ARTHUR: “Then Brooks is using them.”
MILLER: “Probably.”
ARTHUR: “What did the man say?”
MILLER: “He claimed he was hired to monitor your family, not harm them.”
Arthur gave him a cold look.
ARTHUR: “He had a photograph of my daughter and a weapon.”
MILLER: “I know.”
ARTHUR: “That's not monitoring.”
MILLER: “We're treating it as a credible threat.”
Arthur looked at the documents in Miller's hand.
ARTHUR: “What about the missing page?”
MILLER: “We found a reference to it in the archive. It was removed three days before the facility was shut down.”
ARTHUR: “Three days?”
MILLER: “The access record shows the person who removed it used Nathaniel Brooks's credential.”
ARTHUR: “Then he has it.”
MILLER: “We believe so.”
ARTHUR: “The signature page contains more than his name.”
MILLER: “What else?”
ARTHUR: “The original authorization seal. The seal was generated by the central system and could not be reproduced after the facility was closed. If the page is recovered, we can compare the seal against the original database.”
MILLER: “That would establish whether the signature is genuine.”
ARTHUR: “Yes.”
Miller placed another photograph on the table.
It showed an older man entering a private medical building.
His hair was white, his shoulders slightly stooped, and he carried a black walking cane.
Arthur stared at the photograph.
His face changed.
ARTHUR: “That's Brooks.”
MILLER: “You're certain?”
ARTHUR: “I would recognize him anywhere.”
MILLER: “The photograph was taken yesterday.”
ARTHUR: “Where?”
MILLER: “A private clinic in northern New Jersey. He used the name Nathan Brooks, but the identification was false.”
ARTHUR: “What's his real status?”
MILLER: “We're checking.”
Arthur looked again at the photograph.
ARTHUR: “He looks older.”
MILLER: “He is seventy-eight.”
ARTHUR: “He always believed he was untouchable.”
MILLER: “Not anymore.”
Arthur looked at Miller.
ARTHUR: “Don't underestimate him. Brooks never did anything himself if he could make someone else take the risk.”
MILLER: “We know.”
ARTHUR: “No. You don't. He'll sacrifice Cross. He'll sacrifice Hale. He'll sacrifice anyone who can connect him to the records.”
Miller studied him.
MILLER: “What would you do if you were him?”
Arthur answered without hesitation.
ARTHUR: “I'd destroy the signature page.”
MILLER: “Then that's what we're trying to prevent.”
***
The FBI located Brooks's temporary residence the following evening.
It was a large house on a quiet private road, surrounded by trees and a high stone wall.
The property was registered to a trust company.
No one appeared to live there.
But the surveillance team noticed a light turning on in an upstairs room shortly after sunset.
Miller watched from an unmarked vehicle.
MILLER: “Any movement?”
AGENT HARRIS: “One vehicle entered the property twenty minutes ago.”
MILLER: “Description?”
HARRIS: “Black sedan. No visible plates.”
MILLER: “Can we identify the driver?”
HARRIS: “Not yet.”
Miller looked at the house.
MILLER: “Wait for the vehicle to leave. We need confirmation before moving.”
A few minutes later, the black sedan came out of the driveway.
The surveillance team followed it.
The vehicle traveled through several streets before entering an underground parking garage beneath an office building.
The driver stepped out.
He was an older man with white hair and a black cane.
Miller recognized him from the photograph.
MILLER: “That's Brooks.”
Harris moved closer.
HARRIS: “We have visual confirmation.”
MILLER: “Secure the exits.”
Brooks walked toward an elevator.
He seemed unaware of the agents approaching from behind.
MILLER: “Nathaniel Brooks.”
Brooks stopped.
Slowly, he turned around.
BROOKS: “I wondered how long it would take.”
MILLER: “You're under arrest.”
BROOKS: “For what?”
MILLER: “Conspiracy, fraud, theft of government property, evidence tampering, and multiple violations involving protected records.”
Brooks looked at the agents.
Then he smiled.
BROOKS: “You have the wrong man.”
MILLER: “We have the right one.”
BROOKS: “Then show me the evidence.”
MILLER: “We have the original ledger.”
Brooks's smile disappeared.
For the first time, Miller saw genuine fear in his eyes.
BROOKS: “You don't have the final page.”
MILLER: “We know.”
BROOKS: “Then you have nothing.”
MILLER: “We have enough to hold you.”
Brooks looked toward the elevator.
Two agents blocked his path.
BROOKS: “You don't understand what you're doing.”
MILLER: “I understand exactly what I'm doing.”
BROOKS: “That ledger contains the names of people who could destroy your career.”
MILLER: “Then I suppose they should be worried.”
Brooks slowly raised his hands.
An agent approached and secured his wrists.
As the handcuffs clicked into place, Brooks leaned toward Miller.
BROOKS: “Ask Whitmore what happened to the original project director.”
Miller's expression tightened.
MILLER: “What does that mean?”
BROOKS: “Ask him who really approved the first transfer.”
MILLER: “We'll ask him.”
Brooks was led away.
But his final words stayed with Miller.
***
At the federal facility, Brooks refused to cooperate.
He requested legal counsel and claimed that the investigation was politically motivated.
He denied knowing Officer Vance.
He denied ordering the theft of Arthur's identification card.
He denied having any involvement in the missing equipment.
But the recovered ledger told a different story.
Investigators discovered payments to shell companies, false destruction certificates, and unauthorized transfers.
The equipment had been sold through a network of private contractors.
Some devices had been dismantled and resold for parts.