The archive had been placed under restricted access after Hargrove resigned.
No one had accessed it through the official system in months.
But an access attempt had been recorded three days earlier.
The attempt used a credential associated with Northstar.
It had failed.
A second attempt had been made from a different network.
That one had succeeded in retrieving the archive's public metadata but not the protected records.
The utility's technical staff could not determine whether the person behind the attempts had obtained a copy of the files.
They did, however, establish that someone had been looking for the archive before Maria disappeared.
The connection was becoming difficult to dismiss.
Riker received the information from Sheriff Brooks at 2:08 a.m.
He read the message and immediately thought of the conversation Leo had overheard at the factory.
The men had talked about the original key.
They had talked about Hargrove's signature.
They had talked about moving something before a power test.
The device hidden in Leo's shoe appeared to be connected to the archive they were trying to access.
But there was still a critical gap.
The investigators had not authenticated the archive's contents.
They had not established who had authorized the suspicious access.
And they had not found Maria.
Riker called the sheriff.
"Does the metadata tell us where the archive is stored?"
"Yes, but the location is controlled by a third-party provider. We're working through the appropriate legal process to preserve the records."
"Can the provider delete it?"
"The preservation request is underway. We have no reason to believe the provider is involved, but we're not taking chances."
"What about Hargrove?"
"Still missing."
Riker looked toward the window.
Rain streaked the glass.
"What if he is the only person who can explain the system?"
"Then finding him becomes even more important."
"And Maria?"
"Equally important."
The sheriff paused.
"I want to be clear about something, Riker. The device is a significant lead, but it doesn't establish that the mayor ordered a crime or that Northstar intended to cause an infrastructure emergency. We have to prove each part."
"I understand."
"Good. Because if we rush to a conclusion, the people responsible may use our mistakes to discredit the entire investigation."
Riker looked at the city lights.
"Then let's make sure we don't give them that opportunity."
At 2:26 a.m., the mayor's office issued a second statement.
This time, Julian Sterling appeared without a tie, standing in front of a municipal seal.
He looked tired.
He spoke about the growing rumors, the motorcycle video, and the monitoring issue at the emergency power facility.
"The city has no confirmed evidence of an imminent attack," he said. "We are cooperating with law enforcement and utility officials to investigate unauthorized access to certain systems. Residents should avoid spreading unverified information."
It was a more cautious statement than the first.
But Sterling also added that the city was reviewing its emergency infrastructure arrangements and would take whatever steps were necessary to maintain public safety.
Riker watched the broadcast.
The mayor looked directly into the camera this time.
Walter, standing beside him, muttered, "He's learned where to look."
Riker did not answer.
The mayor's new statement could mean that he was attempting to correct the earlier narrative.
It could also mean that the situation had become too dangerous to control through public messaging alone.
Riker could not know.
He was not interested in guessing what Sterling felt.
He wanted to know what Sterling had done.
And whether the mayor had knowingly approved a plan that put the city at risk.
At 2:41 a.m., Sheriff Brooks received an unexpected call from the mayor himself.
He requested a private meeting.
The sheriff refused to meet alone.
Instead, she arranged for the county prosecutor and a state investigator to be present.
The meeting was scheduled for 3:15 a.m. at the operations center.
Before leaving, the sheriff called Riker.
"I need to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Has anyone from the mayor's office contacted you directly?"
"No."
"Has anyone offered you a deal, threatened you, or asked you to withhold information?"
"Not since the call from Martin Vale."
"Do you have a recording of that call?"
"No. But I provided the time, number, and description of what was said."
"Good. Preserve any further communications."
The sheriff paused.
"Riker, I suspect the mayor is going to argue that he approved the emergency access provision because he believed the city faced a genuine threat."
"Could he be telling the truth?"
"Yes."
"Could he be lying?"
"Yes."
"Then what do you need from him?"
"Documents. Names. Dates. An explanation of why the amendment was approved and who recommended it."
Riker understood.
The mayor's state of mind mattered, but it would not be established by his expression during a televised speech.
It would be established through records, testimony, and the decisions he had made.
"Ask him about Martin Vale," Riker said.
"I intend to."
"And ask him why his office mentioned the motorcycle organization before the sheriff had confirmed any threat."
"I intend to ask that, too."
The sheriff ended the call.
Riker returned to the main room.
The riders were exhausted.
Some had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours. Others had driven through the rain to reach the clubhouse after hearing that Leo and his mother were in danger.
A few had fallen asleep at tables.
Moose had made coffee so strong that Walter claimed it could remove rust from an engine.
For a brief moment, the ordinary absurdity of the clubhouse returned.
Then Riker looked at Leo.
The boy was awake again, sitting near the kitchen doorway.
He had been listening.
"Mr. Cross?"
Riker approached.
"What is it?"
"Did they find my mom?"
"Not yet."
Leo nodded slowly.
"Do you think she knows I still have the thing?"
Riker sat beside him.
"I think she knows she gave it to you for a reason."
"What if she thinks I lost it?"
"Then we'll tell her what happened when we see her."
Leo looked down at his hands.
"She always says I forget things."
Riker considered the boy's words.
"Everyone forgets things. Adults forget important things every day."
"Like what?"
"Like where they put their keys. Like promises they made. Like the fact that children can be brave even when they're frightened."
Leo almost smiled.
"My mom says brave people can be scared."
"Your mother is right."
"Are you scared?"
Riker did not answer immediately.
"Yes."
Leo looked surprised.
"You are?"
"Of course."
"Of what?"
"That we won't find your mother in time."
The boy's eyes filled with tears.
Riker placed a hand on his shoulder.
"But being scared doesn't mean we stop doing what's right."
Leo leaned against him.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then the boy whispered, "When I saw your motorcycles, I thought you were going to keep riding."
"Why?"
"Because everyone else does."
Riker looked toward the window.
He remembered the bicycle wobbling beneath Leo, the rusted chain, and the desperate way the child had shouted until the engines stopped.
"You were very brave to chase us."
"I was scared."
"I know."
"I thought if I couldn't make you stop, my mom would die."
Riker felt a painful pressure in his chest.
"You should never have had to carry that fear alone."
Leo wiped his eyes.
"Will you find her?"
Riker looked at him.
"We're going to keep looking until we do everything we can."
It was not the promise the boy wanted.
But it was the truth.
At 3:17 a.m., Mayor Sterling arrived at the county operations center.
He was accompanied by his chief of staff and two attorneys.
The sheriff met him in a conference room with the county prosecutor and state investigator.
No cameras were permitted.