Miller nodded.
“I'll give you the password.”
Victoria looked at Harlan.
“Did you order Peter Wallace to kill my father?”
Harlan's face was pale, but his eyes remained defiant.
“You think the world is as simple as your father taught you? He was going to destroy an operation that involved people far more powerful than you can imagine.”
“Answer the question.”
“He made his choice.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“He was a father. A husband. A man who believed public service meant something.”
“He was a threat.”
The words fell into the room like a stone.
Nobody moved.
Victoria stared at Harlan.
“You just admitted it.”
Harlan seemed to realize what he had said.
He looked toward the agents, then toward Miller.
But it was too late.
Every word had been recorded by the body cameras.
Sarah approached Victoria.
“We have it.”
Victoria nodded slowly.
“Then let's finish this.”
Two hours later, Richard Harlan was formally arrested.
The news spread through Washington before sunrise.
Charles Donovan was in custody. Edward Lang had been detained at his home. Thomas Miller had agreed to cooperate and provide evidence. Several officials named in the original agreement were being questioned.
But Victoria was not celebrating.
She sat alone in a small interview room, listening to the audio recovered from Miller's computer.
Her father's voice was not on the recording.
Instead, she heard Wallace speaking to Harlan.
“Bennett is leaving the building. He has the file.”
Harlan replied.
“Stop him before he reaches the inspector general.”
Wallace asked, “And if he refuses?”
There was a pause.
Then Harlan answered.
“Then make sure he never reaches anyone.”
Victoria stopped the recording.
Her hands were shaking.
For eleven years, she had carried the official explanation of her father's death. She had believed the accident was tragic but unavoidable.
Now she knew that someone had deliberately turned his final journey into a death sentence.
Sarah entered quietly.
“Victoria?”
She quickly wiped her eyes.
“We have enough?”
Sarah nodded.
“The prosecutor believes the evidence is sufficient to bring charges related to the conspiracy and obstruction. Miller has agreed to testify about the events leading to your father's death.”
Victoria looked down at the recorder.
“Will he testify about the actual accident?”
“He says Wallace told him what happened afterward. He claims he never saw the collision.”
“Then we still need Wallace.”
Sarah hesitated.
“Wallace has requested a meeting.”
Victoria looked up.
“With whom?”
“You.”
Victoria stared at her.
“What does he want?”
“He says he can explain everything about your father's final hours.”
Victoria stood.
“Then I'll hear him.”
Peter Wallace sat in an interview room with his hands cuffed to the table.
He looked tired. The confidence that had once defined him was gone, replaced by a guarded expression.
Victoria entered and sat opposite him.
“You asked to speak with me.”
Wallace nodded.
“I assume you know why.”
“I know you were involved in the operation that targeted my father.”
Wallace looked down.
“I followed him. I monitored his movements. I reported his conversations to Harlan.”
“Did you kill him?”
Wallace took a long breath.
“No.”
“Did you arrange the accident?”
He remained silent.
Victoria leaned forward.
“Peter, I have the recording. I have Harlan's statement. I have your notebook. I have Miller's testimony.”
Wallace looked up.
“Then you already know enough.”
“I know what Harlan ordered. I don't know what happened on that road.”
Wallace stared at her for a long moment.
Finally, he spoke.
“Your father was driving toward Washington that night. He had a meeting scheduled with an inspector general. He was carrying a copy of the authorization agreement.”
Victoria's throat tightened.
“What happened?”
“We followed him.”
“How many people?”
“Three. Me, Miller, and another man.”
“Who?”
Wallace hesitated.
“Edward Lang.”
Victoria felt a wave of anger.
“Lang was there too?”
“Yes.”
“Continue.”
Wallace looked toward the door, then back at her.
“We were instructed to stop him. The original plan was to make him believe the road ahead was blocked and force him to turn around. But he recognized our vehicle.”
“What happened next?”
“He accelerated.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew we were following him.”
Victoria's voice trembled.
“Did you ram his car?”
Wallace closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The room seemed to grow smaller.
Victoria gripped the edge of the table.
“Did you know he was inside?”
“Of course.”
“Did you know he might die?”
Wallace said nothing.
Victoria stood and walked toward the wall.
For several seconds, she could not breathe.
When she turned back, her eyes were filled with tears, but her voice was steady.