Chapter 10 - Code Amber
Vale leaned into the camera.
"Bring me the ledger and the boy."
I almost threw the phone.
"No."
My mother lifted her head.
"Catherine, don't."
Denise hit her.
I lunged toward a screen I could not reach.
David caught me.
"Stop."
"Get off me."
Vale smiled.
"Six hours."
The call ended.
I turned on David.
"You knew she was alive."
"No."
Nathan said, "I did."
I stared at him.
Again.
Always Nathan.
"When?"
"Last year. Vale showed me proof."
"And you didn't tell me."
"He said he'd kill her."
"So you let me visit her grave?"
Nathan's face folded.
"Yes."
I wanted to hit him too.
Instead I asked the only useful question.
"Where is she?"
Nathan looked at David.
"Vale moves witnesses through medical contractors."
David said, "North Point."
Alessandro's voice came through the speaker.
"Old rehabilitation hospital near the port."
I looked at him.
"How do you know?"
He did not answer fast enough.
David noticed.
"Because he used it."
Alessandro's face stayed still.
"Years ago."
"For what?"
"Safe treatment."
"For criminals?"
"For people who could not go to public hospitals."
I laughed bitterly.
"Perfect. Everyone has a secret hospital."
We built a plan.
Duplicate the ledger.
Give Vale a copy that looked complete.
Track it.
Use Alessandro's people to surround North Point.
Use a clean federal contact David still trusted.
Internal Affairs.
Then Nathan saw something in the ledger.
A payment.
Two days before David's crash.
$500,000.
Recipient:
NATHAN COLE.
I stared at him.
David raised his gun.
Nathan lifted both hands.
"That isn't what it looks like."
"Every guilty person says that," I whispered.
Nathan looked at me.
"I took Vale's money."
My chest tightened.
"Why?"
"To buy David's location out of his system."
David's gun did not lower.
"You sold me first."
"Yes."
Nathan's voice broke.
"Then I spent two years trying to undo it."
The ledger refreshed.
Another hidden transaction appeared.
Same date.
Same amount.
Sender:
A. ROMANO.
I looked at Alessandro on-screen.
His face went pale.
May you like
CUT.
