“My name is Harold Bennett,” he said.
Daniel remained standing.
“You contacted me?”
Bennett nodded.
“I worked for the Office of Public Safety before Whitaker became deputy governor.”
“What do you know about the terminal?”
Bennett opened a drawer and placed a photograph on the desk.
It showed several senior officials standing together at a private event.
Among them were Whitaker, Dalton, Cole, and Mayor Hartley.
But another man stood in the center.
Daniel recognized him from the earlier photograph.
Elias Voss.
Bennett spoke quietly.
“That's the man who designed the system.”
“What system?”
“The one that decides which complaints get investigated, which officers get protected, and which people become problems.”
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Who does Voss work for?”
Bennett leaned closer.
“That's the question nobody has ever been allowed to answer.”
CHAPTER 23 — THE LIST OF TARGETS
Bennett opened a second folder.
Inside were hundreds of names.
Teachers.
Journalists.
Business owners.
Former police officers.
Ordinary citizens.
Daniel scanned the pages.
“What am I looking at?”
“A target list.”
“Why are these people listed?”
“Because they challenged someone powerful.”
Bennett pointed to several names.
“These people filed complaints against police officers. These people exposed financial misconduct. These people refused to cooperate with private security contractors.”
Daniel noticed one name near the bottom.
ELENA BROOKS.
He looked toward Commander Brooks.
“Do you recognize this?”
She took the document.
Her expression changed.
“I've never seen this list.”
Bennett nodded.
“You were listed three years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because you refused to sign off on an internal investigation.”
Brooks stared at him.
“What investigation?”
Bennett turned another page.
The heading read:
OPERATION SILENT HARBOR.
Daniel studied it.
The operation had been created to monitor individuals considered threats to the public safety administration.
But its authority had never been approved by the legislature.
Daniel closed the folder.
“Who authorized this?”
Bennett looked toward the dark hallway.
“Someone who has been standing behind every mayor, commissioner, and deputy governor for twenty years.”
CHAPTER 24 — THE FIRST ATTACK
Daniel returned to his vehicle shortly before midnight.
Monica followed.
“Sir, I don't like this place.”
“Neither do I.”
As Daniel reached for the door handle, a vehicle suddenly accelerated from the opposite end of the parking lot.
Monica shouted.
“MOVE!”
Daniel stepped backward.
The vehicle struck the concrete barrier where he had been standing seconds earlier.
The driver reversed and disappeared into the street.
Federal agents rushed toward the exit.
Monica checked Daniel.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
She looked at the damaged barrier.
“That wasn't an accident.”
Daniel examined the vehicle's tire marks.
“No.”
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice spoke calmly.
“Deputy Director Hayes, you've been warned.”
Daniel replied:
“Who is this?”
“You're investigating something you don't understand.”
“Then explain it.”
The man laughed.
“You have forty-eight hours to close the investigation.”
Daniel's voice became colder.
“You just threatened a federal official.”
The caller responded:
“Not exactly.”
Then the call ended.
A message appeared.
It contained a photograph of Daniel's home.
CHAPTER 25 — THE FAMILY CONNECTION
Daniel's sister, Rebecca Hayes, had not been involved in his work for years.
She lived quietly outside the city and rarely attended public events.
When Daniel called her, she answered immediately.
“Daniel?”
“I need you to tell me something.”
“What happened?”
“Did our father ever work for the Office of Public Safety?”
There was a long silence.
Rebecca finally spoke.
“Why are you asking about Dad?”
“Because his name has appeared in an investigation.”
Daniel heard her take a breath.
“He told me never to discuss his old work.”
“Rebecca, I need the truth.”
Their father, Thomas Hayes, had worked as a government records auditor before retiring.
He had died when Daniel was twenty-nine.
At least, that was what the family had been told.
Rebecca continued.
“Dad wasn't just an auditor. He investigated government contracts.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“He found missing money. He told me someone was using public safety funds for private operations.”