The memory card contained seventy-three files.<\/p>\n
Most were financial records.<\/p>\n
A few were photographs.<\/p>\n
There were scanned passports, travel reservations, property documents, and lists of names.<\/p>\n
Rebecca read them slowly.<\/p>\n
The names were not all familiar.<\/p>\n
Some belonged to employees who had resigned suddenly.<\/p>\n
Others belonged to contractors who had disappeared from company records.<\/p>\n
There were dates beside each name.<\/p>\n
Some were marked with a letter.<\/p>\n
Some with a question mark.<\/p>\n
Several were crossed out.<\/p>\n
Rebecca recognized one immediately.<\/p>\n
Thomas Hale.<\/p>\n
His name had been marked with a question mark.<\/p>\n
Another name was Daniel Mercer.<\/p>\n
Beside Daniel's name was a single word.<\/p>\n
Compromised.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at it.<\/p>\n
Daniel had been arrested.<\/p>\n
He had been convicted.<\/p>\n
But according to these records, the people controlling the scheme had expected him to fail.<\/p>\n
He had never been trusted.<\/p>\n
He had only been useful.<\/p>\n
Rebecca moved to the next page.<\/p>\n
Marlene.<\/p>\n
Compromised.<\/p>\n
The chief executive.<\/p>\n
Contained.<\/p>\n
His wife.<\/p>\n
Contained.<\/p>\n
Rebecca frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does contained mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attorney looked at the document.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could mean they were under control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr being monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She scrolled farther.<\/p>\n
Then she stopped.<\/p>\n
One name made her hands go numb.<\/p>\n
Rachel Carter.<\/p>\n
She stared at it.<\/p>\n
Her sister.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, she couldn't breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attorney looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she connected to the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe worked in a different field. She had nothing to do with my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the file was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
Rachel's name appeared twice.<\/p>\n
Beside it was an address.<\/p>\n
Rebecca recognized it.<\/p>\n
It was the house Rachel had rented before moving to another city.<\/p>\n
The date was eleven years earlier.<\/p>\n
Rebecca called her immediately.<\/p>\n
Rachel answered on the fourth ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning to you too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel heard the fear in her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever know someone named Victor Ames?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause his name is in a file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat file?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA file connected to my case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stopped speaking.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll come to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don't know who has that information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca's stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat aren't you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel's voice became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was warned not to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll come tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at her attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think she's involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should let the investigators determine that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca hated the answer.<\/p>\n
But she knew it was the right one.<\/p>\n
The investigators traced Victor Ames.<\/p>\n
He had been a consultant.<\/p>\n
He had worked for several companies connected to the foundation.<\/p>\n
He had died eight years earlier.<\/p>\n
But his financial records showed payments to Rachel.<\/p>\n
Small amounts.<\/p>\n
Regularly.<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt betrayed.<\/p>\n
She called Rachel again.<\/p>\n
This time there was no answer.<\/p>\n
That evening, police located her.<\/p>\n
She was at a hotel.<\/p>\n
She had checked in under her own name.<\/p>\n
When Rebecca arrived, Rachel opened the door.<\/p>\n
They looked at each other.<\/p>\n
Neither spoke.<\/p>\n
Finally, Rachel said, \u201cI knew you'd find out eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stepped inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at her.<\/p>\n
Rachel began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot because you would hurt me. Because I knew what would happen if you kept digging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel wiped her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor approached me eleven years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he worked with people who were worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had started asking questions at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn't even found the major fraud yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had noticed enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe offered me money to tell him whether you were planning to report anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I thought it was harmless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel's voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey told me you were making accusations against innocent people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the alternative scared me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they threaten?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel didn't answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey showed me photographs of Sophie.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Rebecca's hands began shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew where she went to school?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told that if you kept investigating, Sophie would be used to pressure you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause they said if I did, they'd know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel began crying harder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have hated myself for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca stood.<\/p>\n
She wanted to be angry.<\/p>\n
She was angry.<\/p>\n
But beneath it was something worse.<\/p>\n
Grief.<\/p>\n
Her own sister had been manipulated into helping people who were watching her.<\/p>\n
Yet Rachel had also tried to protect herself.<\/p>\n
Rebecca didn't know where one truth ended and the other began.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about the basement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about Marlene?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know they were going to take me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca believed her.<\/p>\n
Not completely.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
The investigators questioned Rachel.<\/p>\n
She gave them every message she had saved.<\/p>\n
There were dozens.<\/p>\n
Most came from Victor.<\/p>\n
Some came from an unknown number.<\/p>\n
One message was particularly important.<\/p>\n
It had been sent three days before Rebecca disappeared.<\/p>\n
Stop asking questions. She will understand eventually.<\/p>\n
Rachel had saved it because she had been frightened by the wording.<\/p>\n
The investigators traced the number.<\/p>\n
It had been registered to a disposable phone.<\/p>\n
But the location data placed it near the company headquarters.<\/p>\n
Then they found another message.<\/p>\n
This one had been sent from Daniel's phone.<\/p>\n
Rachel hadn't opened it until months later.<\/p>\n
It said:<\/p>\n
If she won't stop, use the daughter.<\/p>\n
Rebecca read it.<\/p>\n
Her hands went cold.<\/p>\n
That was the moment she understood.<\/p>\n
Daniel had known about the plan to use Sophie before the basement.<\/p>\n
He had not merely been monitoring Rebecca.<\/p>\n
He had been part of the threat system.<\/p>\n
But another question remained.<\/p>\n
Who had ordered it?<\/p>\n
The investigators returned to the foundation.<\/p>\n
Its records showed that payments to Rachel stopped shortly before Rebecca disappeared.<\/p>\n
The money had been redirected.<\/p>\n
To Marlene.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at the transaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey replaced her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you I was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you don't forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
They sat in silence.<\/p>\n
Later that night, Rebecca received a call from the prosecutor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour old company had a second internal security department.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew about security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA private intelligence operation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor employees?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor employees, competitors, regulators, journalists, and anyone else they considered a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho ran it?\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecutor paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cA man named Victor Ames.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at Rachel.<\/p>\n
Rachel closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he was never just a consultant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA fixer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word hung between them.<\/p>\n
A person who solved problems quietly.<\/p>\n
A person who made inconvenient people disappear from the surface of a company.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at the files again.<\/p>\n
Victor had died eight years earlier.<\/p>\n
But his network had continued.<\/p>\n
Someone had inherited it.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor gave her another name.<\/p>\n
Rebecca didn't recognize it.<\/p>\n
Then he gave her the person's position.<\/p>\n
Former head of corporate security.<\/p>\n
Rebecca felt a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat person was at my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe night the basement door was open.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecutor went silent.<\/p>\n
Rebecca remembered.<\/p>\n
The security company.<\/p>\n
The false identity.<\/p>\n
The person who had supposedly been protecting them.<\/p>\n
She suddenly understood.<\/p>\n
Someone hadn't broken into the house that night.<\/p>\n
Someone had already been inside.<\/p>\n
The memory card contained seventy-three files. Most were financial records. A few were photographs. There were scanned passports, travel reservations, property documents, and lists of names. Rebecca read them slowly. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7230","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\/7230","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=7230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7265,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7230\/revisions\/7265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}