"When Porter disappeared, I thought he had been killed. I couldn't prove otherwise. I kept searching for him, but every lead disappeared."
"Did you know Sarah was alive?"
"No."
Sarah studied him.
"Then why did you come here?"
Mitchell reached into his jacket and placed a small envelope on the table.
"Because I received this last night."
Olivia opened it.
Inside was a photograph of Detective James Porter.
He was sitting at a café, apparently alive.
The photograph had been taken two days earlier.
On the back were six words.
He wants to speak with Bennett.
Olivia looked at Mitchell.
"Where is he?"
Mitchell shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Who sent this?"
"An anonymous courier."
"Why bring it here?"
"Because I believe someone is trying to arrange a meeting."
Walker examined the photograph.
"Or an ambush."
Olivia nodded.
"Exactly."
She turned to Mitchell.
"Did Porter give you a location?"
Mitchell hesitated.
Then he reached into his pocket and removed a second piece of paper.
It contained an address.
An abandoned railway station.
And a time.
6:00 p.m.
Olivia looked at the clock.
They had less than eight hours.
At noon, Olivia received a call from an unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
"Olivia Bennett."
A man's voice responded.
"Ms. Bennett, my name is James Porter."
Her heart skipped.
"James?"
"I don't have much time."
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere safe."
"Are you injured?"
"No. But I need you to listen carefully."
Olivia moved away from the others.
"What is it?"
"The evidence Sarah recovered is important, but it isn't enough."
"What do you mean?"
"Grant has already prepared an explanation for everything. He'll claim the recordings were fabricated. He'll say the financial records were stolen and altered. He'll accuse Sarah of being unstable."
"Then what do we need?"
Porter took a breath.
"The original evidence from Project Nightfall. The documents that started everything."
"Where are they?"
"In a place nobody would think to search."
"James, tell me."
He lowered his voice.
"The old police headquarters. Basement level. Room 12."
Olivia frowned.
"That building has been closed for years."
"Exactly."
"What's inside?"
"The original payment ledger, the surveillance recordings, and a list of every official who received money."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Because I didn't know whether I could trust anyone."
Olivia looked toward Walker.
"Can you meet us at the railway station?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because the station is being watched."
She froze.
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm watching it too."
A brief silence followed.
Then Porter said something that made her blood run cold.
"Olivia, there's someone inside your federal office who is working directly for Grant."
She looked around the room.
Walker was speaking with an agent.
Sarah was reviewing documents.
Mitchell was standing near the door.
"Who?"
Porter hesitated.
Then he whispered:
"Director Reynolds."
The call ended.
Olivia slowly lowered her phone.
For several seconds, she couldn't move.
Director Reynolds was the person who had ordered them to stop the investigation.
He was the person who wanted the evidence transferred.
And he was the person who had the authority to decide which agents could access the case.
Walker noticed her expression.
"What happened?"
Olivia looked at him.
"Reynolds is involved."
Walker stared.
"Are you certain?"
"Porter just told me."
Walker immediately looked toward the security cameras.
Then he lowered his voice.
"We need to leave this building."
Olivia nodded.
"Now."
She turned toward Sarah.
"Take the flash drive."
Sarah grabbed her bag.
Mitchell reached for the documents.
But before anyone could move, the conference room television suddenly switched on.
A news broadcast appeared.
The presenter was reading a breaking story.
"Federal prosecutor Olivia Bennett is under investigation following allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of authority. Sources within the Department of Justice claim that Bennett may have accepted illegal payments from a private security company..."
Olivia stared at the screen.
Her photograph appeared beside the headline.
The report continued.
"Officials say an internal investigation has uncovered suspicious financial transfers and allegations that the prosecutor attempted to interfere with an ongoing police inquiry."
Walker swore under his breath.
"They've started the contingency plan."
The television displayed another image.
A photograph of Olivia entering the nightclub the previous evening.
The caption read:
PROSECUTOR AT CENTER OF POLICE MISCONDUCT CONTROVERSY.
Then the presenter announced something even more serious.
"Authorities are reportedly preparing a warrant for Bennett's arrest."
Sarah covered her mouth.
Mitchell looked at Olivia.
"They're moving faster than we expected."
Olivia stared at the screen.
She could almost hear Michael Grant laughing.
He had not waited for the evidence to disappear.
He had simply decided to destroy her credibility before she could reveal it.
Her phone vibrated.