwords may still work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeys to your apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare\u2019s face drained.<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick has been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he have a key?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave Anna a spare.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine was on my main key ring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The keys in my purse.<\/p>\n
The purse I had carried to Mr. Peterson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Dererick did not have them.<\/p>\n
Unless he had copied the key earlier.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could have made one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks was already speaking into his radio.<\/p>\n
The SUV changed direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t going there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pickup continued south.<\/p>\n
Then suddenly stopped.<\/p>\n
A surveillance unit reported it parked behind a grocery store.<\/p>\n
No movement.<\/p>\n
Five minutes.<\/p>\n
Ten.<\/p>\n
Police approached.<\/p>\n
The truck was empty.<\/p>\n
Dererick had switched vehicles again.<\/p>\n
But officers found something on the passenger seat.<\/p>\n
A phone.<\/p>\n
Not his.<\/p>\n
Jennifer\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The same phone used to send the warning about Sophie.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe planted it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Brooks nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTracking diversion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted police following the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he\u2019s already somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare whispered, \u201cMy apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks called again.<\/p>\n
Officers reached her building seven minutes later.<\/p>\n
The door was locked.<\/p>\n
No sign of forced entry.<\/p>\n
Inside, however, the old laptop was gone.<\/p>\n
Clare stared at the seat in front of her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone was,\u201d Brooks said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger finally overtook fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe keeps getting ahead because he knows us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooks said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew Clare would come to the hospital. He knew my backups were at her apartment. He knows where my parents live. He knows my clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re protecting people connected to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs many as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the answer I can give.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward the window.<\/p>\n
The SUV entered an underground garage beneath an office building.<\/p>\n
We transferred through a secured elevator into rooms that looked intentionally anonymous.<\/p>\n
No exterior windows.<\/p>\n
Gray carpet.<\/p>\n
Conference table.<\/p>\n
Coffee machine.<\/p>\n
Clare and I were placed in one room while Brooks coordinated outside.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I noticed how exhausted my body was.<\/p>\n
I had not slept.<\/p>\n
I had barely eaten.<\/p>\n
Adrenaline had carried me through the night, but now my hands felt heavy.<\/p>\n
The sensation terrified me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeavy arms,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Clare looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I told you on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
She understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re tired now. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow would I know?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood and brought me bottled water.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you haven\u2019t taken anything from Dererick.\u201d<\/p>\n
I checked the seal before opening it.<\/p>\n
Clare noticed.<\/p>\n
Neither of us commented.<\/p>\n
Half an hour passed.<\/p>\n
Then Shaw arrived.<\/p>\n
There was dried mud on the hem of her trousers.<\/p>\n
\u201cJennifer and Sophie are together,\u201d she said immediately.<\/p>\n
I exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Jennifer talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the cabin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSignificant evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rubbed my forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was at the cabin?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecords, medications, electronic devices and personal property linked to several victims.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore like a staging location.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Jennifer recognize it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had been there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that where she lived?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes.<\/p>\n
The word told me how thoroughly they had denied her even the stability of captivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say where Dererick would go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gave us several possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClare\u2019s apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did he know about my old laptop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your husband had copies of your digital records.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPasswords. Account recovery information. Contacts. Old device lists.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had access to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want from the laptop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the discredit package.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw sat across from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna, I need to ask you about someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark Peterson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Peterson\u2019s son?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fake affair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why his name first came up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you last see him?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonths ago. He visited his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeak to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEver message him privately?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPhone calls?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Dererick know him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey met.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought barely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark Peterson\u2019s number appears repeatedly in Dererick\u2019s communications.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder an alias.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know it\u2019s Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSubscriber records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat alias?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMP17.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered the client code Jennifer mentioned.<\/p>\n
A17.<\/p>\n
Not the same.<\/p>\n
But close enough to make my skin crawl.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were they talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome messages concern surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare said my name softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Peterson helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis son is not his father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But suddenly the fabricated affair seemed less random.<\/p>\n
Dererick had selected Mark because Mark was already connected somehow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Mark do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re establishing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he photograph me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose pictures outside the grocery store?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mr. Peterson know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo evidence of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the old man writing down van plates on his calendar.<\/p>\n
His horror when Dererick accused him of watching too much.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
If he was acting, he deserved an award.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does MP17 mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Mark part of Bellweather?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot formally.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw opened a folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark works in private security.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered almost nothing about him except broad shoulders, easy smile, and a habit of checking his phone while talking.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me corporate security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe works for a contractor that provides surveillance and protective services.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Bellweather?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong other clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick hired him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayments suggest someone did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleven months of photographs.<\/p>\n
A year of payments.<\/p>\n
The pieces aligned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark was watching me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe he may have participated in surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes his father know what he does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re speaking to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Mark now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Another missing person who was not a victim.<\/p>\n
Or maybe was.<\/p>\n
I no longer trusted categories.<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
She checked it.<\/p>\n
Then looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe located Mark\u2019s vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNear your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he go to my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n
Then another message arrived.<\/p>\n
Shaw read it.<\/p>\n
\u201cVehicle empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInside the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy house is secured.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShould be?\u201d<\/p>\n
She was already standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The door closed behind her.<\/p>\n
Clare and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat if Mark isn\u2019t helping Dererick anymore?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe parked near your house. Maybe he\u2019s trying to get something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor himself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the concealed compartment.<\/p>\n
The notebook.<\/p>\n
The briefcase.<\/p>\n
Most had been seized.<\/p>\n
What could remain?<\/p>\n
Then I remembered something so ordinary I had ignored it all morning.<\/p>\n
Dererick\u2019s work laptop.<\/p>\n
The company machine.<\/p>\n
I had searched for his personal laptop because I knew it was hidden.<\/p>\n
But his work bag had usually sat downstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis work computer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw it last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood and went to the door.<\/p>\n
The officer outside stopped me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need Shaw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll return.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He radioed.<\/p>\n
Two minutes later Shaw came back.<\/p>\n
I told her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was the work laptop normally kept?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKitchen desk or his car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it there when officers searched?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She called Price.<\/p>\n
The answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
No work laptop had been recovered from the house, Dererick\u2019s vehicle, Northstar or the rehab facility.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould it be with him?\u201d Clare asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Mark\u2019s car doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unless Mark had it.<\/p>\n
The thought arrived simultaneously for all of us.<\/p>\n
Shaw stepped out again.<\/p>\n
Minutes later, officers searching around my house found a man behind the detached garage.<\/p>\n
Mark Peterson.<\/p>\n
He did not run.<\/p>\n
He raised his hands.<\/p>\n
He was carrying a laptop bag.<\/p>\n
Dererick\u2019s company logo was printed on the side.<\/p>\n
Police detained him.<\/p>\n
I waited for relief.<\/p>\n
None came.<\/p>\n
At 2:46 that afternoon, Shaw returned with a photograph taken during Mark\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n
He looked older than I remembered, unshaven and exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims he took the laptop before police arrived this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says Dererick told him to.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he\u2019s working for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark says he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims he realized last night that the operation was moving into what he called terminal cleanup.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believes Dererick intends to destroy evidence and eliminate people who can identify the network.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEliminate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw did not soften it.<\/p>\n
\u201cKill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clare gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cJennifer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElaine? Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy steal the laptop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark says it contains an offline access key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA remote server.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe archive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch larger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow large?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims Dererick\u2019s personal laptop only contained active working files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the server?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears of records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many victims?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s expression told me before she answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark says more than forty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The number did not feel real.<\/p>\n
Forty women.<\/p>\n
Forty lives turned into folders, photographs, codes and transactions.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you access it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDigital investigators are working on the laptop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Mark?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes his father know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pictured Mr. Peterson alone at his kitchen table, discovering that the son he trusted may have helped the man across the street monitor me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mark photograph me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hurt more than I expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know Dererick was drugging me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says not initially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he kept working.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney. Fear. Then leverage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat leverage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDererick recorded Mark participating in illegal surveillance and other activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Dererick controlled him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is Mark\u2019s account.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt no sympathy yet.<\/p>\n
Maybe later.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Mark know where Dererick is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave us several safe locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything useful?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne location wasn\u2019t in our records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw unfolded a map.<\/p>\n
An address had been circled.<\/p>\n
I recognized the neighborhood immediately.<\/p>\n
It was less than three miles from Clare\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA rented townhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot Dererick\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Mark, it is maintained for A17.\u201d<\/p>\n
The client code from my graduation file.<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is A17?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark claims he never knew the real name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Dererick did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does A17 want with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark says you were selected specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSelected when?\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore the surveillance began.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMark says Dererick first asked him to gather information on you fourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt something inside me go still.<\/p>\n
Fourteen months.<\/p>\n
That was before the first photographs.<\/p>\n
Before the drugs.<\/p>\n
But not before my marriage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would a stranger select me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind raced through clients, former coworkers, old friends, people I had argued with, people I had forgotten.<\/p>\n
Then Shaw\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Listened.<\/p>\n
Her expression hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecure the townhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe server team opened one of the encrypted index files.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey found A17.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf who?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t tell us anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photograph wasn\u2019t taken during surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to the embedded date, six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recognize where you were?\u201d<\/p>\n
She showed me the image.<\/p>\n
I was younger.<\/p>\n
Standing outside a hotel conference center.<\/p>\n
A portfolio tucked beneath one arm.<\/p>\n
I remembered the day.<\/p>\n
My first regional design conference.<\/p>\n
I had gone alone.<\/p>\n
Six years ago.<\/p>\n
Two years before I married Dererick.<\/p>\n
Someone had photographed me then.<\/p>\n
Before he was my husband.<\/p>\n
Before I believed we had met.<\/p>\n
And according to the server record, the image belonged to the client who had eventually chosen me.<\/p>\n
The hospital moved me before the vehicle reached the county line. Nobody asked whether I wanted to go. Detective Brooks entered with two uniformed officers and told Clare and me … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13652","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\/13652","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=13652"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13676,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13652\/revisions\/13676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}