Chapter 11 - The Truth in a Toolbox
Marcus called Leah before he called anyone else. "Someone followed you and Ruby. Please stay inside the visitor center until security comes."
"Why would anyone follow us?" Leah asked.
"Because they're scared of what Danny knew."
He expected an angry reply. Instead Leah said, "Ruby asked whether her father was brave. I told her he was. Please don't make me regret trusting you with the rest."
June led Marcus to a maintenance shed beyond the motor pool. Brooks brought Viper, now under a temporary hold arranged by Ortiz. A military police vehicle kept watch nearby.
June knelt by a rusted toolbox. Beneath spare cables lay an old handheld recorder wrapped in cloth. "I made the copy when the inquiry started," she said. "Then I hid it and told myself I was protecting my family."
"You were protecting yourself," Marcus said.
"Yes." She didn't look away. "And Danny paid for my silence every day after he died."
The recorder powered on, but a warning showed low battery. June connected it to a portable charger. Its screen listed one surviving file: BLACK RIDGE - FINAL NET.
Brooks glanced at the shed door. "Why didn't you take this to investigators?"
"The first investigator reported directly to Rusk. When I asked whether our dispatch channel was preserved, he said I should be grateful nobody was going to jail."
Viper rose and pressed his nose against the door seam. His ears pinned back. Outside, tires crushed gravel.
A shadow stopped in front of the window. A voice called, "Ms. Park? Mr. Vale would like a word."
Brooks reached for his radio. The shadow moved away, but something heavy struck the locked outer gate.
"We have MPs outside," Brooks warned.
May you like
"Not at the back gate," June whispered.
And from behind the shed came the sharp sound of glass breaking.
