Daniel stared at the screen.
This was the evidence they needed.
But there was another file.
It contained a photograph of Michael Lawson.
The date was ten years earlier.
Beneath it was a document titled:
SUBJECT TERMINATION AUTHORIZATION.
Daniel opened it.
The order had been signed by Senator Whitmore himself.
Lawson looked over his shoulder.
His expression changed.
"So that's what happened."
Daniel nodded.
"They were planning to kill you."
Lawson looked away.
For ten years, he had lived without knowing whether anyone outside Blackwood remembered him.
Now he finally understood why he had been kept alive.
Whitmore had wanted to extract everything Lawson knew before eliminating him.
Daniel closed the file.
"Marcus, you're going to tell us everything."
Evans laughed.
"You still don't understand. Whitmore doesn't care about this little investigation."
"Then why is he trying so hard to stop it?"
Evans looked directly at Daniel.
"Because Blackwood isn't the biggest secret."
He leaned closer.
"Blackwood was only the training ground."
Daniel frowned.
"What?"
Evans smiled.
"Wait until you see what Operation Black Crown was really designed to do."
Before Daniel could question him further, Evans suddenly began coughing.
His face turned pale.
He collapsed.
Miller immediately checked his pulse.
"He's alive!"
Robert examined the small device in Evans's hand.
There was a blinking red light.
Daniel realized it was transmitting.
Someone had activated a remote signal.
Within seconds, the device shut down.
The files disappeared.
Daniel stared at the screen.
They had lost the evidence.
But he remembered the most important information.
Operation Black Crown.
And the man who had authorized it.
Senator Jonathan Whitmore.
The next morning, Daniel met with Olivia Bennett and federal prosecutor Helen Brooks at a secure location.
The meeting room was small, with no windows and only one entrance.
On the table were copies of the documents recovered from the industrial complex.
Daniel had managed to preserve several files before the device was remotely erased.
Helen examined the material.
"This is enough to establish a connection between Collins, Hayes, Kane, and Whitmore."
"Can we arrest the senator?" Daniel asked.
Helen shook her head.
"Not yet. We need independent financial records and testimony directly connecting him to the disappearances."
Michael Lawson sat quietly beside Daniel.
Then he spoke.
"I can give you that testimony."
Everyone turned toward him.
Lawson explained that he had been forced to attend several meetings with Whitmore's representatives during his captivity.
He had heard conversations.
He had seen financial documents.
And he knew where the original records were stored.
"Where?" Daniel asked.
"At the senator's private estate."
Helen looked concerned.
"Do you know what kind of security he has?"
Lawson nodded.
"Private contractors. Surveillance systems. And several former law enforcement officers."
Robert leaned forward.
"Then we need to be careful."
Daniel looked at the prosecutor.
"Can you obtain a search warrant?"
"Not without stronger evidence."
Daniel considered the situation.
Then he remembered the encrypted device.
One of the files had contained a reference to an offshore account.
He opened his laptop and began searching through the recovered data.
After several minutes, he found a document.
It contained a list of payments made to a private security company.
The final transaction was dated three days before Thomas Reed's death.
The payment had been authorized by Whitmore.
And the recipient was Victor Kane.
Helen examined the document.
"This is significant."
Daniel nodded.
"But we still need the original records."
Lawson looked at him.
"I know where they are."
The room became silent.
"How?" Daniel asked.
"Because Whitmore once showed me the archive. He believed I would never leave Blackwood alive."
Lawson explained that the documents were stored in a private underground room beneath the senator's estate.
The room was protected by biometric security and a separate power system.
But he remembered the maintenance entrance.
Helen looked at Daniel.
"If we can secure those documents, I can move forward with an arrest warrant."
Daniel nodded.
"Then let's do it."
That evening, the team prepared the operation.
Olivia arranged federal support from outside Collins's influence.
Robert coordinated the local approach.
Miller volunteered to assist with the identification of former sheriff's deputies who might still be working for Whitmore.
Michael Lawson provided the estate's layout.
At midnight, the operation began.
The senator's property was located on a large estate surrounded by wooded land.
Several vehicles were parked near the main building.
Daniel approached from the eastern side with Robert.
Olivia led another team toward the western entrance.
Miller remained with the evidence transport unit.
They entered through the maintenance tunnel.
The underground corridor was dark.
Daniel followed Lawson's instructions.
After several minutes, they reached a reinforced door.
Lawson examined the control panel.
"That's it."
Daniel looked at him.
"Can you open it?"
Lawson nodded.
"Give me a minute."
He entered the access code.
The door unlocked.
Inside was a large archive room.
Shelves contained boxes of financial records, hard drives, confidential reports, and photographs.
Daniel began examining the documents.
One folder contained the complete Blackwood financial network.
Another contained correspondence between Collins and Whitmore.
But the most important file was labeled:
OPERATION BLACK CROWN β FINAL AUTHORIZATION.
Daniel opened it.
The document described a system designed to use private contractors and compromised government officials to manipulate investigations, intimidate witnesses, and control sensitive information.
Blackwood had been one of several testing locations.
The operation had been designed to expand across multiple states.
Daniel stared at the document.
This was bigger than anything he had imagined.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the room.
"You're trespassing on private property."
Daniel turned.
Senator Jonathan Whitmore stood at the entrance.
He was wearing a dark suit and carrying no weapon.
Behind him were four armed security officers.
Whitmore looked directly at Daniel.
"Agent Carter. I've heard quite a lot about you."
Daniel slowly closed the folder.
"Senator Whitmore."
Whitmore smiled.
"I understand you've been causing considerable trouble."
"Your operation is finished."
Whitmore laughed.
"You think a few documents can destroy an institution?"
"These documents prove what you've done."