Chapter 13 - The Uncle Who Finally Broke
Scott was arrested the following morning.
He was taken from his mansion in handcuffs while reporters crowded the street.
Margaret watched from the sidewalk.
For years, she had protected him from consequences.
Now she could do nothing.
Daniel saw the footage from Lily’s hospital room.
She was recovering slowly.
Her shoulder would heal, though doctors remained uncertain whether she would regain full strength.
The government announced plans to honor her in the capital.
Daniel cared only that she could sleep without alarms waking her in panic.
Scott requested to speak with him.
Daniel refused twice.
On the third request, Scott’s attorney delivered a message.
I know who ordered Rachel’s death.
Daniel went to the federal detention center.
Scott sat behind reinforced glass, wearing a gray uniform.
For the first time in Daniel’s memory, his older brother looked ordinary.
No tailored suit.
No expensive watch.
No assistants.
No power.
Daniel picked up the telephone.
“Say her name.”
Scott looked at him.
“Rachel.”
“Who killed her?”
“I don’t know the driver.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Scott swallowed.
“Halcyon’s security division ordered the interception.”
“Interception?”
“They wanted the flash drive.”
“They ran her off the road.”
“It was supposed to look like a robbery.”
Daniel’s hand tightened around the receiver.
“She was driving home from the pharmacy.”
“I know.”
“Lily had a fever.”
“I know.”
“You knew where Rachel would be because you had her followed.”
Scott closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Daniel fought the urge to smash the glass.
“Why should I believe anything you say?”
“Because they tried to kill my son too.”
Daniel paused.
“Owen?”
“He disappeared yesterday.”
The news had not been released.
Scott leaned forward.
“They took him because they think I gave you access to the reservoir.”
“Did you?”
“No. But Halcyon doesn’t believe me.”
“What do they want?”
“The archive.”
“Federal agents have it.”
“Not all of it.”
Daniel stared at him.
Scott lowered his voice.
“The chamber contained evidence against executives and officials. But Thomas kept the most dangerous file somewhere else.”
“What file?”
“A list of every active Halcyon operative inside government agencies.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Thomas never trusted me.”
“He was right.”
Scott flinched.
“He left clues connected to Lily.”
“Why Lily?”
“Because nobody paid attention to her.”
The sentence hung between them.
Daniel felt an old anger rise.
The empty chairs.
The forgotten holidays.
The missed school ceremonies.
The family members who never learned what Lily loved, feared, remembered, or understood.
Thomas had hidden evidence around a child the family had trained itself not to see.
Scott continued.
“Halcyon believes Lily can find the list.”
“She nearly died because of your silence.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I lost Rachel too.”
Daniel stood so quickly the chair struck the wall.
“You do not get to say that.”
Scott’s face crumpled.
“I loved her like a sister.”
“You had her followed.”
“I thought they would take the drive. I didn’t know they would kill her.”
“You knew what they were capable of after Dad died.”
“I was afraid.”
“So was Rachel.”
Daniel turned away.
Scott struck the glass.
“They will come for Lily again!”
Daniel faced him.
“Then tell me who leads Halcyon.”
Scott hesitated.
Daniel smiled coldly.
“Even now.”
“If I say the name, Owen dies.”
“And if you don’t, Lily might.”
Scott lowered his head.
Daniel waited.
Finally, Scott whispered, “The person controlling the operation is not a Halcyon executive.”
“Who is it?”
“Someone inside the family.”
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
“Margaret?”
“No.”
“Vanessa?”
Scott shook his head.
Daniel gripped the receiver.
“Who?”
Scott looked up.
“Our father.”
Daniel stared at him.
“Thomas is dead.”
“I saw him after the funeral.”
The room seemed to shrink.
“When?”
“Three months later.”
“Where?”
“At a private Halcyon facility.”
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was.”
“You identified his body.”
“There was no viewing. Mom arranged the cremation.”
Daniel thought of Margaret’s fear.
Her insistence that Thomas had been confused.
Her warning that Daniel did not understand who he was dealing with.
Scott continued.
“Dad created the Sparrow Committee. But he also helped build Halcyon’s surveillance network. When the committee turned against him, he disappeared.”
“Why would he expose the tunnel defects if he controlled Halcyon?”
“Because Halcyon stopped obeying him.”
Daniel remembered Thomas’s recording.
If you’re watching this, then I failed to stop them.
Perhaps Thomas had not meant criminals outside his control.
Perhaps he had meant the organization he created.
Daniel moved closer to the glass.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“You saw him.”
“Twelve years ago.”
“What did he say?”
Scott’s eyes filled with fear.
“He said Lily would one day remember the door.”
“What door?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel left the detention room without another word.
When he returned to the hospital, Lily was standing unsteadily beside her bed, staring at the wall.
“What are you doing?”
She pointed at the hospital room door.
“There was a symbol in the tunnel.”
“The silver bird?”
“No.”
She drew a shape on a notepad.
A rectangle divided by three vertical lines.
Daniel recognized it.
The same symbol had appeared on the inside of Thomas’s storage key.
Lily looked at him.
“I saw it when I was little.”
“Where?”
“In Grandpa’s house.”
Daniel crouched beside her.
“What did Scott mean when he said you would remember the door?”
Lily’s breathing changed.
A memory surfaced.
A basement.
Thomas’s hand holding hers.
A steel door painted green.
Music playing from somewhere behind it.
May you like
She looked at Daniel.
“Grandpa told me never to open it until the city called me a hero.”
