Then at the photograph of Daniel Mitchell.
A terrible possibility began to form.
"Mitchell..."
"Yes?"
"Who authorized my original access credentials twelve years ago?"
There was a long silence.
Then Mitchell answered.
"Daniel Mitchell."
Vanessa stared at the photograph.
"But Daniel is dead."
Mitchell's response was almost a whisper.
"Apparently, someone forgot to tell him."
The call ended.
Vanessa remained motionless.
Ethan looked at her.
"Agent Carter?"
She slowly closed the ledger.
"We're leaving."
Bell looked toward the exit.
"Why?"
Vanessa glanced at the security camera.
Its red indicator light had just turned off.
"Because someone is watching us."
A loud metallic crash echoed from the hallway.
Foster reached for her weapon.
Bell moved toward the door.
Vanessa pulled Ethan behind the shelving unit.
Then the building's alarm began to sound.
The lights flickered.
A voice came through the facility speakers.
"Attention. Security lockdown initiated."
Vanessa looked toward the exit.
The metal door began sliding shut.
Bell shouted.
"Move!"
They ran.
But before Vanessa reached the doorway, her phone vibrated again.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO FIND YOUR FATHER'S RECORDS.
A second message arrived.
ASK MITCHELL WHAT HAPPENED IN ROOM 17.
Vanessa stopped.
Bell turned.
"Carter!"
She looked at the message again.
Then she looked at the photograph of her former supervisor.
Room 17.
She remembered it.
Not clearly.
A federal archive.
A locked door.
A man shouting her name.
And a gunshot.
She had never understood why that memory kept returning in her dreams.
Now she knew someone else remembered it too.
And they wanted her to remember.
PART 11 — ROOM 17
The federal team escaped the Westbridge facility through a service exit.
By the time they reached the parking area, two additional FBI vehicles had arrived.
Vanessa stood beside Bell's SUV.
"Get the original ledger into secure custody."
Bell nodded.
"Done."
"Send a copy of the access log to the Inspector General."
"Already requested."
"Nobody contacts Captain Gaines without authorization."
Bell looked at her.
"You think he knows we're here?"
"I think he knew before we arrived."
Ethan approached.
"Agent Carter?"
Vanessa turned.
"What is it?"
"That room. Room 17. Do you remember it?"
She looked at him.
"Not clearly."
"Could it be connected to my father?"
"Possibly."
Ethan hesitated.
"My father had a photograph of a room with that number."
Vanessa's expression changed.
"Where?"
"At home. In a box with his old work documents."
"Do you still have it?"
"I think so."
"Can someone retrieve it?"
Ethan nodded.
"My sister lives there now."
Vanessa took out her phone.
"Call her."
Ethan dialed.
The call rang several times.
Then a woman answered.
"Ethan?"
"Sarah, I need you to check Dad's old storage box."
"What?"
"The one with his work documents. Look for a photograph with the number seventeen."
A pause.
"Why?"
"Just look."
Vanessa watched him.
Then Ethan's face changed.
"Sarah?"
The woman was speaking rapidly.
He listened.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
"Someone's been inside the house."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"Who?"
Ethan covered the phone.
"She doesn't know. The back door was open. The storage box is missing."
Vanessa took the phone.
"Sarah, this is Special Agent Vanessa Carter. Are you safe?"
A frightened voice answered.
"I think so."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Leave the house immediately. Do not touch anything. Go to a public place and call 911."
"What's happening?"
"We'll explain when you're safe."
Vanessa ended the call.
She turned to Bell.
"Get a team to Ethan's sister's address."
Bell nodded.
Ethan looked shaken.
"They're taking everything."
Vanessa placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Not everything."
"What do you mean?"
She looked toward the evidence case.
"Your father left us the most important thing."
"The ledger?"
"More than that."
She opened the case and removed the small digital recorder.
"Your father knew the records could be destroyed. So he left something that could speak for itself."
PART 12 — THE VOICE OF THOMAS COLE
The digital recorder was old.
Its casing was scratched, and the battery compartment had been secured with tape.
A forensic technician managed to restore power.
The device contained only one recording.
The file was dated twelve years earlier.
Vanessa sat in the listening room with Ethan, Bell, and Foster.
The technician pressed play.
Static filled the speakers.
Then a man's voice emerged.
"December 18. This is Thomas Cole. I am making this recording because I no longer trust the official evidence system."
Ethan closed his eyes.
It was his father.
The voice continued.
"I was instructed to transfer a sealed evidence container from the county storage facility to Westbridge. The transfer was approved by Lieutenant David Harris and signed by Chief Arthur Caldwell."
Vanessa looked at Bell.
The recording continued.
"When I opened the container, I discovered that the contents did not match the inventory."
A pause.
"The original files were missing. In their place were copies. Some had been altered. Others had been replaced entirely."
Ethan's hands tightened.
"I contacted Detective Michael Reeves. He told me the same thing had happened in three other cases."
The recording crackled.
"He also told me that someone inside the federal investigation knew."
Vanessa leaned forward.
"Who?"
The recording continued.
"I was instructed to meet Special Agent Daniel Mitchell at the federal archive. He said he could explain the discrepancies."
A long pause followed.
Then Thomas spoke again.
"But when I arrived, I found Vanessa Carter."
Vanessa went still.
Ethan turned toward her.
The recording continued.
"She was standing outside Room 17. She looked frightened. She kept asking where Daniel was."
Vanessa stared at the speaker.