Samuel's face changed.
"More than I knew how to explain."
"Then why did you lie?"
"Because I was afraid that if I told the truth, I would lose you."
Colton laughed once, without humor.
"You lost me anyway."
Samuel lowered his head.
Rebecca finally stepped away from the door.
"I did not tell you because I believed the truth would destroy the family."
Colton turned toward her.
"You destroyed it by lying."
"I know that now."
"How long have you known?"
"That Arthur was your biological father? Since before you were born."
The words were so simple that Colton initially failed to understand them.
Then they settled into place.
She had known from the beginning.
Every birthday. Every school photograph. Every time she had kissed his forehead, told him he had Samuel's eyes, or insisted that the family remained whole despite its losses.
She had known.
"You let me believe Samuel was my father."
"He was your father in every way that mattered to me."
"Except the truth."
Rebecca's eyes shone.
"I was young. Arthur was powerful. I believed that if I told the truth, he would claim you. I knew what kind of man he was becoming. I did not want you raised by him."
"So you gave me to Samuel."
"No. Samuel chose to raise you."
"And you never told either of us the whole story."
"I told Samuel enough to understand the possibility. I did not tell you because I believed it would only bring you pain."
Colton looked at the woman who had taught him to read, bandaged his scraped knees, and sat beside him through childhood fevers.
He remembered her holding his hand outside the hospital when Mara underwent emergency surgery after a bicycle accident. He remembered her bringing soup to his apartment when he was sick as an adult, pretending that she had simply cooked too much.
Those memories were real.
That was what made the lie so difficult to bear.
If she had been cruel, he could have rejected her completely.
If she had never loved him, he could have walked away without looking back.
But she had loved him.
And she had lied to him.
Sometimes those two things could exist in the same person, and the knowledge was more painful than either truth alone.
"Why are we here?" he asked.
Rebecca moved toward the desk.
"Because the people who controlled Red Mesa are preparing to destroy the last evidence that can connect them to Nora's death."
Colton looked at Samuel.
"You said the ledger was recovered."
"Part of it. The flash drive from the time capsule contains a copy of the original files, but it is not complete. There are missing sections."
"Where are they?"
Rebecca opened a drawer and removed a thin envelope.
"Here."
She placed it on the desk.
Colton did not touch it.
"What is it?"
"A letter from Nora."
His breath caught.
"How did you get that?"
"She sent it to me the night before she disappeared."
"Why?"
"Because she knew I was involved in Red Mesa. She believed I might still have enough influence to stop Arthur."
"Did you?"
Rebecca looked at the envelope.
"No."
The answer came quietly.
"I had the opportunity to help her, and I failed."
Colton stared at the letter.
"Did you give it to the police?"
"No."
"Did you tell Darren?"
"No."
"Did you tell Mara?"
"No."
"Then what did you do?"
Rebecca's voice became thin.
"I hid it."
Colton felt anger surge through him again.
"You hid evidence from a murder investigation."
"I hid evidence from people I believed were compromised."
"That is not the same as protecting the evidence."
"No. It isn't."
He snatched the envelope from the desk.
His hands were shaking as he opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper, folded twice. The handwriting was familiar from the notes Nora used to leave in his truck, little messages written on receipts or scraps of paper.
Colton,
If you are reading this, then I have either failed to protect you or found a way to make sure you finally learn the truth. I hope it is the second.
I need you to know that none of this began with you. You were not responsible for the choices your parents made, and you are not responsible for the choices I made. I want you to remember that, especially if people try to convince you that blood is a debt you must repay.
There are things about Red Mesa that I cannot explain in a letter. The original ledger contains more than names and payments. It contains proof that several people used the organization to create false identities, move witnesses, and erase records. Some of those people were trying to escape crimes. Others were trying to escape the people committing them.
One of the missing sections concerns a child.