The morning sun was cold and gray.
Ethan sat in the field office, staring at the wall of evidence. Elena Volkov was in custody. Christopher Vale was in prison. Sarah Vance was behind bars. The conspiracy was being dismantled piece by piece. But the name at the top of the wall remained blank. A void that he couldn't fill.
Ava walked in with two cups of coffee. She set one in front of him and stood beside him.
"You've been here all night," she said.
"I couldn't sleep."
"Did you find anything?"
Ethan shook his head. "Nothing. Elena won't talk. Christopher won't talk. Sarah won't talk. They're all protecting someone."
Ava was silent for a moment. "Maybe they're not protecting someone. Maybe they're afraid of someone."
Ethan looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Everyone
