Chapter 10 - THE SIXTH NAMENobody moved.
Charles Sterling's accusation hung inside the aircraft cabin.
Gabriel looked toward the federal agents.
Elena immediately ordered them to secure the prisoner and identify everyone involved in the operation.
Sterling began coughing.
A medic checked his pulse.
Sofia stepped forward.
“Who are you talking about?”
Sterling looked at her.
Recognition flickered across his face.
“Claire's daughter.”
Sofia felt her anger rise.
“Say her name with respect.”
The old man smiled sadly.
“You sound like her.”
Gabriel moved closer.
“Who ordered Claire's murder?”
Sterling's eyes drifted toward the ceiling.
“Do you remember the night she came to my office?”
Gabriel's face tightened.
“She went there to ask you to testify.”
“Yes.”
“You told her you'd help.”
“I wanted to.”
Gabriel's voice became sharp.
“Then why did she die?”
Sterling swallowed.
“Because I was a coward.”
For the first time, Sofia heard something resembling remorse.
But remorse was not an answer.
“Who gave the order?” she demanded.
Sterling closed his eyes.
“The sixth man.”
Elena frowned.
“You were one of the six.”
“No.”
Sterling shook his head weakly.
“I was their banker. Their useful fool. There were six signatures on the original agreement, but one name was concealed.”
Sofia remembered Isabelle's letter.
Six men who controlled the investigation, the prosecution, and the verdict.
A hidden name.
A concealed leader.
Gabriel leaned forward.
“Who?”
Sterling opened his eyes.
“Arthur.”
The word was barely audible.
Gabriel stiffened.
“Arthur who?”
Sterling began coughing violently.
The medic moved between them.
“Everyone back.”
Sofia watched the heart monitor.
The numbers fluctuated.
Sterling struggled to speak.
“Arthur...”
Then his eyes widened.
He gripped Gabriel's sleeve.
“Don't trust... the foundation...”
The monitor sounded an alarm.
Medical staff began emergency treatment.
Within moments, Sterling lost consciousness.
He was transported to a nearby hospital under armed guard.
The doctors stabilized him, but he remained unable to speak.
Elena immediately began searching financial records for anyone named Arthur connected to the foundation network.
There were dozens.
Accountants.
Attorneys.
Trustees.
Donors.
None appeared significant enough to control the Circle.
Gabriel remained silent throughout the search.
Sofia noticed.
“Dad?”
He looked at her.
“There's someone I haven't told you about.”
“Who?”
“My older brother.”
Sofia stared.
“You have a brother?”
Gabriel nodded.
“Arthur Varenne.”
The room fell silent.
Nathan, now assisting under federal supervision, looked up from the records.
“Arthur Varenne was listed as deceased twenty-two years ago.”
Gabriel gave a bitter laugh.
“Apparently death certificates aren't very reliable in this family.”
Sofia sat down.
“What happened to him?”
“Arthur was brilliant. He studied law, built connections, and became an adviser to several wealthy foundations.”
“Was he involved in your investigation?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“He was the person who introduced me to Daniel Mercer.”
Elena looked up sharply.
“That means he connected you to the murder victim.”
“Yes.”
“And after Mercer died?”
“Arthur testified against me.”
Sofia felt her stomach drop.
“Your own brother?”
Gabriel nodded.
“He said I'd threatened Mercer over unpaid money.”
“Was that true?”
“No.”
“Why would he lie?”
Gabriel looked toward the window.
“I've asked myself that question for twenty-five years.”
Nathan opened another document.
“There's something else.”
He turned the computer toward them.
A charitable foundation appeared on the screen.
The Arthur Varenne Memorial Foundation.
Its stated mission was providing educational scholarships to children from disadvantaged families.
The foundation had operated continuously for twenty-two years.
Its public director was a woman named Margaret Ellis.
But financial records showed large transfers to companies connected with Harold Whitcomb.
Elena frowned.
“If Arthur is alive, the foundation could be a front.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Or someone is using his name.”
Sofia studied the website.
Photographs showed children receiving books, school supplies, and scholarships.
For a moment, she thought of Isabelle volunteering at Saint Agnes.
Her mother had believed education could open doors that poverty kept closed.
It sickened Sofia to imagine that a charitable organization might be financing violence.
Then she noticed a photograph from the foundation's annual gala.
A group of trustees stood smiling beneath a banner.
At the center was Margaret Ellis.
Beside her stood a tall elderly man.
His hair was white.
His smile was faint.
The caption identified him as a special donor.
Adrian Wells.
Gabriel leaned closer.
His face lost all color.
Sofia looked at him.
“Dad?”
Gabriel's voice trembled.
“That's Arthur.”
Nathan checked the photograph's date.
“Taken last month.”
Gabriel stared at his brother's face.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“Arthur didn't just betray me. He stole my life.”
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