Darren spread the map across the desk.
"The research station is about forty miles west of here. The public entrance is closed, but there is a service road on the northern side. I believe the archive is underground."
"How do you know?" Colton asked.
"Nora sent me a set of building plans shortly before she disappeared. They showed a sublevel that did not appear in the official permits."
"Why didn't you search it?"
"We did. The entrance was sealed. The property was guarded, and we didn't have a warrant. By the time we secured one, the company had transferred ownership to another entity."
"Someone warned them."
"Yes."
Mara studied the map.
"Who?"
Darren pointed to a name written in the margin.
"Judge Peter Harlan."
Colton frowned.
"The judge who presided over the land dispute in Coconino County?"
"The same one. His name appears in Nora's notes. He approved several warrants connected to Red Mesa and later dismissed the cases. He has since retired."
"Retired people can still be arrested," Mara said.
"If the evidence is strong enough."
Colton tapped the map.
"What do we need to get into the archive?"
"First, we need the drive verified. Then we need to make copies of everything before we move. We also need to contact investigators who aren't connected to the local network."
"Federal?"
"Possibly. But we should not assume that every federal office is clean simply because it has a federal seal on the wall."
Mara nodded.
"Agreed."
Rebecca spoke for the first time in several minutes.
"There is another way in."
Everyone turned toward her.
She pointed to a narrow line on the map.
"The research station was built with a maintenance tunnel. It begins beneath the old water tower and leads to the lower archive. The tunnel was designed for emergency access in case the main entrance became unusable."
"How do you know that?" Colton asked.
"I approved the plans."
"Of course you did."
"I can show you the entrance."
Darren studied the map.
"If the tunnel still exists, it could save us hours. But it may be blocked."
"Then we will find out," Rebecca said.
Mara looked at her mother.
"Why should we believe you?"
Rebecca met her eyes.
"You shouldn't. You should verify everything I tell you."
For the first time, Mara seemed unsure how to respond.
It was not an apology.
It was not trust.
But it was at least an acknowledgment that Rebecca no longer had the right to demand either.
Colton folded the map.
"We are not going in there today without a plan."
"We may not have a choice," Darren said. "Arthur knows the drive has been recovered. If he moves the archive, we may lose the original records."
"Then we make sure he doesn't know we're coming."
Darren looked at him.
"How?"
Colton glanced at Rebecca.
"By giving him what he expects."
Rebecca understood immediately.
"You want him to believe I convinced you to cooperate."
"Exactly."
"And what will you tell him?"
"That I want to know the truth about my father. That I want to meet Arthur. That I'm willing to hear his side."
Mara shook her head.
"You want to walk into a room with the man who may have ordered Nora's murder and pretend you might become his ally?"
"I want him to think he has a chance to control me."
"That is dangerous."
"Yes."
"Colton—"
"I know."
"No, you don't. You think you know because you have been angry for twelve hours. You don't know what it's like to have someone watch every door you enter, every person you speak to, every place you go. You don't know what it means to realize that the person who smiles at you might be reporting your movements to someone who wants you dead."
Colton looked at her.
Mara's hands were trembling.
He stepped closer.
"You're right," he said. "I don't know what that was like for you. I can't pretend I do."
She looked away.
"But I know what Nora meant to me. I know what Lila means to me now. And I know I cannot spend the rest of my life wondering whether I could have stopped the people who hurt them."
Mara's expression softened slightly.
"That's exactly why I'm afraid."
He reached for her hand.
"I'm not going to do this without you."
"You already decided what you wanted to do before you asked me."
"Then help me change the plan."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Finally, she nodded.
"Fine. But if we do this, we do it properly. We get copies of the files. We secure the evidence. We arrange outside investigators. And no one goes into that building alone."
Darren smiled faintly.
"That sounds reasonable."
Mara turned toward him.
"Don't look so pleased. I'm still angry with you, too."
"I assumed you would be."
"Good."
Colton looked at the three people standing around the desk.
His mother.