Chapter 11 - The Choice No Father Should Make
Chicago woke to war.
Not the kind fought with soldiers.
The kind fought with evidence.
By 7:00 a.m., Daniel Hurst’s recorded confession had been viewed more than two million times.
His voice was clear.
“I was paid to hit the Crosswell vehicle.”
He named Silas Kane.
He described the route.
He described the money.
He admitted he believed Gideon would be inside.
He cried when he spoke about learning Ren had died instead.
Then came another revelation.
Hurst said a man representing Deputy Mayor Thomas Vane promised to protect him.
The media exploded.
Vane denied everything.
Silas disappeared before police could arrest him at the school.
Sergeant Pike was detained by state investigators after television footage showed him threatening Ava.
Gideon was taken into custody.
He did not resist.
By noon, three different law-enforcement agencies were arguing over jurisdiction.
At 2:00 p.m., Gideon sat in an interview room across from Special Agent Claire Donnelly of the FBI.
“You understand what you’re accused of?”
“Several things.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
Donnelly studied him.
Late forties.
Calm.
Unimpressed.
Gideon liked her immediately.
She placed photographs on the table.
Shipping manifests.
Financial records.
Dead men.
“Your organization has committed crimes for twenty years.”
“Yes.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“You’re admitting that?”
“I’m not stupid enough to pretend I became wealthy selling Christmas cards.”
“Then help me.”
“With Vane?”
“With everything.”
Gideon leaned back.
“No.”
Donnelly sighed.
“You know what’s interesting?”
“What?”
“Last year I would have expected that answer.”
“And now?”
“Now two little girls have somehow turned you into a man who runs into playgrounds.”
Gideon’s expression cooled.
“Leave them out of this.”
“I want to.”
“Then do.”
“Help me make sure men like Vane and Kane cannot reach them again.”
Silence.
Donnelly slid another photograph forward.
Hannah.
Ava.
Sophie.
“They need witness protection.”
Gideon stared.
“And you need leverage.”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“I don’t have time to be anything else.”
She leaned forward.
“Kane still has people everywhere. Vane still has political protection. The first recording embarrassed them. It did not destroy them.”
“There are two more releases.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who controls them?”
Gideon smiled slightly.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Donnelly stared.
“Evelyn?”
“No answer.”
“Hannah?”
“No answer.”
“The younger child?”
Gideon’s eyes changed.
Donnelly immediately raised a hand.
“Relax. I’m not accusing Sophie of running an international data drop.”
“She might be more competent than some adults I know.”
That almost made Donnelly smile.
Then she became serious.
“Your ex-wife disappeared this morning.”
Gideon froze.
“What?”
“She left the safe apartment at 9:10.”
“With whom?”
“Unknown.”
“Where’s Hannah?”
“Secure.”
“The girls?”
“Secure.”
“Where?”
“You know I can’t tell you.”
Gideon stood.
“Sit.”
“Find Evelyn.”
“We are.”
His phone, confiscated on entry, rang outside the room.
An agent entered.
“For you.”
Donnelly frowned.
“Who?”
“Evelyn Crosswell.”
Gideon took the phone.
“Evelyn?”
“Don’t react.”
His body became still.
Silas had taught him that stillness often frightened people more than anger.
“Where are you?”
“I’m safe for the moment.”
“Are you with Silas?”
“Yes.”
Donnelly began signaling to trace the call.
Evelyn continued.
“He wants the final evidence.”
“What does he have?”
“Me.”
“Obviously.”
“And something else.”
“What?”
A pause.
“Gideon, he has Ren’s medical file.”
Gideon frowned.
“So?”
“The original file.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because Hannah didn’t hear everything.”
Hannah had heard Ren implicate Silas.
What could be worse?
“Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Evelyn.”
“Silas wants you to choose.”
“Choose what?”
“He says the second release happens at six tonight.”
“Yes.”
“If it does, he’ll kill me.”
Donnelly looked at Gideon.
His face showed nothing.
Evelyn continued.
“If you stop it, he’ll let me go.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Gideon…”
Her voice broke.
“Don’t stop the release.”
He closed his eyes.
“You don’t decide that.”
“It has everything.”
“I don’t care.”
“You need to.”
“No.”
“Ren deserves the truth.”
“And you deserve to live.”
Silence.
Evelyn whispered, “For once in your life, don’t confuse love with possession.”
The words hurt.
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Give me something.”
“I hear trains.”
Donnelly immediately wrote.
“And bells. Church bells maybe.”
“What else?”
“Water.”
Chicago.
Trains, bells, water.
Not enough.
Then Evelyn suddenly spoke louder.
“Do you remember Ren’s fourth birthday?”
Gideon frowned.
“Yes.”
“She dropped her cake.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“At Navy—”
He stopped.
Navy Pier.
Trains nearby.
Water.
Church bells from Streeterville.
“Evelyn.”
“I’m sorry.”
The line went dead.
Gideon handed Donnelly the phone.
“Navy Pier area.”
“We heard.”
“Search every closed service building.”
“We will.”
Gideon stared at her.
“You’ll never find her before six.”
“Then help me.”
“How?”
“Tell us who controls the releases.”
He remained silent.
“If you can stop part two, Kane may keep her alive.”
“Or kill her after he gets what he wants.”
“Yes.”
Donnelly’s honesty was brutal.
“So what would you do?” Gideon asked.
She looked at him.
“If that were someone I loved?”
“Yes.”
“I would hate every possible answer.”
At 5:46 p.m., Gideon was temporarily released into federal custody as a cooperating witness.
Marcus picked him up.
“You look awful.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Hannah and the girls are safe.”
“Evelyn?”
“No.”
Gideon checked the time.
Fourteen minutes.
“Can the release be stopped?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Who set it?”
“Dana.”
“Of course.”
“She can cancel remotely.”
Gideon called.
Dana answered.
“You have twelve minutes.”
“I know.”
“Do you want me to stop it?”
Gideon looked out at Chicago.
Ren had died because powerful men believed inconvenient people could be removed.
Daniel.
Hannah.
Evelyn.
Two little girls.
Perhaps the only way to end it was to let the truth become too public to kill.
But if he chose truth, Evelyn might die.
At 5:58, Gideon still had not decided.
Marcus drove faster.
“Gideon.”
“I know.”
At 5:59, Dana said through the phone:
“Thirty seconds.”
Gideon closed his eyes.
He heard Evelyn.
Ren deserves the truth.
He heard Ren.
If you’re scared, find the light.
“Release it.”
Dana inhaled.
“Okay.”
Six o’clock.
Phones across Chicago chimed.
PART TWO OF THREE.
Documents flooded the internet.
Bank transfers.
Port records.
Payments to officials.
Photographs of Silas Kane meeting Thomas Vane.
And one hospital report altered the night Ren died.
Within ninety seconds, Thomas Vane resigned as deputy mayor.
Within three minutes, federal agents surrounded his home.
Within five minutes, Gideon’s phone rang.
Silas.
Gideon answered.
“You made your choice.”
“Where is Evelyn?”
Silas sounded almost disappointed.
“You chose revenge over her.”
“No.”
“What would you call it?”
“Ending you.”
Silas laughed.
“You still think this is about me.”
A pause.
“Ask Hannah what Ren said after she named me.”
Gideon’s heart stopped.
“What?”
“Ask her why the recording ended.”
“What did Ren say?”
Silas whispered:
May you like
“She told Hannah your secret.”
Then the call ended.
