ARTHUR: “They were tied to the original inventory. The card contained the verification sequence for the equipment records. It wasn't a simple access badge. It could authenticate the original database.”
Miller exchanged a glance with the second FBI agent standing near the door.
MILLER: “That explains why someone wanted it.”
ARTHUR: “They don't just want to enter the facility. They want to change what the facility remembers.”
A few seconds passed.
Then Miller's phone vibrated.
He checked the message.
His expression changed.
MILLER: “The facility's security system has just registered another entry.”
Rebecca turned toward him.
REBECCA: “Another person?”
MILLER: “The same credential. The system is showing two access attempts within minutes of each other.”
ARTHUR: “That's impossible.”
MILLER: “Why?”
ARTHUR: “Because the original card can only authenticate one physical access point at a time. If someone is using it in two places, either the system has been duplicated or someone has cloned the credential.”
Miller looked at the screen again.
MILLER: “The second access attempt came from the archive room.”
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
ARTHUR: “Then they're not looking for equipment.”
MILLER: “What are they looking for?”
ARTHUR: “The original ledger.”
Miller stepped closer to the bed.
MILLER: “You said the records were transferred when the facility closed.”
ARTHUR: “Most of them were. But the original ledger was never transferred. It was stored in a separate archive vault. It contained the handwritten signatures of everyone who authorized the transfers and destruction orders.”
REBECCA: “So it could prove who stole the equipment.”
ARTHUR: “Not just who stole it. It could prove who approved the theft, who covered it up, and who received the money.”
MILLER: “Why wasn't it destroyed?”
Arthur looked down at his hands.
ARTHUR: “Because I refused to sign the destruction order.”
The room became still again.
MILLER: “You kept it?”
ARTHUR: “I hid it.”
Rebecca stared at him.
REBECCA: “Where?”
Arthur looked toward the window.
ARTHUR: “Somewhere no one would think to search.”
Miller's voice became more serious.
MILLER: “Mr. Whitmore, if that ledger is still intact, it may be the most important piece of evidence in this entire investigation. We need to know where it is.”
ARTHUR: “I will tell you. But first, I need to understand something.”
MILLER: “Go ahead.”
ARTHUR: “Why did your team wait until today to locate me?”
Miller hesitated.
ARTHUR: “You said you were trying to find me. How long have you been looking?”
MILLER: “Almost six months.”
ARTHUR: “Six months?”
MILLER: “The original investigation was reopened after a former contractor contacted the Bureau. He claimed that equipment marked as destroyed had been sold to private security companies. We traced several transactions back to the old project. Your name appeared in the original audit records.”
ARTHUR: “And you couldn't contact me?”
MILLER: “We tried. Your old address was empty. Your government contact information had been deactivated. The pension office had no updated record beyond your current mailing address.”
ARTHUR: “I never received anything.”
MILLER: “We discovered that someone had changed the contact information in your pension file. The official notification was redirected to an address connected to a shell company.”
Rebecca looked horrified.
REBECCA: “Someone had access to his pension account?”
MILLER: “It appears so.”
ARTHUR: “And the appointment letter?”
MILLER: “A forgery. Someone wanted you at Grand Central Station, carrying the envelope and your identification card.”
Arthur slowly shook his head.
ARTHUR: “They knew I would bring the card.”
MILLER: “Yes.”
ARTHUR: “And they knew the officer would take it.”
Miller did not answer.
He didn't need to.
Arthur looked toward the door, where two agents were now standing guard.
ARTHUR: “Then Vance wasn't acting alone.”
MILLER: “That's one of the possibilities we're investigating.”
ARTHUR: “No. You're still thinking of this as a theft. It was an extraction. Someone arranged for an officer to take the card, remove me from the station, and make sure I couldn't interfere.”
Rebecca's face tightened.
REBECCA: “They wanted him arrested?”
ARTHUR: “Or worse. If I had been taken into custody, the card could have disappeared before anyone realized what it was.”
Miller nodded slowly.
MILLER: “We'll investigate every person involved.”
ARTHUR: “Then start with the officer's phone records.”
MILLER: “We already requested them.”
ARTHUR: “And the station dispatch logs.”
MILLER: “Those too.”
ARTHUR: “Check the minutes before I arrived. Someone may have called the station and given Vance a description of me.”
Miller made a note.
MILLER: “We'll check.”
Arthur leaned back against the pillow.
ARTHUR: “There's one more thing.”
MILLER: “What?”
ARTHUR: “If Cross is inside that facility, don't let anyone approach him without a warrant team. He knows the building better than most of your agents. There are emergency exits, old maintenance tunnels, and a secondary power system.”
MILLER: “How long has it been since you were there?”
ARTHUR: “Eight years.”
MILLER: “And you remember the layout?”
ARTHUR: “I designed part of it.”
Miller looked at the tablet again.
MILLER: “Then we need you to help us understand what we're walking into.”
ARTHUR: “I'll help. But I'm not going back there until my family is safe.”
MILLER: “That's reasonable.”
Rebecca took her father's hand.
REBECCA: “You're not going anywhere alone again.”
Arthur gave her a faint smile.
ARTHUR: “I wasn't planning to.”
For the first time since the incident at the station, Rebecca allowed herself to breathe.