Christopher survived the shooting.<\/p>\n
That was the first thing we learned.<\/p>\n
The bullet entered below his left collarbone and exited without striking his heart or spine. He lost blood, collapsed on the courthouse steps, and was taken into surgery while federal officers locked down three blocks around the building.<\/p>\n
The second thing we learned was worse.<\/p>\n
The leather case containing the real buyer index was gone.<\/p>\n
A courthouse camera caught the theft clearly enough to remove any doubt.<\/p>\n
An older man in a dark coat approached Christopher seconds after the first shot. He limped. He wore glasses. His face was partly hidden beneath a cap, but when he turned toward the entrance camera, Michael froze the image.<\/p>\n
Martin Pierce Grey.<\/p>\n
Harold Pierce\u2019s half-brother.<\/p>\n
The anesthesiologist whose identity Pierce had supposedly stolen at Valley Regional.<\/p>\n
The man we had assumed was an incidental victim.<\/p>\n
He had not been unconscious in the parking structure because Pierce attacked him.<\/p>\n
He had helped Pierce enter.<\/p>\n
Another staged assault.<\/p>\n
Another false victim.<\/p>\n
I should have been surprised.<\/p>\n
I was not.<\/p>\n
Evelyn sat in her assisted-living room while Michael enlarged Martin\u2019s photograph on a tablet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are certain?\u201d Michael asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you last see him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c1990.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he doing then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelping Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSedation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word made Eleanor close her eyes.<\/p>\n
She had been brought to Evelyn\u2019s residence under protection because nobody wanted her alone after Thomas\u2019s revelations.<\/p>\n
Thomas sat near her.<\/p>\n
Not touching her.<\/p>\n
Close enough.<\/p>\n
Evelyn continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold handled the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPierce?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Harold Pierce.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward Harriet\u2019s video feed, where Harold Cole lay in another hospital bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith two Harolds in this story, even God would have filed the wrong paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in hours, someone laughed.<\/p>\n
It vanished quickly.<\/p>\n
Evelyn said Martin Grey had been more careful than his half-brother.<\/p>\n
Pierce wanted influence.<\/p>\n
Martin wanted invisibility.<\/p>\n
He provided anesthesia for procedures that never appeared on official schedules.<\/p>\n
He altered sedation records.<\/p>\n
He helped move women between private rooms without witnesses remembering exactly when they arrived or left.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he assist in Eleanor\u2019s second pregnancy?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he there when I was conceived?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBirth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression changed almost imperceptibly.<\/p>\n
Another face to attach to something that happened before memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Martin steal the buyer index now?\u201d Michael asked.<\/p>\n
Evelyn answered:<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause his name is on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuyer?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBroker?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWorse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is worse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReplacement physician.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not understand.<\/p>\n
Evelyn explained.<\/p>\n
When families paid for a child with certain promised characteristics, medical paperwork had to support the identity.<\/p>\n
If the child\u2019s history did not match the promised family story, someone had to create records backward.<\/p>\n
Birth weight.<\/p>\n
Pregnancy history.<\/p>\n
Blood type.<\/p>\n
Vaccinations.<\/p>\n
Hospital notes.<\/p>\n
Sometimes even genetic claims before DNA testing became common.<\/p>\n
Martin specialized in making bodies fit paperwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe falsified medical identities,\u201d Priya said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor how many children?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Not every child transferred through St. Agnes.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
Martin had helped create false medical histories that followed people into adulthood.<\/p>\n
That meant the buyer index was not merely evidence of who received children.<\/p>\n
It could expose medical fraud affecting living people.<\/p>\n
Wrong blood types.<\/p>\n
Wrong hereditary histories.<\/p>\n
Wrong allergy records.<\/p>\n
Potentially dangerous even now.<\/p>\n
Natalie whispered, \u201cHe may destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Evelyn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo buyers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blackmail.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Martin had stayed invisible because invisibility was profitable.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Michael held up a finger.<\/p>\n
We recorded.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Older male voice.<\/p>\n
Cultured.<\/p>\n
Calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shot Christopher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo slow him down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not a defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to the recovery trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Priya.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said it anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I begin selling pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who appears on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think they will pay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome already have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not your concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt becomes my concern when you steal evidence from a federal courthouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have become very fond of institutions recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you have become very fond of guns.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ignored that.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur\u2019s system has roughly eighty-three million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are not getting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not need eighty-three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMillion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRetirement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The simplicity made me angry.<\/p>\n
No ideology.<\/p>\n
No family wound.<\/p>\n
No protection story.<\/p>\n
Money.<\/p>\n
After everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shot a man for retirement money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI shot a man who was carrying evidence that could imprison me for what remains of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds more accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand why Raymond likes you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave him out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was never out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still believe Raymond came into St. Agnes because Arthur recruited an honest mechanic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that not true?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was that word.<\/p>\n
Always.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaymond\u2019s brother worked for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad had a brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor looked toward me.<\/p>\n
Margaret too.<\/p>\n
Neither seemed to know.<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was an only child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what he told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Jonathan disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c1984.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three years before my birth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Children.<\/p>\n
Records.<\/p>\n
Cash.<\/p>\n
Whatever needed moving.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Jonathan involved willingly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe started keeping copies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike everyone eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGuilt is repetitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk Raymond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is recovering from surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen perhaps do not upset him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am already upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan found the original buyer index before Arthur did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur had the network records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the buyer aliases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin said Jonathan learned which wealthy families were hiding behind shell names.<\/p>\n
He intended to sell the list.<\/p>\n
Not expose it.<\/p>\n
Sell it.<\/p>\n
Raymond discovered.<\/p>\n
They fought.<\/p>\n
Jonathan disappeared days later.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you saying Dad killed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret stood sharply.<\/p>\n
Eleanor whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin enjoyed the silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am saying Raymond has never told you how he entered this story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he kill Jonathan?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line ended.<\/p>\n
I called Raymond immediately.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Margaret touched my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may be asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hid a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never heard Jonathan\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had not either.<\/p>\n
That was visible.<\/p>\n
We drove to the hospital.<\/p>\n
Raymond was awake.<\/p>\n
The room looked smaller when I entered.<\/p>\n
Maybe because I had learned too many versions of him.<\/p>\n
Mechanic.<\/p>\n
Father.<\/p>\n
Undercover witness.<\/p>\n
Vault courier.<\/p>\n
Possible biological father.<\/p>\n
Confirmed biological father.<\/p>\n
Now brother to a network transporter.<\/p>\n
He saw my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin called.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan.\u201d<\/p>\n
One word.<\/p>\n
Confirmation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had a brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you were an only child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted him gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom your life?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond looked at Margaret.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened her once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan was older than me by four years. He could fix anything. Better mechanic than I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice softened despite himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was funny. Reckless. Always broke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan began driving delivery trucks for private clinics.<\/p>\n
No questions.<\/p>\n
Good money.<\/p>\n
Then one night, he came home with an envelope containing more cash than Raymond earned in six months.<\/p>\n
Raymond asked.<\/p>\n
Jonathan said wealthy families paid for privacy.<\/p>\n
Raymond assumed discreet adoptions.<\/p>\n
Then he saw a child in the back of Jonathan\u2019s truck.<\/p>\n
Not an infant.<\/p>\n
A boy around six.<\/p>\n
Crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you call police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe officer told me private foster transport was legal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corrupt officer.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you investigated yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan warned Raymond to stop asking.<\/p>\n
Then Margaret entered Raymond\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Jonathan recognized her.<\/p>\n
Because of Stephen.<\/p>\n
Because of Arthur.<\/p>\n
Because everything connected.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me Stephen paid for information about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond moved Margaret twice.<\/p>\n
Then Jonathan disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you kill him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know who did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you fight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night I saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n
My head snapped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore he vanished in 1984.\u201d<\/p>\n
He meant the last night.<\/p>\n
Not recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonathan arrived drunk.<\/p>\n
Carried buyer index.<\/p>\n
Said he was going to sell it to Arthur for enough money to disappear.<\/p>\n
Raymond accused him of helping steal children.<\/p>\n
Jonathan said he never took babies from mothers.<\/p>\n
He only drove files.<\/p>\n
Then admitted he had transported children too.<\/p>\n
They fought.<\/p>\n
Raymond hit him.<\/p>\n
Jonathan left bleeding.<\/p>\n
Never came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you report him missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClosed it quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said he had debts and probably ran.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you believe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStephen killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Stephen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan had copied buyer aliases.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Arthur know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you meet Arthur?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough Jonathan\u2019s papers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond found one page in his brother\u2019s garage.<\/p>\n
Vale Foundation reference.<\/p>\n
He contacted Arthur.<\/p>\n
Arthur initially denied everything.<\/p>\n
Then realized Raymond knew enough to be useful.<\/p>\n
That was how my father entered the undercover investigation.<\/p>\n
Not randomly.<\/p>\n
Through guilt over his brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy hide Jonathan from me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if the network resurfaced, his name could become yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDebts. accusations. people looking for his family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you erased him from our family history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you regret it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least the answer came quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Jonathan have children?\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond hesitated.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWoman named Cynthia Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left before Jonathan disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael, standing by doorway, was already searching.<\/p>\n
Cynthia Reed.<\/p>\n
Common name.<\/p>\n
Need dates.<\/p>\n
Raymond gave what he knew.<\/p>\n
Within minutes, Michael found a likely match.<\/p>\n
Cynthia Reed Mercer.<\/p>\n
Marriage license to Jonathan Mercer in 1982.<\/p>\n
Divorced 1984.<\/p>\n
One child.<\/p>\n
Male.<\/p>\n
Born 1983.<\/p>\n
Name:<\/p>\n
Martin Jonathan Mercer.<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin?\u201d<\/p>\n
Not Grey.<\/p>\n
Different Martin.<\/p>\n
Now forty-three.<\/p>\n
Michael searched.<\/p>\n
Current name changed after mother remarried.<\/p>\n
Martin Reed.<\/p>\n
Occupation:<\/p>\n
Federal prosecutor.<\/p>\n
Priya whispered, \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She knew him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is assigned to the sealed St. Agnes civil matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s hidden nephew.<\/p>\n
Jonathan\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
The federal prosecutor handling the case.<\/p>\n
Not coincidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Priya\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is him.\u201d<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
Listened.<\/p>\n
Then looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin Reed says someone sent him the buyer index.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDigital copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grey.<\/p>\n
The other Martin.<\/p>\n
Why send it to prosecutor?<\/p>\n
Priya continued listening.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says the copy includes a handwritten note.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond sat upright despite pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya read.<\/p>\n
IF THIS LIST EVER REACHES MY SON, TELL RAYMOND I WAS TRYING TO GET OUT.<\/p>\n
My father closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
His brother had written it for a child he might never see.<\/p>\n
Then Priya said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The note named the person Jonathan feared most.<\/p>\n
Not Stephen.<\/p>\n
Not Arthur.<\/p>\n
Not Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Not Pierce.<\/p>\n
Martin Grey.<\/p>\n
Jonathan had discovered Grey was maintaining a second buyer list.<\/p>\n
One that included illegal organ and tissue transfers linked to children who \u201cfailed\u201d placement.<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Raymond whispered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does organ transfer mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Raymond\u2019s face went gray.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren who died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly after death?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
That was enough.<\/p>\n
Martin Grey had not merely falsified medical records.<\/p>\n
He may have profited from medical procedures performed on children in the network.<\/p>\n
Jonathan discovered it.<\/p>\n
That may be why he vanished.<\/p>\n
And Grey now possessed the real buyer index.<\/p>\n
My phone rang again.<\/p>\n
Martin Grey.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spoke to Raymond.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you know Jonathan deserved better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou killed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grey sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared.<\/p>\n
Raymond heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grey continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been alive this entire time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s face emptied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Jonathan has something I need.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only surviving copy of the medical transfer ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo make an exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuyer index for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonathan for his son.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Priya.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartin Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want a federal prosecutor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the blood he inherited.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat blood?\u201d<\/p>\n
Grey paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe medical ledger is locked to Jonathan Mercer\u2019s genetic line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another biometric system.<\/p>\n
Another person made into a key.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does Grey need it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo destroy it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo find one name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christopher survived the shooting. That was the first thing we learned. The bullet entered below his left collarbone and exited without striking his heart or spine. He lost blood, collapsed … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18900","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\/18900","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=18900"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18940,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18900\/revisions\/18940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}