Perhaps that had been Daniel's intention.
Perhaps the toolbox itself was never the real secret.
Marcus turned toward Miriam.
"We'll take the ledger and the recording with us. But first, I want you to contact someone you trust and arrange to stay somewhere else tonight."
Miriam nodded.
"I have a niece in the next town. She'll take me in."
"Don't tell anyone where you're going."
"I won't."
Elena helped Miriam gather her things while Marcus made a final call to his precinct. He did not reveal the details of the investigation. He simply requested that a trusted officer verify whether the old evidence depot had been entered recently and whether any official work orders had been issued for the property.
The answer came back less than ten minutes later.
No work orders.
No scheduled maintenance.
No authorized personnel.
But the building's alarm system had been deactivated two nights earlier using a security credential that belonged to a retired police commissioner.
Nathaniel Cross.
Marcus read the message twice.
Then he looked toward the window, where the rain continued to fall over the quiet street.
The retired commissioner had warned Miriam to stop searching.
Someone had stolen Marcus's father's toolbox.
And now the old evidence depot was waiting for him.
He could no longer tell whether Cross was trying to help them expose the conspiracy or lure them into a place where the final witnesses could disappear.
But he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Whatever Daniel had hidden seventeen years ago, someone was willing to kill to keep it buried.
And tonight, Marcus intended to find out why.
Marcus had learned long ago that the most dangerous decisions were rarely the ones made in moments of panic. They were the decisions that seemed reasonable, even necessary, until the consequences became impossible to reverse.
Driving toward the abandoned courthouse that evening, he knew he was making one of those decisions.
The city had begun to disappear behind them. Rain swept across the highway, and the headlights of passing vehicles blurred into pale streaks against the wet asphalt. Robert Sloane sat in the back seat, watching the road through the rear window. Elena occupied the passenger seat, holding the metal box containing Miriam's documents against her knees.
Nobody spoke for nearly twenty minutes.
Finally, Elena broke the silence.
"There's something else I should tell you."
Marcus kept his eyes on the road.
"That seems to be becoming a habit."
"I deserve that."
"Then don't waste time apologizing. Tell me what you know."
She took a breath.
"When Daniel disappeared, I received a telephone call from an unknown number. The caller said that if I wanted to know whether Daniel was alive, I should go to the old courthouse at midnight."
Marcus glanced at her.
"You went?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"The following night."
"And what did you find?"
"Nothing. The building was locked, and the security office said no one had entered after closing. I waited outside for nearly two hours before leaving."
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
"Because the next morning I received an envelope containing a photograph of Daniel."
Marcus felt his hands tighten around the steering wheel.
"Was he alive?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"Because the photograph was taken after the night he disappeared. He was standing beside a white wall, holding a newspaper dated the following morning."
Marcus swallowed.
"Do you still have it?"
"No. I gave it to Robert."
Marcus looked at the rearview mirror.
Sloane nodded grimly.
"I kept the photograph for years. Eventually, I sent it to a private investigator who was trying to trace Daniel's movements after he left the courthouse."
"What happened to the investigator?"
"He disappeared."
The words settled heavily inside the car.
Marcus looked back at the road.
"How many people have vanished while investigating this case?"
"At least four," Sloane replied. "Two witnesses, one private investigator, and a records clerk who worked at the courthouse."
"And you never thought that was worth telling someone?"
"I tried. Every complaint I filed was returned for insufficient evidence. Eventually, I realized that the people responsible had access to the very systems designed to investigate them."
Marcus shook his head.
"Then why are you helping us now?"
Sloane was silent for a long moment.
"Because I recently learned that Victor Raines is preparing to destroy the remaining evidence. He believes someone has found Daniel's final records, and he intends to make sure they never become public."
"How did you learn that?"
"From a man who worked for Raines."
"Who?"
"His former security director, a man named Peter Caldwell. He contacted me three weeks ago and told me that Raines had ordered the destruction of several storage units connected to the Avery investigation."
"Where is Caldwell now?"
Sloane looked out the window.
"Dead."
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
"When?"
"Eleven days ago. His car was found at the bottom of a ravine outside the city. The police called it an accident."