Two officers had been assigned to protect her, and Daniel had personally checked the building's security system.
She locked the door and placed her handbag on the kitchen counter.
For the first time in days, she allowed herself to sit down.
She looked at the old photograph of Emily.
Twelve years.
Twelve years of birthdays, holidays, and ordinary family moments without her sister.
She had imagined what it would be like to find Emily again thousands of times.
But she had never imagined that the reunion might begin with another murder.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She answered.
"Hello?"
A man's voice spoke quietly.
"Claire, you need to stop."
"Who is this?"
"Someone who knows what happened to your sister."
"Then tell me where she is."
"You don't understand. You're getting too close."
Claire stood up.
"Who are you?"
The caller ignored the question.
"Do you remember the night your father died?"
Her heart began beating faster.
"Yes."
"Then you should remember the car."
Claire frowned.
"What car?"
"The black vehicle parked outside your house."
She remembered it.
A black sedan had been parked across the street on the night her father died.
She had assumed it belonged to a neighbor.
"Who was inside it?"
The caller paused.
"Someone you trusted."
Then the call ended.
Claire immediately contacted Daniel.
He arrived fifteen minutes later.
She explained everything.
Daniel listened carefully.
"Did you recognize the voice?"
"No."
"Could it have been someone from the department?"
"Possibly."
Daniel examined the phone number.
The call had been routed through several anonymous services.
There was no easy way to identify the caller.
Then Claire showed him another photograph.
It had arrived while she was waiting for him.
The image showed her apartment building.
A man stood across the street.
His face was partially hidden beneath a cap.
Daniel enlarged the photograph.
He recognized the jacket.
It belonged to a police department uniform.
"That's impossible," he whispered.
"What?"
"Look at his shoulder."
Claire leaned closer.
A small badge was visible.
The man was a police officer.
Someone assigned to protect her.
Daniel immediately went outside.
The two officers were still standing near the entrance.
He questioned them separately.
One was nervous.
The other appeared genuinely confused.
Neither admitted seeing the man in the photograph.
Daniel returned upstairs.
"We need to move you somewhere safer."
Claire shook her head.
"I'm not leaving."
"This isn't a negotiation."
"I've spent twelve years being told to stay away from the truth. I'm done listening."
Daniel looked at her.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message had arrived.
It contained a video.
The screen showed a dark room.
A woman sat in a chair.
Her hands were tied.
Her face was bruised, and her hair covered part of her forehead.
But Claire recognized her immediately.
Emily.
"Claire," her sister whispered through the recording.
"If you can see this, don't trust Hayes."
The video ended.
Claire stood completely still.
Daniel replayed it.
There was no doubt.
It was Emily.
Another message appeared.
YOUR SISTER IS STILL ALIVE. BUT NOT FOR LONG.
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"She's alive."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"We'll find her."
But before he could say anything else, the apartment lights suddenly went out.
A loud crash came from the living room.
Daniel drew his weapon.
"Police! Show yourself!"
No one answered.
He moved toward the broken window.
A small black device lay on the floor.
It was another phone.
Its screen displayed a photograph of Chief Arthur Bennett.
Beneath it was a sentence:
THE MAN YOU NEED IS THE MAN WHO GAVE YOU THE BADGE.
Daniel looked at the photograph.
For the first time, he wondered whether the person he had trusted most in his career had been watching him from the beginning.
Daniel arrived at the precinct before sunrise.
He had barely slept.
The photograph of Chief Arthur Bennett remained on his phone, and the anonymous message kept repeating in his mind.
Bennett had personally recommended him for promotion.
He had supported Daniel after Michael disappeared.
He had even attended their mother's funeral.
It was difficult to believe that the same man might have been responsible for destroying his family.
Captain Hayes was alone in his office when Daniel entered.
"You need to tell me everything," Daniel said.
Hayes looked up.
"About what?"
"Chief Bennett."
The captain slowly closed the folder in front of him.
"Who told you?"
"Does it matter?"
Hayes stood.
"Sit down."
Daniel refused.
"Was Bennett involved in Thomas Morgan's death?"
Hayes looked toward the closed office door.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
"How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning."
"Then why didn't you arrest him?"
"Because I didn't have enough evidence."
Daniel shook his head.
"That's not the answer."
Hayes walked toward the window.
"Arthur Bennett was a senior officer twelve years ago. He controlled several restricted investigations and had influence over the department's internal affairs division."
"And Evelyn Blackwood?"
"She financed the operation."
"Why?"
"Because she wanted protection for her business interests. Whenever an investigation threatened one of her companies, evidence disappeared. Witnesses withdrew statements. Cases collapsed."
Daniel looked at him.
"And you helped them."
Hayes didn't deny it.
"I made mistakes."
"You destroyed lives."
"Yes."
The captain's voice became quieter.
"Thomas discovered the financial network. He found evidence connecting Evelyn to Bennett. He wanted to expose them."
"What happened?"
Hayes sat down.
"Bennett found out. He threatened Thomas. Then he threatened my family."
Daniel stared at him.
"And you gave him information?"
Hayes looked away.
"I told Bennett where Thomas was meeting a confidential source."
The room became silent.
Daniel stepped backward.
"You betrayed him."
"I thought Bennett would scare him into stopping the investigation."
"Instead, Thomas died."
Hayes nodded.
"Yes."
Daniel turned toward the door.
"You're no better than the people you're protecting."
Hayes didn't stop him.
But as Daniel reached the handle, the captain spoke.
"There's something else you need to know."
Daniel turned.
"Your brother."
"What about Michael?"
"He wasn't framed because he stole evidence."
Hayes opened a drawer and removed an old document.
"He discovered that Bennett was using confidential witness protection arrangements to hide people who had information about the operation."
Daniel examined the document.
It contained Michael's signature.
"He was trying to expose the system?"
"Yes. And he discovered that Emily might still be alive."
Daniel felt a strange mixture of anger and relief.