Chapter 17 - The Old Machine Plant
"Keep your hands where I can see them," Daniel called.
Victor stepped from behind a rusted press.
He looked tired, not powerful.
For the first time, Daniel saw the resemblance in his jaw.
It made him nauseous.
"You came with police," Victor said.
"You expected otherwise?"
"I expected you to want answers."
"I do."
Victor held up empty hands.
"The gun you heard wasn't mine."
A metal door slammed behind Daniel.
Malcolm appeared on the catwalk.
He had the gun.
Victor looked up.
"What are you doing?"
Malcolm smiled without humor.
"Cleaning up."
Daniel realized Victor had not invited him there to kill him.
Victor had invited him to bargain.
Malcolm had followed.
Police shouted from outside.
Malcolm fired once into the ceiling.
"Nobody comes in!"
Dust rained down.
Victor ducked behind a machine.
Daniel ran toward cover.
Malcolm shouted, "Mr. Hale, you should have left the country when Mrs. Vance did."
Victor yelled back, "You worked for me!"
"I worked for whoever was paying."
Daniel's wire transmitted everything.
Detective Brooks's tactical team moved in from the rear.
Victor looked at Daniel.
"Charles found the shell accounts. Eleanor begged me to stop him."
"Did you kill him?"
"No."
"Did you tamper with his car?"
Victor hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
"I told Malcolm's predecessor to disable Charles's car for a day. I wanted to scare him."
Daniel stared.
"The brakes failed."
"I didn't order that."
"You touched his car."
Victor looked away.
"I lived with it every day."
"Good."
A shot cracked.
Victor jerked.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
Malcolm shouted, "Next one isn't a warning."
Daniel grabbed a metal wrench and threw it toward the opposite side of the room.
Malcolm turned at the sound.
Police rushed the stairs.
Arthur, watching from the command van, heard every word through Daniel's wire.
Brooks tackled Malcolm's arm as another officer took him down.
The gun slid across the catwalk.
Victor collapsed.
Daniel stood over him.
"My whole life, you sat at my family's table."
Victor winced.
"I was trying to protect you."
"You don't know what that word means."
Paramedics took Victor out alive.
Malcolm was arrested.
Daniel walked into the night shaking.
Detective Brooks removed the wire.
"We got the admission about your father's car."
"Is it enough?"
"It's enough to reopen everything."
Daniel's phone rang.
Sarah.
He answered.
Her voice was trembling.
"Daniel, come back."
He started toward the car.
"What happened?"
"Grace stopped breathing."
May you like
For one second, the whole world went silent.
Then Daniel ran.
