I called the number before Victor could stop me.<\/p>\n
It was disconnected.<\/p>\n
He swore under his breath and took my phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone sent me a photograph of my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd calling immediately tells them the number reached the intended person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt confirms it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna\u2019s voice cut between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
She turned to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that definitely Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t seen him in twenty-two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
No argument.<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
Victor forwarded the image to his team and began analyzing the metadata. Most had been stripped, but not perfectly.<\/p>\n
The photograph had been taken somewhere in New Mexico.<\/p>\n
The diner sign behind Thomas was partly visible.<\/p>\n
MESA something.<\/p>\n
A highway number appeared on a fuel pump.<\/p>\n
Victor started searching.<\/p>\n
I paced.<\/p>\n
Luna watched.<\/p>\n
Finally she said, \u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re wearing a path into my floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll replace it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what money?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She realized what she had said.<\/p>\n
For one second we both froze.<\/p>\n
Then I laughed.<\/p>\n
It came out harsher than intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. Yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room quieted.<\/p>\n
Our arrangement had always been financial.<\/p>\n
We had been able to joke about it when the consequences were theoretical.<\/p>\n
Now every dollar felt attached to something.<\/p>\n
Mom\u2019s surgery.<\/p>\n
My marriage.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
Luna walked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want out, say so.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has nothing to do with the contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has everything to do with it. Derek targeted you before we married. Voss may be watching your father. My family dragged yours into this decades ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father worked for your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my father failed to protect him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t your debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said the same thing about your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence landed perfectly.<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnoying, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely.\u201d<\/p>\n
She folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can leave. The surgery remains paid. Your debts remain cleared. I will waive the final compensation conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re firing your husband?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m giving him a door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t owe me\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly why I\u2019m saying it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m exactly where I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words escaped before I examined them.<\/p>\n
Luna went quiet.<\/p>\n
I heard them again.<\/p>\n
Where I want to be.<\/p>\n
Not where I had to be.<\/p>\n
Not where Mom\u2019s surgery required me to be.<\/p>\n
Luna looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWords like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I might believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, Victor returned.<\/p>\n
He had identified the diner.<\/p>\n
Mesa Star Caf\u00e9 outside Las Vegas, New Mexico.<\/p>\n
The photograph had probably been taken within a two-mile radius.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we find him?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow quickly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHours if he used a traceable card or vehicle. Days if he knows how to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna said, \u201cWe go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor and I spoke simultaneously.<\/p>\n
She looked offended.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are the person they specifically told to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not an invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means I\u2019m close to something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means somebody wants you scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen they failed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor said, \u201cI strongly recommend neither of you travel until we know who sent the image.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you recommend if your father were in the photograph?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
We left before dawn.<\/p>\n
Victor insisted on driving and brought another security officer named Samira.<\/p>\n
The trip took most of the day.<\/p>\n
Luna worked from the back seat for the first two hours, then eventually closed her laptop.<\/p>\n
I was staring through the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he like?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat surprises you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the man in my memory and the man in those files don\u2019t fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow was he funny?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did impressions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf people?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBad ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere they actually bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTerrible. He used the same voice for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to make pancakes shaped like animals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey all looked like damaged continents.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
I watched the desert move past us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe taught me to ride a bike.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice changed despite myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were always scratched. Construction, security, whatever he was doing. He\u2019d come home with cuts on his knuckles. Mom used to complain that he ruined towels.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my own hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor years, I tried to stop remembering him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid it work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
We reached the diner shortly after three.<\/p>\n
Mesa Star Caf\u00e9 looked exactly like the photograph.<\/p>\n
Faded sign.<\/p>\n
Gravel parking lot.<\/p>\n
Red awning.<\/p>\n
Inside, an elderly waitress recognized Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe calls himself Tom.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was he here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFew days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he come often?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery month or two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know where he lives?\u201d<\/p>\n
She became suspicious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything inside me stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told you about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hated the pity immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe carries your picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat down.<\/p>\n
Luna stood beside me.<\/p>\n
The waitress introduced herself as Marlene.<\/p>\n
She had known Thomas for nearly seven years.<\/p>\n
He lived somewhere outside town.<\/p>\n
She did not know exactly where.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never brings anyone home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he here three days ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas anyone watching him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat man?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSat in the corner. Never ordered more than coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDescription?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave one.<\/p>\n
Victor showed her a photograph of Graham Voss.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Thomas see him?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left through the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he say anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marlene hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me something.\u201d<\/p>\n
She disappeared into the back.<\/p>\n
When she returned, she carried an envelope.<\/p>\n
My name was written on it.<\/p>\n
This time the handwriting was different.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a short note.<\/p>\n
Adam,<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re reading this, then the past finally reached you despite everything I did to keep it away.<\/p>\n
I read faster.<\/p>\n
Thomas wrote that he had followed my career from a distance.<\/p>\n
He knew I worked for Sterling.<\/p>\n
He knew Richard had arranged the first interview.<\/p>\n
He had objected.<\/p>\n
Richard insisted proximity might eventually protect both families.<\/p>\n
Then came the sentence that made me look at Luna.<\/p>\n
I never expected Richard\u2019s daughter to choose you.<\/p>\n
Luna read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
If Luna Sterling trusts you, help her. But do not let her protect the company at the expense of herself. Richard made that mistake too many times.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She looked away.<\/p>\n
The letter ended with instructions.<\/p>\n
A motel.<\/p>\n
Room 12.<\/p>\n
Thirty miles north.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s there,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Victor took the note.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr was.\u201d<\/p>\n
We left immediately.<\/p>\n
The motel stood beside an almost empty highway.<\/p>\n
Single story.<\/p>\n
Twelve rooms.<\/p>\n
Room 12 was at the end.<\/p>\n
The door was unlocked.<\/p>\n
Victor entered first.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
Bed unmade.<\/p>\n
Coffee cold.<\/p>\n
A duffel bag remained open on a chair.<\/p>\n
I knew one shirt inside it.<\/p>\n
Blue plaid.<\/p>\n
Ancient.<\/p>\n
Mom had bought it for him.<\/p>\n
I sat on the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna checked the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n
She held up another photograph.<\/p>\n
It showed me leaving Sterling headquarters.<\/p>\n
Taken months earlier.<\/p>\n
Another showed Luna entering her building.<\/p>\n
Another showed Derek meeting Graham Voss outside a restaurant.<\/p>\n
Thomas had been watching all of us.<\/p>\n
Victor opened the duffel.<\/p>\n
Inside were cash, two passports, a handgun he secured immediately, and a notebook.<\/p>\n
The notebook contained dates.<\/p>\n
Payments.<\/p>\n
Names.<\/p>\n
Meetings.<\/p>\n
Years of observation.<\/p>\n
One page was marked with a red line.<\/p>\n
RICHARD \u2014 NIGHT OF DEATH.<\/p>\n
Luna stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Beneath it Thomas had written:<\/p>\n
Voss entered Blackwood 8:42 p.m.<\/p>\n
Derek arrived 9:11.<\/p>\n
Argument heard from library 9:36.<\/p>\n
Richard collapsed approximately 10:04.<\/p>\n
Voss departed 10:17.<\/p>\n
Derek called emergency services 10:23.<\/p>\n
Luna arrived 10:31.<\/p>\n
Luna sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I crouched beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek told police he had been alone with Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor read the entry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis doesn\u2019t prove foul play.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it proves Derek lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A car engine sounded outside.<\/p>\n
Victor moved instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He and Samira went toward the door.<\/p>\n
I looked through the blinds.<\/p>\n
A dark sedan accelerated away from the far end of the lot.<\/p>\n
Victor ran outside.<\/p>\n
Too late.<\/p>\n
The car disappeared onto the highway.<\/p>\n
Then Samira shouted.<\/p>\n
We rushed outside.<\/p>\n
Behind the motel, a narrow path led toward a dry drainage channel.<\/p>\n
Something lay near the fence.<\/p>\n
A phone.<\/p>\n
Old.<\/p>\n
Cracked.<\/p>\n
Victor picked it up with gloves.<\/p>\n
The screen still worked.<\/p>\n
One unsent message was open.<\/p>\n
Addressed to me.<\/p>\n
Adam, if you found the room, do not follow me. Voss knows about Luna\u2019s trust, but Derek is not the person you should fear most. Richard\u2014<\/p>\n
The message ended there.<\/p>\n
No final word.<\/p>\n
No explanation.<\/p>\n
Luna read it twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he trying to say?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the empty highway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Victor\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
His face changed almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Luna.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you certain?\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s expression was grim.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaomi was attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the parking garage at Sterling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. She\u2019s on the way to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut before she lost consciousness, she told security one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luna stepped toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said the attacker wasn\u2019t looking for money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were they looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor looked at the notebook in my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key to Box 314.\u201d<\/p>\n
I called the number before Victor could stop me. It was disconnected. He swore under his breath and took my phone. \u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d \u201cBecause someone sent me … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16806","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\/16806","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=16806"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16832,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16806\/revisions\/16832"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}