The recording ended, its final words still echoing across the command room.
“You’ll keep them busy, Helena. I’ll keep building from the shadows. And when they think it’s over,that’s when I’ll strike.”
Aria stood, more like an ice, her breath shallow.
Jerry leaned in. “It sounded like…”
“Daniel,” Isabelle whispered.
Philip shook his head, rewinding the audio. “The voice is distorted. Deepened artificially. Could be anyone.”
“No,” Aria muttered, brows furrowed. “It’s too specific. The cadence... the inflection. It’s him.”
“Aria,” Jerry said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “if it’s him, why now? Why not strike when he had the upper hand? Why wait until Helena fell?”
Silence.
Isabelle crossed her arms. “It could be a frame-up. Regina’s smart. She knew we’d find this.”
Philip turned
