Chapter 11 - The Pastor Without a Church
The officers moved toward the sound.
They found Amos Rusk lying beside the rail track. He was conscious, holding his shoulder where a bullet had struck his coat and grazed the skin beneath.
Cole secured his hands.
“Who shot you?”
Amos laughed through clenched teeth.
“The pastor has stopped forgiving people.”
“Where is Luke Mercer?”
“Vale took him to the original room.”
“Where?”
Amos looked at Daniel.
“Ask your wife.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Rebecca is alive?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You said to ask her.”
“I said many things when I thought I would bleed to death.”
The injury was minor, and Reed called for medical assistance while Cole continued questioning him.
Amos finally admitted that Pastor Vale had used the tunnels to move children away from investigations and contested custody cases.
Evelyn identified vulnerable families through her work with community organizations. Vale created documents. Amos transported the children.
“What happened to Rebecca?” Daniel asked.
Amos looked down the tunnel.
“She tried to take the records.”
“Did you kill her?”
“No.”
“Did Vale?”
“No.”
“Then where is she?”
“She reached the original camp.”
Before Amos could explain, every light inside the dam switched on.
Pastor Vale’s voice sounded through an intercom.
“Daniel Mercer, continue alone.”
Cole shook her head.
“You’re not going anywhere alone.”
The intercom clicked again.
“Detective Cole, a pressure gate is connected to the room where Luke is being held. More than one person crossing the final sensor will trigger the release.”
Daniel stared at the dark tunnel.
“Release what?”
“Water.”
Cole contacted the dam engineer. He confirmed that old emergency flood chambers existed beneath the lake, but the controls should have been disconnected decades ago.
Vale had restored them.
“Let me go,” Daniel said.
“It could be a lie,” Cole replied.
“Then I’ll find out.”
“We do not surrender control to him.”
“My son is five.”
“And Luke needs you alive.”
Daniel gave Cole the tracker receiver. “Watch the signal. If it stops moving, come after us.”
He entered the tunnel alone.
The rail track ended at a metal platform above dark water. Across the platform stood Pastor Silas Vale.
Vale was in his seventies, dressed in a clean black suit despite the damp tunnel. He looked exactly as Daniel remembered from Rebecca’s memorial.
Calm.
Patient.
Certain that every person in the room would eventually accept his version of events.
Luke sat inside a glass maintenance booth behind him.
His hands were free, and he appeared unharmed. He clutched the silver bracelet.
“Dad!” Luke called.
Daniel forced himself not to run.
“I’m here, buddy.”
Vale raised a small control device.
“One careless movement opens the lower gate.”
Daniel stopped.
“Let him go.”
“He possesses something that does not belong to him.”
“The bracelet belonged to his mother.”
“It contains evidence stolen from private archives.”
“Evidence of missing children.”
Vale smiled.
“Words shape reality, Daniel. Missing. Rescued. Relocated. Protected. The difference is determined by whoever controls the record.”
“You stole children.”
“We removed them from unsuitable environments.”
“You created those unsuitable environments with lies.”
“Some parents lose their children through weakness. We merely recognized the opportunity before the courts did.”
Luke watched them through the glass.
Daniel kept his voice steady.
“Why take Luke?”
“Because he opened Evelyn’s green box and found Rebecca’s bracelet. The bracelet contains a data key. Rebecca stole it from us.”
“Where is Rebecca?”
Vale studied him.
“She asked me the same question about you.”
Daniel’s breath caught.
Vale continued, “She believed you had stopped searching.”
“I never stopped.”
“That is not what Evelyn told her.”
Luke lifted the bracelet.
“Dad, Mommy left a message.”
Vale turned toward him.
Luke pressed a tiny button hidden beneath the bracelet’s clasp.
Rebecca’s voice came through the booth speaker.
May you like
“Silas, if you are hearing this, the original ledger has already been copied.”
Vale’s calm expression disappeared.
