Chapter 4 - Three Knocks at Midnight
Curtis raised both hands.
He wasn't armed.
At least not visibly.
Adrian stepped between him and Mara.
"Interesting choice."
Curtis swallowed.
"I came to talk."
"You threatened her child."
"No."
Mara pushed around Adrian.
"You photographed Lucy."
"I never touched the kid."
"You stalked me for eighteen months!"
"Because if I didn't, someone worse would."
The statement struck harder than shouting would have.
Curtis looked exhausted.
Gone was the smug collector.
"Every Friday," he said, "I knocked three times so they could confirm I was still controlling you."
"Who?"
"Hale's people."
"Hale nearly died today."
Curtis laughed bitterly.
"You still think Hale is in charge?"
Adrian watched him carefully.
"Who sent you?"
Curtis looked toward the safe-deposit box.
"Open it."
Mara did.
Inside was a flash drive.
A photograph.
And Daniel's wedding ring.
Mara stopped breathing.
She had buried Daniel wearing that ring.
Her fingers closed around it.
"This isn't possible."
Curtis looked at her with something almost like sympathy.
"The coffin was empty, Mara."
Her knees weakened.
Adrian steadied her.
She pulled away.
"Don't."
He released her immediately.
Mara stared at Curtis.
"Where is my husband?"
"I don't know."
"Everyone keeps saying that!"
"Because Daniel made sure nobody knew."
Curtis pointed toward the flash drive.
"He knew they'd eventually come after Lucy. That's why he created insurance."
Adrian picked up the photograph.
Gabriel and Daniel again.
But this time there were four people.
Hale.
Daniel.
Gabriel.
And a woman.
Mara recognized her.
Elaine Porter.
The missing pediatric nurse.
Written beneath the photograph:
FOUR WITNESSES. ONE SURVIVED.
"Who survived?" Mara asked.
Curtis didn't answer.
Adrian inserted the flash drive into an isolated laptop.
One video file appeared.
DANIEL_FOR_MARA.
Her husband's face filled the screen.
Alive.
Terrified.
"Mara, if you're seeing this, I failed."
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Daniel continued.
"I lied about the debt. About the late nights. About almost everything except loving you and Lucy."
Mara's eyes filled.
"I found something at St. Arden. Children were being enrolled in unauthorized trials. Gabriel Vale helped me collect evidence. Elaine helped us identify patients."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Someone found out. Gabriel wanted to go public immediately. I asked him to wait."
Daniel looked away from the camera.
"That delay killed him."
Adrian stopped the video.
Mara stared at him.
"Play it."
His face was stone.
"Adrian."
He resumed.
"Gabriel died because I panicked. Adrian, if you're watching, blame me. Not yourself."
Adrian closed his eyes.
For one heartbeat, the feared man disappeared.
There was only a brother.
Daniel continued.
"After Gabriel's death, I knew Mara and Lucy would be next. So I disappeared."
Mara whispered, "You let me bury you."
Daniel's recorded face offered no answer.
"I needed them to believe I was dead. Curtis was supposed to make the fake debt look real and keep Mara predictable."
Mara turned slowly toward Curtis.
"You worked for Daniel?"
"At first."
"Then who were you working for?"
Curtis looked frightened.
"That's complicated."
The video continued.
"The trial wasn't about asthma. The respiratory cases were a cover. Someone was collecting genetic data from children born to specific families."
Mara frowned.
"What families?"
Daniel leaned toward the camera.
"Lucy wasn't randomly selected."
The recording distorted.
Static.
Then Daniel said:
"Mara, they chose Lucy because of you."
The file ended.
Silence.
Mara stared at the black screen.
"Because of me?"
Curtis backed toward the vault entrance.
Adrian noticed.
"Don't."
Curtis froze.
"Tell her."
"I can't."
Adrian approached.
Curtis's bravado vanished.
"You don't understand."
"Then improve my understanding."
Curtis looked at Mara.
"Your foster records."
"What about them?"
"They're fake."
Mara laughed once.
"Of course they're real."
"No. Your birth certificate, abandonment report, placements—all manufactured."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Who does?"
Curtis's face drained of color.
A red dot appeared on his chest.
Adrian saw it.
"Down!"
He threw Mara behind the vault wall.
Glass shattered in the outer bank.
Curtis dropped.
A bullet struck the metal door.
Adrian's men returned fire.
Mara crawled toward Curtis.
Blood spread beneath him.
She pressed both hands against the wound.
"Nurse," he gasped.
"Don't talk."
"Friday..."
"Stop."
"Three knocks..."
His eyes found hers.
"It wasn't to scare you."
"What was it for?"
"Daniel said if I ever missed a Friday..."
His breathing broke.
"...you were supposed to run."
"From whom?"
Curtis tried to answer.
Then every light in the bank went dark.
Emergency lamps illuminated.
Adrian appeared beside her.
"We move now."
Mara refused to release Curtis.
"He's bleeding out."
"We take him."
Marcus lifted Curtis.
They rushed toward the armored vehicle.
Mara's phone rang.
Private number.
She answered.
Silence.
Then three knocks sounded through the speaker.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A man's voice followed.
"Mara?"
Her blood froze.
She knew the voice.
She had heard it beside her every morning for seven years.
Daniel whispered:
"Don't go home."
May you like
Then someone screamed on his end of the line.
And the connection died...
