Chapter 14 - The Man in the Tunnel
Arthur stopped pretending.
Not completely.
But the mask cracked.
"Leonard handled insurance matters," he said.
Vincent laughed once. "At two in the morning?"
Arthur's gaze moved around the room, calculating.
Dominic knew that look.
Arthur was counting exits, loyalties, weapons, and seconds.
"Where is Leonard?" Dominic asked.
"I don't know."
"You do."
"Then why ask?"
A guard entered carrying a wet black cuff link in an evidence bag.
"We found blood in the tunnel and tracks to the carriage house. State police are searching the road beyond the property."
Arthur's face remained blank.
Dominic leaned forward.
"Leonard helped you with the crash."
No response.
"Then he panicked tonight."
Arthur's fingers tapped once on the table.
Dominic continued.
"He knew Angela was alive. He knew the brace had been discovered. He tried to leave. Your man Rusk escorted him through the tunnel."
Arthur looked almost amused. "Interesting theory."
"Rusk came back alone."
The amusement disappeared.
Vincent's radio crackled.
"We found Fisk."
Dominic stood.
The carriage house had an old hay loft above the vehicle bay. Leonard was hidden behind stacked tarps, bleeding from a cut above his ear, terrified and very much alive.
He had doubled back after Rusk tried to force him into a car.
When they brought him into the conference room, Leonard did not look at Arthur.
"He tried to kill me," Leonard said.
Arthur's face hardened. "Who?"
"Rusk. On your order."
"Careful, Leonard."
Leonard finally looked at him.
"No. I'm done being careful for you."
He turned to Dominic.
"I loosened the bolts."
Clare covered Ellie's ears and guided her out.
Dominic remained still.
Leonard's voice shook.
"Arthur told me the wheel would wobble. Said your driver would stop, you'd miss meetings, maybe need another surgery. He said nobody would get hurt badly."
"You believed that?"
Leonard looked at the floor. "I wanted to."
"Why?"
"He had records of money I skimmed from a vendor account. Enough to put me away."
Arthur stood.
"This is absurd."
Leonard shouted, "You ordered it!"
The room erupted.
Arthur grabbed the heavy glass water carafe from the table and swung it into the nearest guard's face.
The guard fell.
Arthur lunged for the open door.
Vincent reached for him.
Arthur shoved a chair into Vincent's injured knee from an old service wound and ran.
Dominic followed.
"Arthur!"
Arthur disappeared down the east corridor.
May you like
Toward the rehabilitation wing.
Toward the room where the entire nightmare had begun.
