Perhaps Samuel had believed that once.
Perhaps he had simply learned how to use the words.
"Did you love him?" Colton asked.
Rebecca looked surprised.
"Samuel?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Then how could you let him live like that?"
Her expression collapsed.
"I told myself that keeping him away would protect you. I told myself that if he stayed gone, Arthur would have less reason to interfere with your life. I told myself that I could manage everything until the danger passed."
"And the danger never passed."
"No."
She drew a shaky breath.
"I was wrong about almost everything that mattered."
Colton studied her face.
For years, he had imagined what he would say if he ever learned that his mother had lied about something important. In those fantasies, he had always been certain of his response. He would confront her. He would demand answers. He would walk away with his dignity intact.
But real anger was not clean.
It came tangled with memories, love, resentment, and the unbearable knowledge that a person could be responsible for terrible things without being terrible every moment of every day.
He did not know how to forgive her.
He did not know whether forgiveness was even possible.
But he knew that pretending she had never loved him would be another lie.
"I can't fix this for you," he said.
"I know."
"I can't promise that we'll ever be close again."
"I understand."
"And I won't protect you from what happens next."
Rebecca nodded.
"That's all I can ask."
"No," Colton said. "It's all you can accept."
He walked away before she could answer.
By midmorning, they had a plan.
It was not a perfect plan, and none of them pretended otherwise. Darren had established contact with a federal prosecutor named Helen Mercer, who had worked with Nora on an earlier financial investigation. She confirmed her identity through a code phrase that Nora had established years before.
Helen agreed to receive copies of the recovered files and arrange for an independent investigative team to meet them near the research station.
She also gave them a warning.
Several people connected to the original Red Mesa inquiry had been questioned in the past. Some had retired. Others had died. One had been appointed to a senior advisory role in a federal agency.
The investigation would not be simple.
But it would be possible.
They divided the work.
Darren and Mara would remain with Lila at a secure location until the outside team arrived. Colton would accompany Rebecca to the research station, with Samuel providing the information needed to locate the maintenance entrance.
The arrangement made Mara furious.
"You are not taking her into that building without me," she told Colton.
"I'm not taking her anywhere. She's showing us the entrance."
"And what if Arthur is waiting?"
"Then we'll have backup."
"What if the backup is compromised?"
"Then we don't enter."
Mara folded her arms.
"You expect me to believe you'll turn around if you find the archive and the door is open?"
Colton hesitated.
She gave him a hard look.
"Exactly."
He stepped closer.
"I don't want to leave you out of this."
"Then don't."
"Lila needs you."
"Lila needs both of us. And she needs us alive."
Colton looked down.
Mara's voice softened.
"I know you want to make up for the years you lost. I know you want to find Nora's killer and make sure he never hurts another person. But you cannot become the next person who decides that the ends justify the risk."
The words landed with uncomfortable precision.
Colton thought of Samuel.
He thought of Rebecca.
He thought of the way both had used their love for their children to justify decisions that had caused those children pain.
He looked at his sister.
"You're right."
Mara blinked.
"What?"
"You're right. We'll wait for the team."
She studied him suspiciously.
"You're agreeing too quickly."
"I'm trying something new."
"What?"
"Listening before I make the mistake."
Mara's mouth twitched despite herself.
"Try not to make a habit of it. You'll ruin your reputation."
For the first time since the night before, Colton smiled.
It was brief, but it was real.
They would leave for the research station only after the independent team arrived. In the meantime, Samuel provided a detailed account of the archive's construction, including the location of the maintenance tunnel and the security systems he remembered.
Rebecca confirmed the plans.
Darren checked the information against Nora's notes.
Each detail was recorded.
Each claim was treated as something that needed to be verified.
For the first time, no one was allowed to hide behind the authority of being a parent, a partner, or a member of the family.
They would proceed on evidence.
At noon, Arthur called again.
Colton answered on speakerphone while the others listened.
"Have you made a decision?" Arthur asked.
"I have."
"And?"
"I'll meet you at the research station."
"Excellent."
"Not alone."