Richard closed his eyes.
Daniel’s voice remained controlled.
“The next morning, Sarah’s brake line failed.”
Victoria whispered, “Oh my God.”
“I could never prove it.”
Richard opened his eyes again.
“But you believed Robert ordered it.”
“I believed someone did.”
“Why disappear?”
“Because Sarah begged me.”
Daniel looked down at the photograph.
“She had lost our child. She couldn’t sleep. Every car behind us looked like a threat. Every phone call scared her. She told me if I loved her, I would stop.”
His voice weakened for the first time.
“So I stopped.”
No one spoke.
Frank finally asked, “Where is the original second-ledger material?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Helen had it.”
“Helen disappeared.”
“Yes.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“Victor knew you kept something. He mentioned the second ledger.”
Daniel nodded.
“That means Helen’s material survived somewhere.”
Frank looked at the ceiling as if reorganizing fifteen years of failure.
“If Victor has been underground this long, why come back now?”
Daniel answered instantly.
“Because Sterling is doing the same procurement scheme again.”
Victoria looked at the emergency-system report.
“The upgrades.”
“Yes.”
“But Robert is dead.”
Daniel turned toward Richard.
“Which means someone inherited the network.”
Silence.
Then Richard said one name.
“Martin.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Martin is operations. He is not the top.”
Victoria looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because Martin follows instructions.”
Richard’s expression changed.
“From whom?”
A phone vibrated on the table.
Victoria’s.
Unknown number.
She answered on speaker.
Victor Lang’s voice filled the room.
“Good morning.”
Frank immediately began recording.
Victor chuckled.
“Frank Delaney. Still ruining breakfast?”
Frank said nothing.
Victor continued.
“Daniel, you finally showed him.”
“Where is Martin?”
“Useful.”
“Where is Helen?”
Silence.
Then Victor said:
“That is a better question.”
Daniel stood.
“You know where she is.”
“I know where she has been.”
Frank leaned forward.
“Victor, you’re done.”
“I have heard that before.”
Daniel interrupted.
“What do you want?”
Victor’s voice softened.
“The original archive.”
Richard frowned.
“There is no original archive.”
Victor laughed.
“Still lying to yourself, Richard.”
Daniel looked at Richard.
Richard looked away.
Victoria saw it.
“What archive?”
Richard remained silent.
“Dad.”
“There was an offline repository.”
Daniel stared at him.
“You told investigators everything was turned over.”
“I turned over everything I thought mattered.”
Frank slammed a hand against the table.
“Fifteen years.”
Richard flinched.
Frank pointed at him.
“We spent fifteen years believing Victor destroyed the remaining evidence, and you kept an offline corporate archive?”
“I was protecting the company.”
Daniel laughed once.
No humor.
“There it is.”
Richard looked ashamed.
Daniel continued.
“You still think the company is a person.”
“I had employees.”
“So did Enron.”
“Daniel—”
“No. Every time you had to choose between truth and Sterling Global, you told yourself protecting the company protected everyone inside it.”
Richard said nothing.
Daniel leaned forward.
“That excuse nearly killed my wife.”
The room fell silent.
Victor’s voice came through the phone.
“At last, somebody says it.”
Daniel looked at the speaker.
“Don’t confuse me with you.”
Victor laughed.