One SUV remained behind them.
The second disappeared.
Olivia checked her phone.
There was no signal.
"Are they blocking communications?"
"Probably," Walker replied.
Sarah leaned forward.
"Turn left at the next intersection."
Walker followed her directions.
They passed a row of closed shops and entered an underground parking garage.
The remaining SUV drove past the entrance.
Walker switched off the headlights.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then Sarah began crying.
Olivia turned around.
"Sarah?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For bringing you into this."
Olivia reached back and placed a hand on hers.
"You didn't bring me into anything. The people responsible for this did."
Sarah wiped her eyes.
"You don't understand how dangerous Michael Grant is."
"Tell me."
Sarah took a deep breath.
"Grant isn't simply helping Harlan. He's the person who designed Project Nightfall."
Walker looked at her through the rearview mirror.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Harlan handles the police department. Victor Kane handles the private security operations. Grant controls the information coming from the federal office."
Olivia remained silent.
Sarah continued.
"He knows which witnesses are protected. He knows where investigators are assigned. He knows when warrants are requested and when evidence is transferred. Every time someone gets close to discovering the truth, Grant knows about it before the investigation can move forward."
Olivia's expression hardened.
"How long has he been doing this?"
"At least four years."
Four years.
That meant the corruption was not a recent development.
It had become an organized system.
Sarah reached into her bag and removed a folded sheet of paper.
"There's something else. Project Nightfall has a second stage."
Olivia unfolded the paper.
It contained a list of names.
Several belonged to police officers.
Others belonged to federal investigators.
At the bottom was a handwritten heading.
PHASE TWO: PUBLIC DISGRACE.
Olivia read the names again.
Her own name was there.
So was Walker's.
And beneath them was the name of a federal judge.
Judge Eleanor Whitmore.
Olivia looked up.
"Why is Judge Whitmore on this list?"
Sarah hesitated.
"Because she signed the original warrant that allowed investigators to examine Harlan's financial records."
Walker shook his head.
"That's impossible. She has no connection to the department."
"She does now," Sarah replied. "Grant has been collecting information about her family."
Olivia folded the document.
"Then this is bigger than a police corruption case."
Sarah nodded.
"It's an attempt to control the entire investigation process."
At 8:40 a.m., Walker drove the van into a secure federal facility.
The building was located outside the city center and had no visible government markings.
A small security team inspected the vehicle before allowing them inside.
Olivia and Sarah were escorted to a private room.
Walker immediately contacted the federal director.
He explained the attempted attack, the recovered flash drive, and the discovery of the old evidence room.
The response was unexpected.
The director instructed them to stop all investigative activity until further authorization.
Olivia stared at Walker.
"Who gave that order?"
"Director Reynolds."
"Did he explain why?"
"He said the investigation must be transferred to another office."
Olivia shook her head.
"No."
"Olivia—"
"No. We have a witness who nearly died this morning. We have evidence connecting senior officials to an organized conspiracy. We are not handing everything over without knowing who will receive it."
Walker lowered his voice.
"That's exactly what I told him."
She looked at him.
"What did he say?"
"He said we're putting the entire department at risk."
Olivia laughed bitterly.
"The department?"
She stood.
"What about the people who were threatened? What about Detective Porter? What about Sarah?"
Walker had no answer.
Olivia walked toward the secure computer.
"I want to examine the flash drive."
Sarah approached.
"There's a password."
"Do you know it?"
"Yes."
She entered a sequence of letters and numbers.
The computer displayed dozens of files.
Audio recordings.
Photographs.
Financial statements.
Internal communications.
And one folder labeled:
BENNETT CONTINGENCY.
Olivia opened it.
Inside were several documents bearing her name.
The first contained a fabricated bank statement showing a transfer of $450,000 into an account supposedly controlled by her.
The second was a forged email suggesting that she had agreed to protect Victor Kane's company from prosecution.
The third was a draft confession from an anonymous witness claiming Olivia had threatened to destroy evidence unless she received payment.
She read the documents slowly.
The details were frighteningly convincing.
Someone had spent considerable time creating a false history around her.
Walker leaned over her shoulder.
"They were preparing to destroy your reputation."
Olivia nodded.
"Not just my reputation. They wanted to make sure that if I accused them of corruption, nobody would believe me."