Chapter 7 - The Files Go Public
At 3:00 AM, sitting in the hard plastic chair beside Violet’s bed while she finally drifted into a deep, natural sleep, I pulled the secure flash drive from my pocket.
I walked down to the hospital's quiet administrative lobby, found an unoccupied terminal in the corner near the vending machines, and plugged the drive in.
With a few keystrokes, I accessed a secure, anonymous public whistleblower portal used by federal investigative journalists across the country. I uploaded everything:
The municipal zoning embezzlement ledgers proving Councilman Richard Vance and his associates stole two million dollars in public funds.
The internal police department dispatch logs showing Officer Ryan Hayes falsifying patrol reports.
The encrypted audio recording of Hayes and Vance discussing the cover-up of the assault on Violet in their study.
The high-definition infrared security footage from my home showing Brad Vance and Officer Hayes entering my house with the master code at 3:40 PM.
I hit SEND.
Within ten minutes, the data packets were routed through multiple encrypted nodes in Iceland and Switzerland, making them entirely un-deletable and instantly accessible to every major news network, state prosecutor, and federal oversight agency in the country.
Then, I pulled out my burner phone and dialed a local number.
Detective Grant answered on the third ring, his voice thick with sleep and irritation. "Yeah? Who is this?"
"Detective Grant," I said, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "This is Mason Miller."
There was a sudden rustle of bedsheets on the other end, and Grant's tone instantly shifted from sleepy annoyance to guarded suspicion. "Mr. Miller? It's three in the morning. Is everything okay with your daughter?"
"My daughter is resting comfortably," I said. "And you need to get in your cruiser right now and drive to Councilman Richard Vance’s estate on Oakridge Terrace."
Grant let out a harsh scoff. "Are you out of your mind? What am I supposed to be doing out there at three in the morning?"
"You're going to go unlock the study door on the second floor," I said smoothly. "You'll find Councilman Vance and Officer Ryan Hayes tied securely to the furniture. Oh, and before you go, check your email. I sent you a little reading material to help pass the time on your drive over."
"Mr. Miller, if this is some kind of vigilante—"
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"It's not a vigilante act, Detective," I interrupted softly. "It's a handover. I’m giving you a chance to do your job for once in your life. Don't waste it."
I hung up the phone, removed the SIM card, and snapped it in half between my fingers, dropping the pieces into a nearby trash can.
