A safety rope lay coiled near the platform.
I picked it up.
Clara stared at me.
“Evelyn.”
I secured one end around a steel post and threw the other toward him.
Victor caught it.
The officers pulled him to safety.
The moment his feet touched solid ground, they restrained him.
He looked at me in disbelief.
“Why?”
“Because I am not you.”
They led him away.
Outside, dawn had begun turning the horizon gray.
The storm weakened.
For the first time in years, I felt Daniel’s story and mine reconnect.
I believed the worst was over.
Then Priya received a call from the detention center.
She listened for several seconds.
When she ended it, her expression was grave.
“Marcus has offered to cooperate.”
Clara crossed her arms.
“Of course he has.”
“He says Victor kept records of every payment, every false foreclosure, and every official involved.”
“Where?”
“Marcus claims the records are hidden in a location only he can identify.”
