Thomas sighed.
"You're right."
Daniel sat at the opposite end of the bench.
"Why did you help Margaret?"
Thomas stared at the empty tracks.
"Because I couldn't live with what I'd done."
"That doesn't erase anything."
"No. It doesn't."
"Why did you make us believe she was dead?"
Thomas closed his eyes.
"Because I thought I could control the situation. I told myself that if Margaret disappeared, the people behind the operation would stop searching for her."
"And Arthur?"
"I believed he would eventually move on."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"Eleven years isn't moving on."
Thomas nodded.
"I know."
Then he reached into his coat and removed a small envelope.
"There's something else you need to know."
Daniel didn't take it.
"What?"
Thomas looked directly at him.
"The accident wasn't the only attempt to silence Margaret."
He lowered his voice.
"Someone ordered another attack three months later."
Daniel stared.
"Who?"
Thomas's face became grim.
"Someone inside the hospital."
Before Daniel could ask another question, headlights appeared at the far end of the road.
Thomas stood suddenly.
"Go."
"What's happening?"
"They found me."
A vehicle accelerated toward the station.
Thomas pushed Daniel behind a concrete pillar.
The car stopped.
Two men stepped out.
One raised a weapon.
Daniel drew his own.
"Police! Drop it!"
The men turned and ran.
Daniel chased them across the platform, but they disappeared into the darkness.
When he returned, Thomas was gone.
Only the envelope remained.
Inside was a list of hospital employees.
At the top was a name Daniel recognized.
DR. PETER HARRIS.
The doctor who had signed Margaret's death certificate eleven years earlier.
And who was still working at the same hospital.
The following morning, Daniel arrived at the hospital before sunrise.
He had barely slept.
The name on Thomas's list had disturbed him more than anything else.
Dr. Peter Harris.
The doctor who had signed Margaret's death certificate.
The doctor who had authorized her transfer.
And the doctor who had continued working for eleven years without anyone questioning his involvement.
Daniel requested an interview with the hospital administration.
At first, they refused.
Dr. Harris was a respected physician with an excellent professional record.
But once Daniel presented the documents from Margaret's case, the hospital agreed to cooperate.
He was given access to the old patient files.
One record immediately stood out.
Margaret Bennett had not been the only patient transferred under a false identity.
There were seven others.
All had been involved in investigations related to the illegal medical operation.
Some had died.
Others had disappeared.
Daniel called the investigative division.
"I need a warrant for Dr. Harris's office."
"What's the reason?"
"Evidence of falsified medical records and obstruction of justice."
The officer on the other end paused.
"Brooks, are you certain?"
Daniel looked at the documents.
"Absolutely."
Dr. Harris was in his office when Daniel arrived.
He was an older man with silver hair, expensive glasses, and an expression that suggested he was used to being respected.
"Officer Brooks. What can I do for you?"
Daniel placed the warrant on the desk.
"We need to discuss Margaret Bennett."
The doctor's expression changed only slightly.
"I remember that case."
"Do you?"
"Of course. Terrible accident."
"She survived."
Harris slowly removed his glasses.
"That's impossible."
Daniel placed the transfer record in front of him.
"Then perhaps you can explain this."
Harris looked at the paper.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he leaned back.
"I was following instructions."
"Whose instructions?"
"Richard Vale's."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Why did you sign a death certificate for a living woman?"
Harris looked toward the window.
"Because I was told that if I didn't cooperate, my family would be harmed."
Daniel stared at him.
"Did you know what they were doing to her?"
"I knew she was being kept under observation."
"Against her will?"
Harris didn't answer.
Daniel leaned forward.
"How many people?"
The doctor looked down.
"Seven."
"How many died?"
"Three."
Daniel felt sick.
"Did you falsify their records too?"
Harris nodded slowly.
"I told myself that I was saving the hospital. That if I refused, someone else would do it."
Daniel stood.
"That's what everyone says."
He signaled to the officers waiting outside.
Dr. Harris was arrested.
The investigation that followed uncovered the full extent of the illegal operation. Medical records had been altered, payments concealed, and vulnerable patients used in experiments without their consent.
The memory card Margaret had recovered contained the evidence needed to connect the hospital, the private companies, and the people who had financed the operation.
For the first time, the families of the missing patients began receiving answers.
But Daniel still had one unfinished matter.
Thomas Reed.
That evening, Daniel returned to the railway station.
He found Thomas sitting on the same bench.
This time, there were no headlights.
No other people.
Just an old man looking at the tracks.
Daniel approached.
"You knew about the hospital."
Thomas nodded.
"I knew some of it."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Thomas looked exhausted.
"Because I was involved."
Daniel sat beside him.
"How involved?"
Thomas took a long breath.
"I helped arrange the transfer of those patients. I altered reports. I accepted money. I told myself that I was preventing something worse."
"Three people died."
"I know."
"Families lost their loved ones."
"I know."
"Arthur spent eleven years believing he had killed his wife."
Thomas lowered his head.
"I know."
Daniel's voice became quieter.
"Why did you help me become a police officer?"
Thomas looked at him.
"Because I saw something in you."
"What?"
"Someone who still believed that doing the right thing mattered."
Daniel shook his head.
"Then why did you teach me to follow orders instead of asking questions?"
Thomas had no answer.
He reached into his pocket and removed an old photograph.
It showed Daniel at the police academy, standing beside Thomas.