Chapter 19 - THE WHISTLEBLOWERThat night, I received an encrypted email on my laptop. The message contained no subject line, only a video file and an address in downtown Austin.
I played the video.
The screen showed a dimly lit room. Sitting in a chair was a young woman with hollow eyes and pale skin—Chloe Ross. She looked directly into the camera, holding up a Swiss newspaper showing yesterday’s date.
“If anyone is watching this,” Chloe’s voice was thin and trembling, “my name is Chloe Ross. I am not insane. I was drugged and held against my will at the St. Jude Clinic in Zurich by order of Victor Vance. A nurse helped me escape two days ago. I am currently hiding in Texas. Please… help me before they find me.”
The email concluded with a short text note:
“I will trade Chloe’s live testimony and the master access keys to Victor Vance’s accounts for complete immunity. Meet me at the Austin Grand Hotel, Room 812. Midnight. Come alone.”
The email was signed: D. H.
“Dr. Harrison,” Mark realized, staring at the screen. “Harrison had a secondary contact with Vance Financial. He knew Victor would throw him to the wolves, so he hid Chloe Ross as his ultimate bargaining chip!”
“Harrison is in county jail,” I noted. “He must have had a paralegal or an accomplice send this email on his behalf.”
“We can’t trust this, Thomas,” Ray warned, reaching for his coat. “It could be a trap set by Victor Vance’s enforcers to destroy the evidence and eliminate anyone who knows about Chloe.”
“It doesn't matter,” I said, picking up my car keys. “A eighteen-year-old girl is hiding in an Austin hotel room, hunted by a syndicate of murderers. I’m not letting another child end up like Sarah.”
“I’m coming with you,” Mark said firmly.
May you like
I looked into my son-in-law’s eyes. The grief and hesitation that had defined him for three years were completely gone. In their place stood a man ready to fight for justice.
“Alright,” I nodded. “Ray, call Detective Vance and get a federal tactical unit on standby in Austin. We move in ten minutes.”
