Chapter 5
I told my mother to lock the door.
Then I called Marcus back.
“Where is Mercer?”
“Unknown.”
“When was he last seen?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
“He was with county investigators.”
“Not anymore.”
I grabbed my jacket.
“What exactly is on the cartridge?”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Eighteen-year-old access records show Mercer entering the reserve facility three times using temporary contractor authorization.”
My stomach tightened.
“Was he a deputy then?”
“Yes.”
“Why would a deputy have contractor access?”
“We don’t know.”
“What else?”
“Payment records connect Pike to a shell company. Two transfers went to an account linked to Rebecca.”
“And Mercer?”
“One payment went to an account in his wife’s name.”
I closed my eyes.
“How much?”
“Six thousand dollars.”
Eighteen years ago, that had been substantial money for a young deputy.
“Does this prove involvement?”
“No.”
“Then don’t assume.”
“I’m not.”
That was why I trusted Marcus.
“Where is Derek?”
“At the sheriff’s office being interviewed.”
My pulse jumped.
“Get him out of Mercer’s building.”
“Already moving.”
I headed downstairs.
My father stood near the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Fort Liberty.”
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“Rachel—”
“You spent eighteen years making decisions because you thought you knew what was best.”
He stopped.
“Tonight, you listen.”
Pain crossed his face.
But he nodded.
I drove away with Marcus behind me.
By the time we reached the command facility, federal agents had taken control of the county portion of the investigation.
Sheriff Mercer’s phone had been located.
In his sedan.
The sedan was parked behind the courthouse.
Mercer was gone.
Derek had been moved to a secure interview site.
Rebecca had requested an attorney.
The recovered cartridge gave investigators something they had never had eighteen years earlier.
A timeline.
Thomas had copied the access log at 8:42 p.m. the night he died.
Rebecca entered the system room at 8:51.
Pike entered at 9:04.
Mercer’s temporary credential registered at 9:12.
Thomas left the facility at 9:26.
His accident occurred sometime between 10:00 and 10:20.
I stared at the times.
“Where was my father’s storage building?”
Agent Shaw opened a map.
“Here.”
Thomas likely drove there directly after leaving the site.
My father arrived later.
Rebecca too.
“What about Mercer?”
“Unknown.”
The next recovered file contained internal messages.
Most were technical.
Then one line caught my eye.
R: T IS ASKING QUESTIONS. LP SAYS D WILL HANDLE COUNTY SIDE.
D.
Daniel?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I hated uncertainty.
Then Shaw opened another file.
A scanned memo Thomas had written.
He believed a county official was helping Pike bypass local patrol routes during unauthorized equipment transfers.
He identified the official only as “D.M.”
My chest tightened.
Daniel Mercer.
Shaw looked at me.
“It’s stronger.”
“But still not proof he caused Thomas’s crash.”
“No.”
I nodded.
“Keep the lines separate.”
He studied me.
“You’re good at this.”
“I’ve had practice.”
At 9:30 p.m., Derek asked to speak to me.
I almost refused.
Then I agreed.
He entered the interview room wearing civilian clothes.
No badge.
No belt.
Without the uniform, he looked younger.
Smaller.
He sat across from me.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked at my wrist.
The red mark was still visible.
“I’m sorry.”
I said nothing.
“I shouldn’t have cuffed you.”
“No.”
“I was angry.”
“That does not create lawful cause.”
“I know.”
“You humiliated me in front of my family because I didn’t show you the admiration you wanted.”
His eyes dropped.
“Yes.”
The admission surprised me.
He rubbed his palms together.
“I’ve always competed with you.”
“I noticed.”
“Even when I thought you just had some office job.”
I almost laughed.
“That might be the saddest part.”
He looked at me.
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Would it have changed how you treated me?”
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
“Exactly.”
He nodded.
“I deserved that.”
I leaned back.
“Why did you ask to see me?”
His face changed.
“Mercer.”
“What about him?”
“I remembered something.”
My attention sharpened.
“When Mom borrowed my truck last month, Mercer called her.”
“How do you know?”
“Bluetooth connected automatically. His name appeared on the screen.”
“What did they discuss?”
“I only heard a few seconds.”
“Tell me.”
“He said, ‘You should have destroyed it when Thomas died.’”
My blood went cold.
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you report it?”
“I thought they were talking about old family documents.”
“That sentence didn’t concern you?”
Derek looked ashamed.
“I didn’t want to get involved.”
There it was again.
The family disease.
Silence because truth was inconvenient.
He looked at me.
“I understand how stupid that sounds now.”
“It sounds worse than stupid.”
“I know.”
He continued.
“Mom said, ‘Evelyn lied to me. She still has it.’”
The cartridge.
“Then Mercer said?”
“‘If Carter’s daughter ever sees it, we’re finished.’”
I stared at him.
“Carter’s daughter.”
“Yeah.”
“Me.”
Derek nodded.
My phone rang.
Agent Shaw.
I answered.
“We found Mercer.”
“Where?”
“County Route 18.”
My stomach dropped.
“The reserve site?”
“No.”
A pause.
“Your brother’s crash location.”
I stood.
“Is he alone?”
“Not anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
“Rebecca is with him.”
My heart kicked hard.
“She was in custody.”
“She requested transport for a medical complaint.”
I already knew.
“She escaped.”
“Yes.”
“Are they armed?”
“We don’t know.”
“What are they doing?”
Shaw’s voice hardened.
“Digging.”
I looked at Derek.
He had gone pale.
“Digging for what?”
“We’re trying to find out.”
Then I remembered Thomas’s note.
Check user log 4B.
He had copied digital evidence.
But Thomas was cautious.
He also loved redundancies.
My brother used to hide spare house keys in three different places because, as he liked to say, one backup was no backup.
“Thomas hid something there.”
Derek looked at me.
“What?”
May you like
I grabbed my jacket.
“I think Mercer knows my brother left more than one copy.”
