The Custody of Truth
The Metropolitan Detention Center was a monolith of concrete and shadow, a place where the city hid the people who broke its rules. But for Andrew Scott, it was the first place in a decade where he could sleep without calculating the trajectory of a knife in the dark.
He sat in the sterile interview room, his left arm now encased in a medical cast, his face healing but still marked by the jagged lines of the vault's collapse. Across from him sat the United States Attorney and a phalanx of federal agents.
"The evidence is overwhelming, Mr. Scott," the Attorney said, sliding a folder across the table. "The ledger Miss Patrick provided, combined with the data dump you initiated from the command center, has effectively dismantled the board of Scott Enterprises. Victor Hale is in a high-security wing in lower Manhattan. He's already trying to trade names for a reduced sentence."
Andrew didn't look at the folder. "Victor doesn't have names. I had the names. I gave them to you."
"You also gave us yourself," the Attorney countered. "You've admitted to corporate espionage, misprision of a felony, and a dozen financial irregularities. Even with your cooperation, the minimum sentencing guidelines are… significant."
"I'm not looking for a deal," Andrew said evenly.
"Then what are you looking for?"
"A visitor."
The heavy steel door buzzed open.
Julie walked in. She looked different. The "modest" girl from the first interview was gone. She wore a simple black sweater and jeans, but her posture was no longer defensive. She had the air of someone who had survived the worst the world could throw at her and walked out the other side.
The agents cleared the room, leaving them in a silence that felt heavy with everything they hadn't said.
"You look terrible," Julie said, her voice soft but steady.
"I've felt better," Andrew replied. He looked at her, truly looked at her, without the filter of a camera or a monitor. "Ethan?"
"He's fine. He's working with the Attorney General to set up the restitution fund for the families. My father's name was officially cleared this morning. The 'accident' has been reclassified as a homicide."
A flicker of relief crossed Andrew's face. "Then the liability is settled."
"Is that all I was?" Julie stepped closer, her hand resting on the cold metal of the table. "A debt to be paid?"
Andrew reached out with his good hand. He didn't touch her, but the gesture was an invitation. "You were the only thing in my life that wasn't a calculation, Julie. That's why you were