Margaret Collins.
"Who are you speaking with?"
Olivia quickly disconnected.
Daniel stared at his phone.
Seconds later, another message arrived.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: STOP CONTACTING AGENT BENNETT.
Daniel looked at Price.
"We have to leave."
The group gathered their belongings and prepared to move.
But as they stepped outside, they noticed two vehicles approaching the farmhouse.
Robert recognized one immediately.
"That's a county patrol car."
Daniel watched it carefully.
The vehicle stopped near the gate.
Two deputies stepped out.
One of them raised a loudspeaker.
"Daniel Carter! Come outside with your hands visible!"
Miller looked toward Daniel.
"They're here for you."
Daniel checked the surrounding area.
There was nowhere to hide.
The deputy continued.
"We have a warrant for your arrest!"
Daniel stepped toward the entrance.
He raised his badge.
"FBI! I am a federal agent conducting an active investigation!"
The deputy shouted back.
"Your authority has been suspended!"
Daniel looked at Miller.
The deputy lowered his eyes.
The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
Robert stepped forward.
"There's a rear road through the woods."
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not running from a local arrest warrant."
Robert looked at him.
"Then you're going to prison."
Daniel considered the situation.
He knew that if he surrendered, Collins could control where he was held and what happened to the evidence.
He also knew that resisting arrest could make the sheriff's accusations appear legitimate.
He needed another option.
Then Price spoke.
"I have something."
Everyone turned toward him.
Price reached into his coat and produced an old identification card.
It belonged to a federal prosecutor named Helen Brooks.
"She handled the original Lawson investigation," Price explained. "She was removed from the case after refusing to approve Collins's report."
Daniel looked at the card.
"Can you contact her?"
Price nodded.
"She owes Thomas Reed a favor."
Daniel immediately called the number printed on the back.
After several rings, a woman answered.
"Brooks."
"My name is Daniel Carter. I was assigned to Blackwood."
There was silence.
Then she asked:
"Do you have Thomas Reed's evidence?"
Daniel looked toward the farmhouse.
"Yes."
"Then listen carefully. Do not surrender to Sheriff Hayes. Do not contact anyone inside your agency. And whatever you do, don't let Collins get her hands on that recording."
Daniel frowned.
"Why?"
The prosecutor answered quietly.
"Because that recording contains something far more dangerous than evidence of corruption."
"What?"
"It contains a conversation proving that Collins ordered the disappearance of Michael Lawson."
Daniel looked at the phone.
For ten years, he had wanted answers.
Now he was finally close.
But Helen added one final warning.
"Agent Carter, there is something else. If Lawson is still alive, he may not be the person you remember."
The decision to leave Blackwood was made quickly.
Daniel, Robert, Miller, and Price packed the evidence into two separate vehicles.
They planned to reach the neighboring state, where Helen Brooks had arranged a confidential meeting with an independent federal prosecutor.
Daniel drove the first vehicle.
Miller sat beside him.
Robert and Price followed in the second car.
The highway was almost empty.
Dark clouds gathered above the surrounding hills, and rain began striking the windshield.
For several minutes, everything seemed peaceful.
Then Miller noticed a black SUV approaching from behind.
"Agent."
Daniel checked the rearview mirror.
"What?"
"That vehicle has been following us since the last intersection."
Daniel increased his speed.
The SUV did the same.
"Call Robert."
Miller reached for his phone.
Before he could make the call, another vehicle appeared ahead.
It was parked diagonally across the road.
Daniel immediately pressed the brakes.
The SUV behind them accelerated.
"Hold on!"
The impact came from the rear.
Daniel's vehicle spun sideways and crashed against the highway barrier.
The airbags deployed.
For several seconds, everything went silent.
Daniel struggled to regain his vision.
Miller was unconscious.
Blood ran down the side of his face.
Daniel unfastened his seat belt and climbed out through the damaged driver's door.
The black SUV stopped several yards away.
Three men stepped out.
One of them carried a weapon.
Daniel immediately took cover behind the vehicle.
"Federal agent! Drop your weapons!"
The men ignored him.
One began approaching.
Then a second gunshot echoed across the highway.
The man fell.
Daniel turned.
Robert's pickup truck had arrived behind the attackers.
Robert was standing beside it.
"Daniel! Move!"
Daniel pulled Miller out of the vehicle.
The attackers retreated toward the SUV.
Robert helped them reach his truck.
"Where's Price?" Daniel asked.
Robert looked toward the road.
The second vehicle had stopped near the barrier.
Its windshield was shattered.
Price was still inside.
Daniel rushed toward it.
He opened the driver's door.
Price was unconscious, but breathing.
Daniel checked his pulse.
"He's alive!"
They moved him into Robert's truck.
As they drove away, Daniel looked through the rear window.
The attackers were already getting back into their vehicle.
His phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
He answered.
"Agent Carter."
Victor Kane laughed.
"That was close."
Daniel tightened his grip on the phone.
"You're running out of places to hide."
Kane sounded amused.
"You're still thinking this is about hiding. You don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it."
Kane paused.
"Do you know why Michael Lawson disappeared?"
Daniel said nothing.
"Because he discovered something that even Collins was afraid of."
"What?"
Kane lowered his voice.
"He discovered that the Blackwood operation was only one part of a national network. Several major government contracts were being used to finance private intelligence operations."
Daniel stared at the road.
"Who controls the network?"
Kane laughed.
"That's the question everyone asks."
"And?"
"Nobody controls it completely. That's why people like you keep getting in the way."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Where is Lawson?"
There was a long silence.
Then Kane answered.
"Closer than you think."
The call disconnected.
Daniel looked toward Robert.
"Take us to the medical clinic."
Robert nodded.
Miller slowly opened his eyes.
"Agent?"
Daniel turned.
"You're awake."
Miller tried to move.
"My head hurts."