Thomas's face tightened.
“You threatened her.”
“I did. But threats alone cannot keep a person silent for twenty years. Not unless that person has something to lose.”
Olivia looked at the photograph of her mother.
“Where is she?”
Caldwell glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Forty minutes. That's how long you have before the second site completes its operation. If you want to see your mother again, you should stop wasting time asking questions.”
Judge Whitmore stepped between them.
“Senator, you are under arrest. You will answer every question in a federal courtroom.”
Caldwell looked at her with open contempt.
“You still believe a courtroom can solve this?”
“I believe the truth can survive you.”
He laughed.
“Then you have learned nothing from the last twenty years.”
One of the marshals tightened the handcuffs around his wrists. Another searched his jacket and removed a phone, a wallet, and several access cards.
Rebecca approached Olivia.
“We need to move. The second site could be anywhere.”
Walker examined the photograph on his phone.
“Look at the background.”
Olivia leaned closer.
Behind her mother's chair was a narrow window. Through it, a red industrial structure could be seen, with a tall chimney rising above the roof.
Walker enlarged the image.
“That's not a residential building. It looks like an industrial facility.”
Porter studied it.
“I know that structure.”
“Where?” Olivia asked.
“West of the city. An old water-treatment plant that was closed fifteen years ago.”
Thomas shook his head.
“That facility was never part of Nightfall.”
Porter looked at him.
“Not officially. But I investigated it before I disappeared. Trucks used to arrive there at night. No registration numbers, no company markings. I followed one of them and discovered that the plant had been converted into a secure communications center.”
Rebecca checked her watch.
“Can you get us there?”
Porter nodded.
“There's an access road behind the old railway yard.”
Judge Whitmore turned toward the marshals.
“Take Caldwell into federal custody. Do not transport him through the main courthouse entrance. I want him held at a secure location with independent oversight.”
Caldwell remained calm.
“Eleanor, you should be careful. You may have a warrant, but you don't have the authority to stop what happens next.”
The judge ignored him.
She turned to Daniel.
“I have waited twenty years to hear your voice again. I'm not going to lose you now.”
Daniel took her hand.
“You won't.”
Then he looked at Olivia.
“Go. Find your mother. Whatever she has done, she deserves the chance to explain it herself.”
Olivia nodded.
Before leaving, she turned toward Caldwell.
“You told me my mother was part of this operation. If that's true, I'll find out why. But if you've hurt her, I promise you will spend the rest of your life wishing you had never met my family.”
Caldwell's expression remained unreadable.
“Your family met me long before you were born, Olivia.”
She walked away without answering.
The old water-treatment plant stood beyond a stretch of abandoned warehouses. Its concrete walls were stained by years of rain, and weeds had grown through the cracked pavement.
A faded sign warned visitors to keep away.
Rebecca parked several hundred yards from the main entrance.
“We approach on foot,” she said. “No lights, no sirens. We don't know how many people are inside.”
Walker checked his weapon.
“There's another problem. If the plant has an active communications center, it may be connected to the Nightfall network. They could know we're coming.”
Olivia held the portable drive tightly.
“Then we assume they already know.”
Thomas looked at his daughter.
“You don't have to go inside.”
She turned toward him.
“Mom is in there.”
“I know.”
“She might be involved in everything we've been fighting.”
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I know that too.”
Olivia took a breath.
“I spent twenty years thinking I had lost both of you. I'm not going to walk away now that I've finally found you.”
Thomas nodded slowly.
“Then stay close to me.”
They crossed the road and approached a side entrance. The door was locked, but Porter found a maintenance panel hidden behind a stack of old pipes.
“Give me a moment.”
He opened the panel and examined the wiring.
“This system was installed after the plant was closed. Someone wanted the building to remain operational without appearing on public records.”
Walker looked over his shoulder.
“Can you open it?”
Porter connected two wires.
A small green light appeared.
The lock clicked.