Chapter 5 - Under Interrogation Lights
The basement interrogation room of the Westbridge Central Precinct was freezing cold, lit only by a buzzing fluorescent tube that cast harsh yellow shadows across the metal table.
Marcus Hale sat handcuffed to an iron floor ring. His face was swollen from where SWAT had forced him down, but his mind was clearer than it had been in two decades.
The heavy steel door swung open. Two figures stepped inside: Detective Lucas Miller, a grizzled homicide veteran who had been Daniel Reed's partner eighteen years ago, and Sarah Vance, a sharp federal prosecutor from the Department of Justice Organized Crime Task Force.
Miller slammed a thick manila folder onto the table. "You've got five minutes before the state attorney files federal bank robbery, kidnapping, and attempted murder charges that will put you on death row, Hale. Why did you drop your gun?"
Marcus looked at Miller. "Because Daniel Reed's son was standing in front of me."
Miller flinched. The name struck him like a physical blow. He pulled out a cigarette, remembered the precinct rules, and jammed it back into his pocket. "Caleb Reed was in that bank?"
"He didn't just happen to be there, Miller," Marcus said raspy. "He was there because he knew Frank Thorne was targeting safety deposit box 404."
Sarah Vance leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. "What was in box 404, Marcus? We opened it under emergency warrant. The box was empty except for a digital ledger drive. We can't crack the encryption."
Marcus gave a dry, humorless smirk. "The encryption password is Daniel Reed's badge number followed by his date of death. Frank Thorne designed it that way as a sick joke. That drive doesn't just contain financial records. It has the complete payroll ledger of Thorne's syndicate—including thirty-two city council members, four superior court judges, and eleven ranking officers in this very building."
Miller's face turned pale. "You're lying."
"Check the drive, Lucas," Marcus urged, leaning forward. "Why do you think Daniel was ambushed in that alley eighteen years ago? He found out that Thorne was smuggling military-grade weapons through the Westbridge river docks. Daniel was heading to the FBI with the evidence. Someone in your squad tipped Thorne off."
"Who?" Vance demanded. "Who was the mole?"
Marcus looked directly into Lucas Miller's eyes. "The man who took over as Chief of Police after Daniel died. Walter Vance."
Sarah Vance staggered backward, hitting the concrete wall.
"My... my father?" Sarah whispered, her voice trembling in horror. "My father is the Police Commissioner!"
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"Your father built his entire political career on Thorne's money," Marcus said, his eyes filled with grim sorrow. "And if Caleb Reed doesn't disappear tonight, your father and Frank Thorne will make sure that boy never wakes up to see tomorrow."
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