Chapter 17 - Daniel’s Choice
The code required two passwords.
Samuel had one.
Dad had created the other.
The second password was hidden somewhere in Daniel’s recordings.
Samuel believed Daniel’s tablet contained it.
That was why he helped Mom’s plan proceed.
That was why he allowed Elias to terrorize Daniel.
He needed access to the files without revealing himself.
Daniel searched thousands of audio clips.
Dad frequently hid information inside patterns.
Dates.
Train schedules.
Model numbers.
Musical notes.
As the countdown continued, Daniel became increasingly overwhelmed.
Too many people spoke at once.
Officers moved around the clinic.
Phones rang.
The lights hummed.
I told everyone to leave the room.
Then I lowered the blinds and sat across from him.
“We can stop.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You don’t have to save everyone.”
He typed.
“Dad tried.”
“Dad should not have put this on you.”
“Dad gave choice.”
The difference mattered.
Dad had never ordered Daniel to carry the evidence.
He had trusted him to decide.
Daniel opened the recording labeled Birthday Twenty-Two.
Dad’s voice sang badly.
Daniel smiled for the first time since the kitchen.
At the end of the recording, Dad tapped a spoon against a glass.
Three taps.
One tap.
Four taps.
One tap.
Five taps.
The first digits of pi.
Daniel searched other family recordings.
The same tapping pattern appeared whenever Mom left the room.
Each sequence corresponded to a number.
Together, they formed coordinates.
The location was a bank in downtown Chicago.
Dad had rented a safe-deposit box.
The access agreement named Daniel as the primary holder.
Not Mom.
Not me.
Daniel.
We reached the bank with nine hours remaining.
The manager brought us into a private room.
Daniel used his identification and signed electronically.
Inside the box was a sealed envelope, a hardware key, and a video camera.
The envelope read:
Daniel decides.
The video showed Dad seated in his study.
He looked ill but alert.
“If Samuel asks for the key, he has chosen fear over truth.”
“He lost his wife because of Northbridge.”
“He believes releasing the records will endanger Lauren.”
“I offered protection.”
“He did not trust me.”
Dad leaned closer to the camera.
“The hardware key can release the evidence or destroy it.”
“Daniel, no one else may choose for you.”
Daniel held the key between both hands.
Detective Torres explained the consequences.
Releasing the files could expose hundreds of victims and dozens of criminals.
It could also reveal private medical records.
Destroying them would protect patients’ privacy but bury the crimes.
Daniel typed for several minutes.
“Release crimes.”
“Protect patients.”
The hardware key allowed exactly that.
Dad had built a redaction system.
Samuel either did not know or did not believe it worked.
The countdown reached seven hours.
Then the bank manager entered.
“A man is asking for Daniel.”
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Security footage showed Samuel in the lobby.
He was holding Lauren at gunpoint.
