He listened silently for several minutes.
Then his expression changed.
"What do you mean the article has been pulled?"
He stood.
"You approved it yesterday!"
Another pause.
James closed his eyes.
"Fine."
He ended the call.
Evelyn looked at him.
"What happened?"
"My newspaper has decided not to publish the investigation."
"Why?"
"Pressure from Ashford Corporation."
"Can they do that?"
"They own advertising contracts with half the media companies in the country. Apparently, they can."
James walked toward the window.
"I've spent years building my reputation. But one phone call from Richard Ashford is enough to make everyone afraid."
Evelyn studied him.
"Are you going to stop?"
He turned.
"No."
"Then what are we going to do?"
James opened a drawer and removed a small recording device.
"We're going to let them speak for themselves."
That afternoon, Evelyn agreed to an interview.
It was broadcast live from a small independent television studio.
James had arranged everything through a journalist who had once worked with Catherine Wells.
The interviewer, a middle-aged woman named Laura Bennett, sat across from Evelyn.
"Sergeant Ashford, thank you for joining us."
"Thank you for having me."
"Let's begin with the question everyone is asking. Are you really Evelyn Ashford?"
Evelyn looked directly into the camera.
"Yes."
"Your family has publicly questioned your identity."
"My family buried me while I was still alive. I don't think their opinion should be the standard by which my identity is judged."
Laura paused.
"That's an extraordinary accusation."
"It's an extraordinary situation."
"Can you prove that your parents knew you were alive?"
Evelyn reached into her jacket and removed a copy of her official military identification.
"This is my identification. These are my service records. This is my military medical history. I also have documents showing that my family received twelve million dollars following my supposed death."
The interviewer leaned forward.
"Twelve million dollars?"
"Yes."
"Are you saying your family profited from your disappearance?"
"I'm saying the documents speak for themselves."
Evelyn looked into the camera again.
"My brother, Daniel Ashford, discovered illegal financial operations within our family's company. Shortly afterward, he died under suspicious circumstances. I believe he was murdered because he knew too much."
Laura was silent for several seconds.
"Do you have evidence?"
Evelyn took a breath.
"I have recordings, photographs, and financial documents. And I have a witness."
At that moment, the studio doors opened.
Victoria Ashford walked inside.
The audience gasped.
Laura turned.
"Mrs. Ashford?"
Victoria approached the set.
"I need to speak."
Evelyn stared at her.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Victoria looked directly at the camera.
"My daughter is telling the truth."
The studio fell silent.
Victoria continued.
"Richard Ashford concealed information about Daniel's death. He used Evelyn's identity without her permission. And he arranged the circumstances that led to her disappearance."
Evelyn felt her chest tighten.
"Why are you saying this now?"
Victoria looked at her daughter.
"Because I'm tired of being afraid."
She turned back toward the camera.
"I signed the document declaring Evelyn dead. I knew there was a possibility she was still alive. I accepted the insurance money. And I allowed my husband to convince me that silence was the only way to protect our family."
Laura leaned forward.
"Mrs. Ashford, are you admitting to participating in a cover-up?"
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
A wave of shocked whispers spread through the studio.
Then Victoria said something nobody expected.
"But there is another person who helped my husband. Someone who is still working inside the military."
Before she could continue, the studio lights went dark.
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Someone shouted.
Security personnel rushed toward the stage.
When the lights returned, Victoria was gone.
Her microphone lay on the floor.
Evelyn stood up.
"Mom?"
James ran toward the exit.
But the hallway was empty.
On the table, beneath Victoria's abandoned handbag, Evelyn found a folded note.
She opened it.
Do not trust the recording. Your brother made a second copy. The original is inside the old family chapel.
At the bottom was a single sentence.
And Evelyn, I am not the only one who survived that night.
That evening, Evelyn returned to the safe apartment with James.
She sat quietly while he reviewed the studio footage.
"Someone knew she was going to speak," he said.
"Who?"
"Whoever entered the studio. The cameras captured a man leaving through the emergency exit."
James enlarged the image.
Evelyn stared.
The man wore a dark uniform.
A military uniform.
She recognized the insignia.
General Marcus Hale.
"He's supposed to be under investigation," she whispered.
James looked at her.
"Apparently, he's not afraid of cameras."
Evelyn picked up her phone.
There was a new message.
This time, it came from Victoria.
Find the chapel before your father does.
Then another message appeared.
And whatever you find, don't let Richard see the photograph.
Evelyn looked at James.
"What photograph?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
She stood and walked toward the door.
James grabbed his jacket.
"Where are you going?"
"To the chapel."
Outside, a black vehicle was parked across the street.
Its headlights were off.
Someone inside was watching the apartment.
And when Evelyn stepped into the night, the engine started.
The black vehicle followed them for nearly twenty minutes.
James drove through several crowded streets before turning into an underground parking garage.
"Are they still behind us?" Evelyn asked.
He checked the rearview mirror.
"I don't see them."
"That's not reassuring."
"No. It isn't."
They waited in silence for several minutes.
Then James turned off the engine.
"We need to find out who is following us."
Evelyn looked at him.
"We already know. General Hale."
"Maybe. But I don't think he's working alone."
James opened the glove compartment and removed a small envelope.
"I received this yesterday."
Evelyn took it.
Inside was a list of names.
Judges.
Police officers.
Government contractors.
Journalists.
Several people had small amounts of money written beside their names. Others had received millions.
At the top of the list was a name Evelyn recognized.
Victoria Ashford.
Beside it was a figure.
$4,500,000.
Evelyn stared at the number.
"What is this?"
"Payments made through a private foundation connected to your mother's charity."
"She ran a charity for children's hospitals."
"That's what everyone believed."
James pointed to the bottom of the page.
"Look at the dates."
Every payment had been made during the eighteen months Evelyn was missing.
The last payment was dated three days before her return.
Evelyn closed the envelope.
"She was buying people's silence."
"Looks that way."
"Even after Daniel died?"
"Especially after Daniel died."
She looked out of the window.