Chapter 17 - THE ENVELOPE
Daniel did not touch the envelope.
Not at first.
He stood behind the evidence table while a technician photographed every angle.
Leah watched through the glass.
Marcus had been told to stay at the gym.
He hadn't argued.
That worried Daniel more than if he had.
The technician opened the envelope.
Inside was a single key.
Old brass.
Number stamped into the head.
Nothing else.
The investigator looked at Daniel.
“Mean anything?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Daniel had spent enough years being questioned to know what came next.
Silence.
People often filled silence with mistakes.
He didn't.
The investigator finally placed a second item on the table.
A receipt.
Found beneath the chair.
Rail station locker rental.
Baltimore.
Locker 517.
Leah let out a slow breath.
“That seems a little convenient.”
Daniel glanced at her.
“Which is why nobody goes alone.”
Four hours later, federal agents opened Locker 517.
No explosives.
No weapons.
No trap.
Just a black duffel bag.
Inside were eleven binders.
Two encrypted hard drives.
A stack of miniDV tapes.
And one photograph.
Daniel recognized Jeremy Voss immediately.
Thinner.
Younger.
Standing beside Wade Carver.
Between them stood David Hale.
Behind them was a concrete building.
A sign above the door read:
SITE 5 — PERFORMANCE ANNEX.
Daniel turned the photo over.
Handwriting.
Same black marker.
CARVER SOLD THE FIGHTERS.
VOSS SOLD THE DATA.
I KEPT COPIES.
Leah stared.
“David wrote this?”
“Maybe.”
The investigator lifted one of the binders.
Names.
Scores.
Contract numbers.
Medical clearances.
Payment records.
Then she stopped.
“Daniel.”
He stepped closer.
A yellow divider separated one section.
FAMILY EXPOSURE.
Daniel's face changed.
The investigator opened it.
The first page belonged to David Hale.
The second listed:
DUSTIN HALE.
Age fourteen.
Not a participant.
Not an employee.
Not a trainee.
Under status:
OBSERVATIONAL BASELINE.
Leah whispered.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel read the next line.
May you like
And felt something cold settle into his chest.
PARENTAL AGGRESSION CORRELATION STUDY.
