Brent was forty-two now, broad-shouldered and heavy around the middle. A deep scar ran along his chin, and his left hand moved stiffly when he lifted a glass of water.
Helen began by asking about his professional career.
Brent described his training, his record, and the circumstances that had led him to the invitational tournament.
He had been scheduled to fight Peter Lawson in an exhibition bout. When Lawson withdrew, Brent received a call from Paul Danner offering him a replacement match.
"They told me the opponent was experienced," Brent said. "They said the fight would be competitive, but controlled."
"Did you know Michael Mercer before the event?" Helen asked.
"No."
"Did you know his brother was a professional fighter?"
"I knew Daniel's name. Most people in the circuit did."
"Did anyone instruct you to fight aggressively?"
Brent looked at his attorney.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Paul Danner."
"What did he say?"
"He said the event needed an exciting finish. He wanted me to pressure Michael, make him work, keep the crowd engaged."
"Did he instruct you to ignore the referee?"
"No."
"Did he instruct you to continue after a stoppage signal?"
"No."
"Please describe what happened during the third round."
"I was tired. Michael was faster than I expected. He kept slipping my attacks and countering when I overcommitted. I started getting frustrated."
"Did you lose control?"
"Yes."
"I landed a hard shot. The referee moved in, and I thought he was separating us. Then I heard someone shouting from outside the cage. The clock display changed, and the referee seemed confused."
"What happened next?"
"I continued fighting."
"Why?"
Brent looked at Helen.
"Because I thought the fight was still active."
"Did you see the referee signal a stoppage?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you continue?"
Brent closed his eyes.
"Because I was angry. Because I wanted to win. Because there were people shouting, and I thought if I stopped, I'd look weak."
"I told myself the referee would step between us if it was serious."
Daniel, listening to a recording of the interview later, felt the words settle heavily in his chest.
Brent had not described a calculated plan to kill anyone.
A man had seen a signal to stop and chosen to keep fighting because he wanted to win.
Helen asked the next question.
"Did anyone tell you afterward that the official footage would show a different sequence?"
"Paul Danner spoke to me in the dressing room. He said there had been confusion with the timing system and that the organization would handle the reports."
"Did he ask you to change your account?"
"He told me not to speculate about things I couldn't see from inside the cage."
"Did you believe the official report was accurate?"
"No."
"Why didn't you say so?"
"I was offered a contract to fight overseas. My manager told me that if I became involved in an investigation, the offer would disappear."
"Did it?"
"The contract was withdrawn anyway. They said the promoter had changed direction."
"Did you contact the commission?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Brent looked down.
"Because I was ashamed."
Then Brent said something that changed the direction of the investigation.
"There's something else you should know."
"After the fight, Paul told me the replacement had been approved by Victor Sloane. He said the organizers wanted a more aggressive matchup because the original bout wasn't expected to attract much attention."
"Did he say Richard Caldwell was involved?"
"Not directly. But I saw Caldwell in the corridor before the event. He was talking to Paul. They were arguing about the schedule."
"What did you hear?"
"Only one sentence. Caldwell said, 'I don't want another problem tonight.'"
"Did you understand what he meant?"
"No. I assumed it was about the event running late."
"I've thought about that night for six years. I don't know who ordered the clock to be reset. I don't know whether Caldwell knew what would happen. But I know I should have stopped when I saw the referee's signal."
"I was so worried about looking weak that I didn't think about what I was doing to another person."
Daniel listened to the recording twice.
Recognition.
Brent's failure was not the same as Daniel's. Their circumstances were different, and Daniel would never excuse what had happened.
But he understood the instinct that had driven Brent forward.
Daniel had spent years believing that he had failed Michael because he had not protected him.
Now he was beginning to see that the night had been shaped by many people making different choices, each one small enough to justify and large enough to matter.