Chapter 12 - The Man Running the Investigation)
Deputy Director Thomas Vale had arrived from Washington that morning.
He was leading the federal task force.
Samuel Hayes had written his name eleven years earlier.
Daniel didn't confront him.
Instead, he called Marcus.
They compared Vale's movements with Continuity events.
Vale had supervised financial crime investigations involving three companies listed in Samuel's files.
Each investigation ended without charges.
He had also approved the federal protection arrangement for Caldwell.
And he knew where Maya had been hidden.
Daniel's stomach turned.
The farmhouse attack hadn't resulted from a leak.
It had resulted from the person running the investigation.
"We're inside his system," Marcus said.
Daniel nodded.
"Then we stop using it."
They quietly removed Maya from federal protection.
Elena had survived the attack with a concussion and broken wrist.
She insisted on helping.
Julian entered a separate protected site known only to Marcus.
Victoria remained in custody.
Sloan was moved without Vale's knowledge.
Then Daniel went to Fort Belvoir.
Shipment 7214 was already moving.
A secured truck had departed Norfolk.
Estimated arrival: 8:40 p.m.
Vale called Daniel.
"Where are you?"
"Home."
"Your house?"
"Yes."
Vale paused.
Daniel knew he was checking surveillance.
The house cameras now showed a prerecorded loop.
Vale said:
"We need you in Richmond."
"Why?"
"New evidence."
"What evidence?"
"Regarding Briggs."
Daniel smiled.
"What about him?"
"We believe he's Architect."
There it was.
Vale was preparing Briggs as the scapegoat.
Daniel answered:
"I'll come."
Then he drove toward Belvoir.
Marcus intercepted 7214 legally through a Pentagon security contact.
The truck was diverted to a secure inspection point.
Inside were no weapons.
No explosives.
No classified electronics.
Instead, agents found twelve sealed archival containers.
Daniel stared.
"What's in them?"
The first container held paper records.
Old military procurement files.
The second contained hard drives.
The third contained biological sample kits.
The fourth contained personnel records.
Marcus looked confused.
"This is evidence."
Daniel understood first.
"Not cargo."
"What?"
"Nightglass isn't smuggling something into the system."
He looked at the containers.
"It's smuggling evidence out."
Someone was cleaning an archive.
They opened container seven.
Inside were Continuity files.
Hundreds.
Container eight.
More.
Container nine.
Photographs.
Container ten.
Audio recordings.
Container eleven required special authorization.
Daniel used his legitimate credentials.
It opened.
Inside was a laptop.
One folder.
ARCHITECT.
Daniel clicked.
A video appeared.
Thomas Vale.
Younger.
Sitting across from Eleanor Voss.
Vale said:
"Samuel Hayes is becoming a problem."
Daniel's hands tightened.
Voss replied:
"Then recruit him."
"He won't cooperate."
"Everyone cooperates eventually."
Vale smiled.
"Not Samuel."
The video ended.
Marcus stared.
"We've got him."
"No."
Daniel looked at the screen.
"We've got him involved."
Not necessarily Architect.
Then another video.
Vale speaking with Victoria.
Another.
Vale with Sloan.
Another.
Vale ordering surveillance.
Finally:
SUCCESSION MEETING.
Date: tonight.
Location: unknown.
Vale wasn't necessarily Architect.
He was a candidate.
Daniel remembered Samuel's warning.
Look at the person who benefits from the vacancy.
If the current Architect was about to fall, candidates would gather.
Nightglass had moved the succession archive because someone expected a leadership change.
Daniel called Briggs.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then Marcus's secure phone rang.
Unknown number.
Daniel answered.
Briggs whispered:
"They know."
"Who?"
"Vale knows the shipment was intercepted."
"Where are you?"
"Daniel..."
Gunfire exploded through the phone.
Daniel stood.
"Briggs!"
More gunfire.
Then silence.
A different voice picked up.
Thomas Vale.
"Sergeant Hayes."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Where is Briggs?"
Vale ignored him.
"You've made this considerably more complicated than necessary."
"Good."
Vale laughed.
"Your father said things like that."
"Then you remember how this ends."
"I remember exactly how it ended."
Daniel's hand tightened.
Vale continued:
"Come to Richmond."
"No."
"Then Briggs dies."
Daniel looked at Marcus.
"Proof he's alive."
A groan came through the phone.
Briggs.
Vale returned.
"One hour."
"Where?"
Vale gave an address.
Daniel recognized it.
His childhood home.
The house where Samuel and Victoria had raised Daniel and Julian.
The property had supposedly been sold years ago.
Apparently not.
Vale ended the call.
Marcus immediately said:
"It's a trap."
Daniel picked up his jacket.
"Obviously."
"You can't go."
"I'm not going alone."
Daniel called Maya.
She answered.
He told her.
She became silent.
Then:
"Daniel, there's something else."
"What?"
"I've been reading your father's ledger."
"And?"
"Thomas Vale appears throughout it."
"I know."
"No."
Maya's voice tightened.
"You're missing something."
"What?"
"Samuel never calls Vale Architect."
Daniel stopped.
"He calls him something else."
"What?"
"The Gatekeeper."
Daniel stared at Marcus.
If Vale was the Gatekeeper, then he wasn't the leader.
He controlled access to the leader.
Maya continued:
"And Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"Your father's final ledger entry says the Gatekeeper only answers to one person."
Daniel's heart pounded.
"Does he name them?"
"No."
"Anything?"
"Initials."
"What initials?"
Maya looked at the page.
"V.H."
Daniel went completely still.
May you like
Victoria Hayes.
His mother.
