Russell said, “Most of my fortune goes to victims connected to the files.”
Claire stared at him.
“Most?”
“Nearly all.”
Daniel sat down.
“That’s why the will wasn’t read.”
“Correct.”
Claire laughed once.
“So Emily
really wasn’t getting the fortune.”
Russell looked at me.
“Not exactly.”
I folded my arms.
“What did I get?”
Russell smiled.
“The farmhouse.”
I stared around.
“This?”
“And everything beneath it.”
The archive.
Margaret nodded.
“Legally, this property belongs to you now.”
My mouth fell open.
“You gave me the most dangerous thing you owned?”
Russell’s smile faded.
“I gave you a choice.”
“A choice about what?”
“What survives.”
The sirens were louder now.
Margaret looked at the terminal.
“There are two master commands.”
One button read RELEASE.
The other read DELETE.
Russell looked at me.
“Once law enforcement arrives, the choice will no longer be ours.”
I stared at him.
“You want me to decide?”
“Yes.”
Hayes stepped forward.
“Delete it.”
Claire said, “No.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You want it released?”
“My mother died because people spent years protecting secrets.”
Hayes shook his head.
“You’re emotional.”
She turned
on him.
“And you shot at my mother.”
I stared at the glowing buttons.
Release.
Delete.
Both terrified me.
Then I noticed a third option.
ARCHIVE SEALED — TRANSFER TO FEDERAL CUSTODY.
“What’s that?”
Margaret smiled slightly.
“I added it.”
Russell looked at her.
“When?”
“While you were busy pretending to be dead.”
For the first time, I saw something like respect between them.
I selected it.
**TRANSFER TO FEDERAL CUSTODY.**
Russell exhaled.
Hayes shouted, “Emily, don’t!”
I pressed CONFIRM.
The server room filled with mechanical clicks.
Hayes lunged.
Daniel tackled him.
The transfer began.
1%.
7%.
12%.
Then the power went out.
Complete darkness.
Margaret whispered, “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
