"Why am I marked?"
"Because you were his son."
"And the letters?"
Rebecca looked at Samuel.
Samuel shook his head slowly.
"I don't know."
Darren studied the page.
"Could they indicate risk categories?"
"Possibly," Helen said. "We will need to compare them with other documents."
Colton could not stop staring at the star.
The same eight-pointed shape that had been tattooed on his arm since childhood.
The same symbol he had once believed represented his family.
Now it appeared on a list connected to a hidden archive and a medical program that had falsified children's identities.
He looked at Rebecca.
"Did you know about this list?"
"No."
"Did you know Arthur used the star to mark people?"
"No."
"Then why did you choose it for the family tattoo?"
Rebecca looked stricken.
"I didn't choose it."
Colton stared at her.
"Who did?"
"Your father."
Samuel lifted his head.
For the first time that morning, he looked genuinely confused.
"I didn't choose the design. Rebecca brought it home from the hospital. She said someone had given it to her."
Colton felt cold spread through his body.
"Who?"
Rebecca pressed her fingers against her forehead.
"I don't remember."
"You don't remember who gave you a symbol that you had tattooed on your children?"
"I was told it was a family emblem. I was told it represented protection."
"By whom?"
Rebecca looked at the list again.
"Arthur."
The room went silent.
Colton stared at the star.
Perhaps the symbol had never been a family emblem.
Perhaps Arthur had given it to Rebecca because he wanted a way to identify the people he considered his.
Perhaps the meaning had been disguised so thoroughly that even she had believed it.
He looked down at his forearm.
For years, he had carried the symbol without questioning it.
Now it felt less like a memory and more like a brand.
Helen placed the list into an evidence sleeve.
"We need to determine whether the markings correspond to the other files. Until then, we should not assume their meaning."
Colton nodded, though the uncertainty gnawed at him.
The investigation continued for several hours.
The archive contained enough records to establish that Red Mesa had operated through a network of shell companies, private contractors, and intermediaries. There were payments to public officials, unexplained transfers to medical facilities, and evidence that some identities had been altered deliberately.
But the most important files were missing.
Arthur had taken them.
A search of the facility found no sign of him.
His car had been seen leaving the property before the federal team arrived.
Helen's expression was grim.
"He knew we were coming."
"How?" Mara asked.
"We don't know."
Darren looked toward the ceiling.
"Someone could have seen us on the road. The property may have cameras. Or Arthur may have been monitoring the phone calls."
Colton looked at Rebecca.
"Did you tell him where the tunnel was?"
"No."
"Did you send him a message?"
"No."
"Then how did he know?"
Rebecca's face tightened.
"Because he has people everywhere."
Helen closed the folder.
"We have enough evidence to begin issuing warrants. But if Arthur has taken the missing files, we need to find them before he destroys them."
Colton looked at the list of names.
The star beside his own name seemed to burn in his memory.
"What happens if he gets away?"
Helen met his eyes.
"He may avoid prosecution for a time. He may try to move money, pressure witnesses, or destroy records. But the evidence we have is significant. He cannot erase all of it."
"And Nora?"
Helen's expression softened.
"We will continue investigating her disappearance. We will examine every payment connected to the security contractors and every person who had access to her files. We will also look for the missing records that may establish what happened to her."
Colton nodded.
It was not enough.
But it was a beginning.
Outside, the sun had climbed high above the canyon. The air was warmer now, and the shadows had shortened across the rocks.
As the team prepared to leave, Colton received a message from Mara's phone.
It was a photograph.
Lila was sitting on a couch in a quiet room, wearing a yellow sweater and holding a stuffed rabbit. Her hair was tangled from sleep, and she was looking at the camera with a solemn expression.
Beneath the photograph, Mara had written:
She asked whether you were coming back.
Colton stared at the image.
He typed:
Tell her I'm coming back. Tell her I'm not going anywhere.
He hesitated before sending the next message.
And tell her I want to talk to her when she's ready.
Mara replied:
She already knows.
A moment later, another message appeared.
She says she wants to show you something.
Colton looked up.
Mara was standing several feet away, holding her phone.
"What is it?" he asked.
She showed him a second photograph.