"Alive."
"Where?"
"Somewhere you can reach him."
"What do you want?"
"To finish what should have happened fifteen years ago."
Mason looked toward the workshop.
The red ledger was locked inside.
"Why?"
"Because you keep digging."
"Then tell me the truth."
Frank laughed.
"You still think the truth is something people give you?"
"Sometimes they do."
"Not this time."
Mason remained silent.
Frank continued.
"Your father thought he could expose us. Arthur thought he could outsmart us. Daniel Bennett thought he could save his sister."
"And you?"
"I did what I was paid to do."
Mason felt his hands tighten.
"How much did they pay you to kill my father?"
"Enough."
"How much did they pay you to cut my brake line?"
"That wasn't personal."
Mason looked toward the window.
"Where is Ray?"
"Come to the factory."
"Alone?"
"Alone."
The call ended.
Mason stood motionless.
Then he called Rebecca again.
This time she answered.
"Mason?"
"Frank has Ray."
"Where?"
Mason gave her the address.
"Do not go there," Rebecca said immediately.
"He's expecting me."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't go."
"I need to know Ray is alive."
"We'll send a team."
"How long?"
"Twenty minutes."
Mason looked at the clock.
"Then you have twenty minutes."
He ended the call.
He did not intend to go alone.
He intended to make sure that when Frank Dalton finally faced the truth, there would be people present who could preserve it.
He contacted Leah.
Then Daniel.
Then a former club member named Tommy Reeves.
Tommy had been a mechanic for thirty years and had served as the club's road captain before retiring.
He answered on the second ring.
"Mason?"
"I need your help."
"What happened?"
"Ray's been taken."
Tommy was silent.
Then he said:
"Where?"
Mason gave him the address.
"I'm coming."
Mason looked toward the garage.
The old motorcycle stood beneath a canvas cover.
He pulled it away.
The engine was cold.
The paint was scratched.
The chrome was dull.
But the machine was still reliable.
He turned the key.
The engine started.
For a moment, Mason sat there listening.
He remembered the first time he had ridden with his father.
He remembered the first time he had taken Arthur's motorcycle without permission.
He remembered the night he found Daniel Bennett trapped in the burning truck.
He remembered the years he had spent believing the past was finished.
Then he tightened his gloves.
And rode.
The abandoned factory had once produced agricultural machinery.
Its windows were broken, its loading bays were rusted, and the roof had partially collapsed over the eastern section.
Mason arrived first.
He parked his motorcycle behind a row of concrete barriers and approached the building on foot.
The entrance was open.
Inside, the air smelled of dust, rust, and old oil.
A single light illuminated the center of the factory floor.
Ray was sitting in a chair.
His left shoulder was bandaged, and his face was bruised.
But he was alive.
Mason took one step forward.
"Ray."
Ray lifted his head.
"Mason."
Then a voice came from the darkness.
"Beautiful reunion."
Frank Dalton stepped into the light.
He looked older than Mason remembered, but his eyes were unchanged.
Cold.
Calculating.
And completely without remorse.
Mason stared at him.
"You're supposed to be dead."
Frank smiled.
"Apparently, so was your uncle."
Mason looked toward Ray.
"Are you hurt?"
"Not badly."
Frank laughed.
"Your friend is remarkably difficult to kill."
Mason turned.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Because I wanted to see whether you were still the same man."
"And?"
Frank studied him.
"Older. Angrier. Less trusting."
"People learn."
"Sometimes."
Frank walked toward a metal table.
On it lay several photographs.
One showed Mason's father.
Another showed Arthur.
A third showed Leah beside Daniel Bennett.
Frank picked up the photograph of Mason's father.
"Your father was a stubborn man."
Mason said nothing.
"He believed that doing the right thing would make him a hero."
"What did you do to him?"
Frank smiled faintly.
"I gave him a choice."
"What choice?"
"He could surrender the documents, or he could die protecting them."
Mason took a step forward.
"And he chose to die."
Frank nodded.
"Yes."
Ray struggled against the restraints.
"You're a coward."
Frank looked at him.
"Your brother was a coward too."
Ray's expression hardened.
"Don't talk about him."
"Why not? He was the one who brought your family into this."
Mason watched Frank carefully.
"Daniel Mercer is alive."
Frank's smile disappeared.
"Who told you?"
"Does it matter?"
Frank stepped closer.
"Your friend has been lying to you for fifteen years."
Mason looked at Ray.
"Is it true?"
Ray nodded.
"Yes."
Frank laughed.
"See? Even now, he can't tell you everything."
Mason looked at him.
"Then tell me."
Frank walked toward the table.
"Your father and Arthur weren't investigating us because they were concerned about stolen equipment. They had discovered something much bigger."
"What?"
"Money."
Mason waited.
"Millions of dollars were being moved through companies that didn't exist. Equipment was being sold twice, insurance claims were being filed on machinery that had never been stolen, and public officials were receiving payments."
"Who controlled it?"
Frank smiled.
"Daniel Mercer."
Mason looked toward Ray.
"Your brother."
Ray lowered his head.
Frank continued.
"Thomas Bennett was useful. He had money, connections, and a respectable public image. But he wasn't the real power."
"Then why did Bennett order the quarry attack?"
"Because he wanted to protect himself."
Mason stared.
"Who was in the second vehicle?"
Frank looked directly at him.
"Me."
Mason felt his anger rise.
"And you were trying to kill Leah?"
Frank shook his head.
"No. We wanted the documents."
"Then why did you attack the truck?"
"Because Daniel Bennett refused to stop."
Mason took another step.
"Who was supposed to be in that truck?"
Frank's expression changed.
"Your uncle."
Ray looked up.
"What?"
Frank nodded.
"Arthur Cole had arranged to meet Daniel Bennett. We knew about the meeting. We expected Arthur to arrive alone."
"But Daniel and Leah were there," Mason said.
"Exactly."
Frank walked around the table.
"Then you arrived."
Mason stared.
"Why was I there?"
"Because Arthur had asked you to check the truck earlier that week. He knew you would recognize it if something happened."
Mason remembered the repair.
The blue Chevrolet.
The nervous young man.
The conversation.
Everything began connecting.
Frank continued.
"We were supposed to stop Arthur, recover the documents, and leave. But when we saw the truck, we realized the plan had changed."
"What happened to Arthur?"
Frank looked toward Ray.
"Your uncle escaped."
Mason froze.
"What?"
"He wasn't in the truck."
Ray stood as far as his restraints allowed.
"Then where is he?"
Frank smiled.
"Ask him."
Mason stared.
"You know where Arthur is?"
Frank nodded.
"He knows where Daniel Mercer is."