But before anyone could respond, Daniel's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
"Mr. Carter. I believe we need to have a conversation."
Daniel recognized the voice immediately.
Deputy Chief Eleanor Brooks.
"What do you want?"
"I want to prevent you from making a terrible mistake."
Daniel looked at the others.
"You killed Michael."
There was a pause.
Then Brooks laughed softly.
"Michael was not an innocent man."
"He was trying to expose corruption."
"He was trying to destroy people who had spent years protecting this city."
Daniel's voice became colder.
"Did you help Hayes kill him?"
Another pause.
Then Brooks said something that changed everything.
"Your father asked the same questions twelve years ago."
Daniel stopped breathing.
Brooks continued.
"And he made exactly the same mistake."
The call ended.
Daniel slowly lowered his phone.
Olivia grabbed his arm.
"What did she say?"
Daniel looked at her.
Then he repeated the words.
"She said our father made the same mistake."
Rachel immediately called the investigators.
But Daniel was no longer listening.
He was staring at the frozen image on the laptop.
His father.
Michael.
Hayes.
Brooks.
The same people.
The same investigation.
Twelve years apart.
And suddenly, the truth became much more frightening.
Michael Reed hadn't simply discovered an old corruption network.
He had uncovered the reason Daniel's father had died.
And now the people responsible knew that Daniel had the evidence.
They had arrested the wrong man once.
This time, they were determined not to make the same mistake.
The morning after Eleanor Brooks called Daniel Carter, the city woke up to a scandal.
News stations were reporting that senior police officials were under investigation for corruption, evidence tampering, and the possible murder of a former financial auditor.
But the most important evidence had not yet reached the public.
And Deputy Chief Brooks intended to make sure it never did.
At 9:30 a.m., Daniel received a message from an unknown number.
We need to talk. Come alone if you want to know what really happened to your father.
Attached was an address.
It belonged to an expensive restaurant overlooking the river.
Daniel showed the message to Rachel.
"Don't go," she said immediately.
"She knows something about my father."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't trust her."
Daniel looked at Olivia.
"What if she's willing to tell us the truth?"
Olivia shook her head.
"She has already threatened us. Why would she suddenly become honest?"
Ryan agreed.
"If Brooks wants to meet you, she probably has something planned."
Daniel put his phone down.
"Then we'll find out what it is."
Rachel considered the situation.
"You're not going alone. We'll arrange surveillance, and the investigators will stay nearby."
Two hours later, Daniel entered the restaurant.
Brooks was waiting at a table near the window.
She wore a dark blue suit and looked remarkably relaxed for someone whose career was collapsing.
"Mr. Carter," she said, standing.
"Deputy Chief."
"Please. Sit down."
Daniel remained standing for a moment before taking the opposite chair.
Brooks ordered coffee.
Daniel refused.
"Let's get to the point."
She smiled.
"You're impatient. I suppose that runs in your family."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Don't talk about my father."
"Your father was a very intelligent man. Unfortunately, intelligence doesn't always come with good judgment."
"What happened to him?"
Brooks stirred her coffee.
"James Carter discovered something he shouldn't have."
"What?"
"An arrangement involving several contractors, city officials, and members of the police department. Money was being moved through construction projects. Certain investigations were quietly closed in exchange for payments."
Daniel leaned forward.
"And Hayes was involved."
"Hayes was one of many."
"Was my father murdered?"
Brooks looked directly at him.
"Your father died because he refused to understand the consequences of his actions."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're going to get."
She opened a leather folder and placed a document on the table.
It contained a photograph of James Carter, along with a confidential financial report.
Daniel recognized the handwriting immediately.
It belonged to his father.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the original investigation."
"Why show it to me?"
"Because I want to make you an offer."
Daniel looked at her suspiciously.
Brooks lowered her voice.
"Give us the original recordings. Destroy the copies. Withdraw your allegations against the department. In return, your arrest will be officially declared a mistake, your sister will be protected, and you'll receive enough money to start a new life somewhere else."
Daniel stared at her.
"You're offering to pay me to forget my father?"
"I'm offering you a chance to survive."
"Did you make the same offer to Michael?"
Brooks didn't answer.
Daniel continued.
"Did he refuse?"
Her expression changed slightly.
"Michael was stubborn."
"And my father?"
"Your father was worse."
Daniel slowly pushed the folder back.
"I don't want your money."
Brooks sighed.
"Think carefully. You have a sister. A future. A life that could still be normal."
"You took that away when you arranged my arrest."
"I didn't arrange your arrest."
"Then who did?"
Brooks smiled.
"Sergeant Miller."
Daniel froze.
"Hayes told him to bring you in. Miller believed you had the original evidence. He thought a few hours of pressure would make you talk."
"Why?"
"Because Hayes was desperate."
Daniel stared at her.
"Are you saying Hayes was working for you?"
Brooks took a slow sip of coffee.
"You're asking the wrong questions."
She leaned closer.
"The truth is that Hayes became a liability. Michael became a liability. Your father became a liability. And now you are becoming one."
Daniel understood.
Brooks was trying to distance herself from the people who had already been exposed.
She wanted to sacrifice Hayes and Miller to save herself.
He stood.
"Thank you for the conversation."
Brooks looked surprised.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"You're making a serious mistake."
Daniel turned toward the exit.
Then Brooks spoke again.
"One more thing. Ask your uncle Thomas what he did the night your father died."
Daniel stopped.
His heart began to race.
"What does Thomas have to do with this?"
Brooks smiled faintly.
"More than you know."
Daniel walked out without another word.
Outside, Ryan approached him.
"Did she say anything useful?"
Daniel looked at him.
"She confirmed that Miller arrested me under Hayes's instructions. But she also said something about my uncle."
Ryan frowned.
"What about him?"
"She claims he knows what happened to my father."
Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, Brooks picked up her phone.
She called a number she had memorized years ago.
"He's not accepting the deal."
A man's voice answered.
"Then we move to the next option."
Brooks looked through the window.
Daniel was standing beside Ryan.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"What about the evidence?"
"We'll get it."
"And Daniel?"
The voice paused.
"Make sure he never gets the chance to tell the story."
Brooks ended the call.
For the first time that morning, she looked nervous.
Because the man she had just spoken to was not Richard Hayes.
It was someone Daniel had trusted his entire life.
Thomas Carter.
And he had been watching Daniel's every move.
Daniel had spent his entire life believing that family was the one thing nobody could take away from him.
His parents were gone.
He had lost friends.
He had worked through poverty, exhaustion, and years of uncertainty.
But Thomas Carter had always been there.
He had helped Daniel find his first job. He had paid for Olivia's schoolbooks when money was tight. He had attended every important family gathering.