“I understand you're investigating Westbridge.”
“That's correct.”
“I need to speak with you.”
“About Thomas Reed?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Marcus moved away from the others.
“Where are you?”
“Not somewhere I can safely discuss over the phone.”
“Are you willing to meet with state investigators?”
“I don't know who I can trust.”
“You called me.”
“Because your name is the only one I have heard from someone who refused to take money from the mayor.”
Marcus glanced at Elena.
“Dr. Pierce, if you have information about an illegal transfer or an unlawful detention, we can protect you.”
Pierce gave a strained laugh.
“Protection. That's what they promised Thomas.”
“What happened to him?”
The doctor went silent.
Then he said something Marcus had not expected.
“Thomas Reed was not transferred to Ashford House.”
Marcus frowned.
“Then where was he taken?”
“Somewhere much farther away.”
“Where?”
Pierce lowered his voice.
“Before I tell you, you need to understand something. The people who arranged the transfer did not want Thomas dead.”
“Why not?”
“Because they believed he had memorized the financial records.”
Marcus felt his pulse quicken.
“They kept him alive to find out what he knew?”
“Yes.”
“Where was he taken?”
Pierce breathed heavily.
“He was moved to a facility in another state. A private institution operating under a different name. The records were changed, his identity was erased, and he was listed as an unidentified patient.”
Marcus stared at the wall.
“Do you know whether he is still there?”
“I don't know.”
“Then what do you know?”
Pierce hesitated.
“I know the facility's name.”
Marcus waited.
“Cedar Ridge.”
Elena had moved closer and was listening.
“Where is Cedar Ridge?” Marcus asked.
“Outside a town called Fairmont. It was owned by a foundation controlled by the same people who financed Caldwell's redevelopment campaign.”
“Can you prove it?”
“I have copies of the transfer orders. I also have the original medical chart.”
“Where are they?”
“Hidden.”
“Where?”
Pierce's voice suddenly changed.
“Mr. Bennett, I need to tell you something else.”
“What?”
“The night Thomas was taken away, he was not alone.”
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
“Who was with him?”
“The person who ordered the transfer.”
“Mayor Caldwell?”
“No.”
Pierce swallowed.
“It was someone who had been working with Marcus Bennett's investigation from the beginning.”
Marcus went completely still.
“What did you say?”
“The person who approved the transfer was already inside your investigation. Someone who had access to your meetings, your witness lists, and your evidence.”
Marcus looked toward Elena.
“Who?”
Pierce whispered a name.
Then the call ended.
Marcus stared at his phone.
Elena approached.
“What happened?”
Marcus looked at her.
“Dr. Pierce says Thomas Reed was transferred to a facility in another state. He says he has the original medical chart and the transfer orders.”
“Where is the facility?”
“Cedar Ridge, near Fairmont.”
Elena immediately reached for her phone.
“And who authorized the transfer?”
Marcus hesitated.
“He says someone connected to our investigation.”
Elena's expression changed.
“Did he give you a name?”
Marcus nodded.
He looked around the room at the people who had been working beside them for weeks.
Then he said quietly:
“He named someone we trust.”
The room fell silent.
Because suddenly the investigation had a new and terrifying possibility.
The person who had been helping them expose the conspiracy might have been protecting it all along.
Marcus looked around the command room.
David was standing beside the conference table, reviewing the latest financial records. Elena was speaking quietly with Daniel Cho. James Parker was connected through a secure video call, and Rebecca and her mother were sitting near the window.
Everyone in the room had been involved in the investigation.
Everyone had been trusted.
And now Marcus had to consider that one of them might have been helping the people they were trying to expose.
“Who did Pierce name?” Elena asked.
Marcus hesitated.
“I want to verify the information before I accuse anyone.”
“That's reasonable. But if the person has access to our investigation, we need to act immediately.”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Pierce said the person approved Thomas Reed's transfer. He also said that person has been inside our investigation from the beginning.”
Elena's eyes narrowed.
“Someone on the state team?”
“I don't know.”
“Someone from the city attorney's office?”
Marcus didn't answer.
David looked up.
“Marcus, what's going on?”
“Nothing we can discuss until we verify something.”
David closed his folder.
“After everything we've been through, I think we deserve to know.”
Marcus studied his colleague.