Chapter 14 - WHAT VICTORIA KNEW
Daniel was arrested at the quarry.
He didn’t resist.
That frightened Arthur more than if he had fought.
For three days, Daniel said nothing.
Nolan survived surgery.
Victoria survived too.
Sofia was admitted to a trauma-care unit.
Leo refused to sleep unless Arthur sat beside him.
On the fourth morning, Detective Reed entered Leo’s hospital room carrying a laptop.
Arthur looked up.
“Tell me you found the other copy.”
“Better.”
He opened the computer.
“Elena did.”
Elena stepped into the room behind him.
Arthur stood.
“How?”
“Sofia remembered.”
Sofia entered slowly.
Elena held her arm.
Sofia looked at Arthur.
“Your mother came to the facility once.”
Arthur stared.
“My mother?”
“Daniel didn’t know I saw her.”
“When?”
“About a year after I was taken.”
“My mother died eleven years ago.”
Sofia nodded.
“She was trying to document everything. She hid a storage drive inside a wall.”
Elena smiled faintly.
“Apparently hiding things in walls runs in your family.”
Arthur actually laughed.
It was small, but it was real.
Reed opened a folder.
“We have names, financial records, video, account numbers, contacts.”
“How many victims?”
“Twenty-seven that we know of.”
Arthur closed his eyes.
Twenty-seven.
Reed continued.
“We’ve already located six survivors.”
Elena squeezed Sofia’s hand.
Arthur looked at Leo.
The boy was awake, listening.
“Does this mean it’s over?” Leo asked.
Arthur sat beside him.
“It means they can’t hide anymore.”
Leo thought about that.
“What happens to Victoria?”
Arthur didn’t answer immediately.
“She’ll go to court.”
“Will she go to jail?”
“Probably.”
Leo looked down.
“She used to read to me.”
Arthur’s chest tightened.
Before the nightmare, Victoria had tucked Leo into bed.
Made pancakes.
Taken him to school.
Cheered at baseball games.
People wanted monsters to look like monsters.
Sometimes they looked like family.
Leo whispered, “I hate her.”
Arthur nodded.
“You’re allowed.”
“Sometimes I miss her.”
Arthur swallowed.
“You’re allowed to do that too.”
Leo looked at him.
“Does that make me stupid?”
“No.”
Arthur put an arm around him.
“It makes you human.”
That afternoon Arthur visited Nolan.
His brother looked terrible.
“You look like roadkill,” Arthur said.
Nolan smiled.
“You always sucked at compliments.”
Arthur sat down.
Silence stretched between them.
Then Arthur said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nolan looked at the ceiling.
“Because every year I waited made it harder.”
“You could have saved people.”
“I know.”
“You could have saved Sofia.”
“I know.”
“You helped Dad.”
“I know.”
Arthur’s anger returned.
Nolan looked at him.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
“Good.”
“I just want one thing.”
“What?”
“If I go to prison, take care of Sofia.”
Arthur frowned.
“She has Elena.”
“I know.”
Nolan’s eyes softened.
“But she deserves everybody she can get.”
Arthur stood.
At the doorway, Nolan called after him.
“Arthur.”
He turned.
“Dad said something before he shot me.”
“What?”
“He said Victoria had already finished the job.”
Arthur froze.
“What job?”
Nolan shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Arthur drove straight to the detention wing where Victoria was being held under guard.
She looked pale but alert.
When she saw him, she smiled sadly.
“I wondered when you’d come.”
Arthur sat across from her.
“What job did you finish?”
Her smile disappeared.
“Nolan told you.”
“What job?”
Victoria looked toward the guard.
Then back at Arthur.
“Before I tell you, you need to understand something.”
“No.”
“Arthur—”
“No more speeches. No more half-truths.”
He leaned forward.
“What. Job?”
Victoria whispered, “Daniel never cared about declaring Leo dead.”
Arthur stared.
“The trust?”
“Was bait.”
“For what?”
“For you.”
Arthur’s blood ran cold.
Victoria continued.
“Your mother’s evidence was locked behind a password only you could solve. Daniel needed to scare you badly enough to open it.”
Arthur felt sick.
“Leo was bait.”
“Yes.”
“And you helped him.”
“Yes.”
Arthur stood.
“You’re done.”
“Arthur, wait.”
He turned.
Victoria’s eyes filled with fear.
“He has one more person.”
Arthur stopped.
“Who?”
“Someone your mother trusted with the original records.”
“Who?”
Victoria whispered a name.
Arthur went completely still.
Because the man she named was standing outside the room.
May you like
Detective Marcus Reed.
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