Chapter 13 - the brother who watched from the shadows)
Ryan did not sleep.
At dawn, Claire placed a phone number on the table.
"Daniel gave me this two years ago."
Ryan stared at it.
"Does it work?"
"I don't know."
"You never called?"
"Once. After Sarah contacted me."
"And?"
"No answer."
Ryan entered the number into Ruiz's secure phone.
Disconnected.
Ruiz attempted to trace historical records.
Nothing.
A prepaid device.
Cash purchased.
No registered owner.
By afternoon, federal agents had confirmed more of Gavin's story.
Thomas Carter had funded Gavin's education.
Gavin had indeed joined Ryan's life under instruction.
But evidence suggested Gavin had quietly begun helping Sarah during the final months of her investigation.
"He may have switched sides," Ruiz admitted.
Ryan looked at her.
"Do you trust him?"
"No."
"Good."
"But I think someone wanted us to believe Gavin was the center of this."
"Daniel?"
"Maybe."
Claire entered carrying Lily's silver necklace.
"Lily remembered something."
Ryan turned.
Lily stood behind her.
"What?"
The girl held up her stuffed rabbit.
"Mommy put something here."
Ryan crouched.
"Inside the rabbit?"
Lily nodded.
Ruiz examined it.
A seam along the back had been sewn by hand.
Inside the stuffing they found a small brass key.
Not digital.
Not encrypted.
A real key.
Attached to it was a paper tag.
M-17.
Ruiz looked at Ryan.
"Meridian?"
"Probably."
They searched the recovered files.
M-17 appeared once.
A storage facility near the Boston waterfront.
Unit 17.
Ruiz arranged a warrant.
By evening they were inside.
The storage unit contained no money.
No drugs.
No weapons.
Only boxes.
Hundreds of boxes.
Files dating back twenty-five years.
Photographs.
Property deeds.
Bank records.
Recordings.
Meridian's history.
Sarah had found the archive.
And she had hidden the key with Lily.
Ryan searched box after box.
Then he saw his father's handwriting.
CAR-14.
Inside were photographs of Daniel.
Age seven.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty-one.
Twenty-nine.
Thomas had known exactly where his missing son was.
Ryan's hands shook.
Claire stood beside him.
"Your father was watching him."
Ryan opened another folder.
Reports documented Daniel's education, employment, relationships, even medical appointments.
Thomas had never stopped monitoring him.
At thirty-one, Daniel disappeared from the records.
The next document contained one sentence.
Subject has become operational.
Ryan looked at Ruiz.
"Operational for what?"
Nobody knew.
Another box contained audio recordings.
Ryan inserted one into an old player.
His father's voice filled the storage unit.
"If Daniel contacts Ryan, do not engage. Observe only. Ryan must never know he has a brother."
A second voice answered.
Gavin.
"What if Daniel tells him?"
Thomas replied.
"Then we remove Daniel."
Ryan stopped the recording.
Claire looked sick.
Ruiz whispered, "Your father ordered your brother killed."
Ryan found another recording dated four years ago.
Days before Thomas's death.
Thomas sounded weak.
"Daniel, if you're hearing this, then you finally found the archive."
Ryan froze.
It was meant for his brother.
Thomas continued.
"I know you hate me. You have every right. But Theo lied to you about the fire. He lied about your mother. He lied about Ryan."
Ryan gripped the table.
"Ryan never abandoned you. He never knew you survived."
Ryan closed his eyes.
"Meridian became something neither Theo nor I could control. If you want revenge, take it against me. Leave Ryan and his family out of it."
Static.
Then one final sentence.
"And if Sarah Mitchell finds you, trust her."
Ryan stared at the recorder.
His father had known Sarah would search for Daniel.
Suddenly alarms sounded outside the storage unit.
Ruiz grabbed her weapon.
"Stay here."
Smoke appeared beneath the door.
"Fire!"
Agents shouted from the corridor.
Ryan grabbed the box containing Daniel's records.
Claire took Lily's rabbit.
The lights went out.
Somebody had set the storage facility on fire.
They escaped through a rear loading door seconds before flames consumed the hallway.
As firefighters arrived, Ryan stared at the burning building.
Someone was destroying Meridian's archive.
Ruiz's phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed.
"What?"
Ryan stepped closer.
Ruiz lowered the phone.
"Your safe house was attacked."
Claire went white.
"Ethan and Lily?"
"The officers moved them before entry."
Ryan closed his eyes.
"They're safe?"
"For now."
Ruiz hesitated.
"There's more."
"What?"
"The attacker left something behind."
"What?"
"A note."
Ryan waited.
Ruiz looked directly at him.
"It says, Ryan, stop looking for me."
May you like
At the bottom was a name.
Daniel.
