Chapter 3 - The Man Behind Dustin
Victor Hale didn't look dangerous.
That was the first dangerous thing about him.
He was perhaps sixty.
Silver hair.
Dark tailored coat.
No visible tattoos.
No raised voice.
He entered as though the building belonged to him.
Two men followed but remained near the entrance.
Victor looked around.
Then at Dustin.
"What happened?"
Dustin started speaking immediately.
"This psycho came in here threatening everybody—"
"Stop."
One word.
Dustin stopped.
Victor looked at Ray.
"Coach?"
Ray hesitated.
"The girl's father came asking questions."
Victor looked at me.
"Jack Mercer."
It wasn't a question.
"You know my name."
"I know everyone's name when they're creating problems for my family."
"Your nephew created this problem."
Victor glanced at the laptop.
Then at Maya.
Then at the drive.
His expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"You've seen the files."
"Some."
"Then we should talk."
Dustin smiled again.
Victor turned toward him.
"Go sit down."
"What?"
"Sit."
"But—"
"Now."
Dustin obeyed.
Interesting.
Victor gestured toward the office.
"Privately."
"No."
His eyebrows lifted.
"My daughter spent months being frightened into silence. Whatever you have to say can be heard by witnesses."
Victor studied me.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
Maya remained beside me.
Ray leaned against the cage.
Victor removed his coat.
"You believe I'm responsible for your daughter's fear."
"She says Dustin threatened my family using your name."
Victor looked at Dustin.
"Did you?"
Dustin shrugged.
"She was being dramatic."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Did you use my name?"
"I might've said you'd handle things."
Victor walked toward him.
Dustin's confidence faltered.
"I have spent twenty years cleaning up after your father," Victor said quietly. "I will not spend another twenty cleaning up after you."
Dustin blinked.
"This is family business."
"No. This is stupidity."
Victor turned to me.
"I never threatened your daughter."
"That doesn't absolve you."
"No."
The answer surprised me.
Victor continued.
"I've allowed my reputation to become useful to people who want others frightened. That's my responsibility."
Dustin jumped up.
"You're apologizing to him?"
Victor ignored him.
I pointed toward the computer.
"What's in those files?"
"Things Evelyn wasn't supposed to find."
Maya inhaled.
Ray straightened.
Victor looked tired suddenly.
"My legitimate businesses share accounting infrastructure with businesses run by people I should have separated from years ago."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Evelyn noticed irregular payments while helping Dustin organize sponsorship records."
I looked at Dustin.
"You let her see financial records?"
"She snooped."
Victor corrected him.
"You left documents on an unlocked computer."
Dustin glared.
Victor continued.
"She found enough to become frightened."
"And instead of helping her, Dustin used that fear to control her."
Victor looked at his nephew.
"Apparently."
Dustin stood.
"Everybody needs to stop talking about me like I'm not here."
I turned toward him.
"Then say something worth hearing."
His face twisted.
For one second, I saw the rage Evelyn had been living with.
He came toward me.
Ray intercepted him.
"Dustin."
"Get off me."
"No."
Dustin shoved Ray.
The room changed.
His sparring partners didn't move to support him.
Neither did Victor's men.
For the first time, Dustin looked around and realized he was alone.
His power had never been strength.
It had been everyone's willingness to tolerate him.
That tolerance was disappearing.
My phone rang again.
Eleanor.
I answered.
"Jack."
Something was wrong.
"Talk to me."
"The man who came looking for Evelyn wasn't connected to Dustin."
I glanced at Victor.
"How do you know?"
"He identified himself to police."
"Who?"
"Daniel Cross."
Victor heard the name.
His expression transformed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Jack," Eleanor continued, "he says he's a federal investigator."
Victor closed his eyes.
I put the phone on speaker.
"What does he want with Evelyn?"
"He says she's a witness."
Dustin cursed.
Victor said nothing.
Eleanor continued.
"He wants to know whether she gave you a flash drive."
Every eye moved toward my hand.
I looked at Victor.
"Why would a federal investigator want this?"
Victor answered quietly.
"Because those payments Evelyn found aren't merely accounting irregularities."
"What are they?"
Before Victor could answer, Maya noticed something on the screen.
"Wait."
She opened another file.
A video appeared.
Evelyn had recorded it from inside a car.
Dustin was speaking with someone.
Not Victor.
Another man.
His face wasn't visible.
But his voice was.
"We need the drive before Victor discovers she copied it."
Dustin replied, "I'll handle Evelyn."
The room went silent.
Victor turned slowly toward his nephew.
"What did you say?"
Dustin backed away.
"It isn't what it sounds like."
Victor's composure cracked for the first time.
"You knew?"
"Knew what?"
"That someone was using my companies."
Dustin looked toward the door.
Victor's men moved in front of it.
"Answer me."
Dustin's eyes darted everywhere.
Then he said something that changed the entire situation.
"You think Evelyn was the first one?"
Victor froze.
"What?"
Dustin laughed nervously.
"You really have no idea."
Victor walked closer.
"First one what?"
Dustin looked at me.
Then Victor.
Then the laptop.
"She wasn't the first person who found those payments."
Victor's face went pale.
"Who else?"
Dustin didn't answer.
But Maya was already scrolling through Evelyn's files.
She found another recording.
Older.
A photograph appeared.
A woman stood beside Victor outside one of his offices.
Victor stared at the screen.
His hands began to shake.
"Where did she get that?"
"Who is she?" I asked.
Victor whispered the name.
"Rebecca."
Maya opened the attached document.
A newspaper clipping.
Rebecca Hale.
Missing twelve years.
Victor's younger sister.
Then my phone buzzed.
A text message from Eleanor.
Three words.
JACK. COME NOW.
Underneath was a photograph from Evelyn's hospital room.
A woman was standing beside my daughter's bed.
Victor saw her face.
He grabbed the desk.
"That's impossible."
I looked at him.
"You know her?"
May you like
His voice barely came out.
"That's Rebecca."
