Chapter 17 - CALEB
Marcus was in custody.
Victoria was in custody.
So someone else was still working for them.
Rachel blamed herself.
Nathan blamed everyone.
Grace did neither.
"Find him first. Break down later."
That sentence carried them through the next six hours.
Security footage from Rachel's protection apartment showed a maintenance worker entering with a stolen badge.
Emma recognized him.
Harold Finch's son, Owen.
The gambling debt had not been Harold's.
It had been Owen's.
Marcus controlled the father through the son and the son through money.
Police traced Owen's phone to a closed youth hockey arena owned by one of Marcus's shell companies.
Nathan almost laughed when he heard the location.
The weapon Victoria used against Grace had been a hockey stick from that same arena.
Everything connected back to Marcus's properties.
Police entered through the loading dock.
Caleb was found locked in a coach's office, frightened but unharmed.
Owen tried to escape across the ice.
He fell before reaching the opposite door.
Later, Caleb sat beside Nathan in an ambulance.
"Are you really my dad?"
Nathan swallowed.
"Yes."
"Did you know?"
"No."
Caleb studied him.
"That's what Mom said."
Nathan expected anger.
Instead Caleb asked, "Do you like baseball?"
Nathan laughed through tears.
"I'm terrible at it."
"Me too."
Grace stood a few feet away holding Lily.
Lily waved at Caleb.
Caleb waved back.
For one fragile second, the conspiracy disappeared.
Then Detective Ortiz approached.
"Nathan, we found something in Owen's car."
A legal envelope.
Inside was a court petition already prepared.
May you like
Petitioner: Margaret Cole.
Nathan's mother.
