Chapter 11 - THE GARDEN OF FORGOTTEN NAMESRichard Vale disappeared before Viktor could convince the officers to stop him.
By the time Viktor explained who the man was, the black sedan had already vanished down the road.
The officers exchanged uneasy glances.
One of them called a supervisor.
Another questioned Viktor about the farmhouse.
But Viktor understood something immediately.
Vale had influence.
Perhaps even over the people now holding him.
He sat in the back of a patrol car, staring at his handcuffed wrists.
Milan was missing.
Gabriel was fighting for his life.
Jeanne had lost her home.
And the man responsible had just threatened him in front of police officers.
Viktor closed his eyes.
His mother's words returned.
It's where I taught you that even broken things deserve a second chance.
The garden.
He had to reach the garden.
But how?
He was under arrest.
His brother was being held hostage.
And he had no reason to believe the authorities would trust him.
An hour later, a woman approached the patrol car.
She wore a dark suit and carried a leather briefcase.
Her expression was serious.
“Viktor Sokolov?”
He looked up.
“Yes.”
“My name is Special Agent Rebecca Hayes. Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Viktor stared.
She showed her credentials.
“I've been investigating Meridian Health Research for eighteen months.”
Viktor felt his pulse quicken.
“Then you know about Richard Vale.”
“Yes.”
“And Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“And Hargrove?”
Her expression tightened.
“We've suspected his involvement.”
Viktor leaned forward.
“Then why haven't you arrested them?”
“Because suspicion isn't enough.”
She opened the car door.
“And because every time we get close, a witness disappears.”
Viktor looked at her.
“My mother was one of those witnesses.”
Rebecca nodded.
“I know.”
The words stunned him.
“You knew her?”
“Not personally. But I've read her reports.”
Viktor felt tears rising.
For seven years, his mother had been remembered as a victim of a highway accident.
Now a federal agent was telling him that her work had survived.
Rebecca continued.
“She documented a criminal network involving medical fraud, illegal experimentation, bribery, and witness intimidation.”
Viktor swallowed.
“Did she leave evidence?”
“We believe so.”
He looked away.
Rebecca studied him.
“You know where it is.”
Viktor said nothing.
She leaned closer.
“Viktor, I understand why you don't trust law enforcement.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Do you?”
“Your mother was failed by people who were supposed to protect her. So were you.”
Viktor looked at her.
“But you also committed a robbery,” Rebecca continued. “And people were hurt. Those facts don't disappear because other people committed worse crimes.”
Viktor lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Good. Then we can start with the truth.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Viktor said, “My brother is being held by Bennett.”
Rebecca's expression hardened.
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Did they contact you?”
“Vale threatened him.”
She took out a notebook.
“Tell me exactly what he said.”
Viktor repeated the words.
Rebecca listened without interrupting.
Then she made a call.
Within minutes, federal agents arrived.
The local officers stepped aside.
Viktor was transferred into federal custody under a written agreement allowing him to assist with locating evidence while remaining under guard.
He wasn't free.
But he was finally being heard.
Rebecca sat across from him in an unmarked vehicle.
“Where do we go?”
Viktor looked toward the city.
“A garden.”
She frowned.
“What garden?”
“The place my mother took us when we were children.”
He swallowed.
“The place she taught me that saving one life was worth the effort.”
Two hours later, they arrived at a neglected community garden near Viktor's childhood apartment.
The fence was rusted.
The paths were overgrown.
A small wooden sign still hung near the entrance.
Hope grows here.
Viktor stepped through the gate with Rebecca and two agents.
He remembered being twelve.
His mother kneeling beside a wounded bird.
Milan laughing as the animal pecked at his shoelace.
For a moment, grief nearly overwhelmed him.
Then he saw the old stone birdbath.
His mother had helped repair it after a storm.
He walked toward it.
Rebecca followed.
“Is this the place?”
Viktor nodded.
He knelt beside the base.
One stone was slightly different from the others.
He pressed it.
The stone shifted.
Behind it was a narrow cavity.
Inside lay a sealed metal container.
Viktor stared.
Seven years.
The evidence had been here for seven years.
He lifted it carefully.
Rebecca crouched beside him.
“Don't open it yet. We need to document the recovery.”
Viktor nodded.
For once, he didn't argue.
The agents photographed the container and secured it.
Then Rebecca opened it using gloves.
Inside were several encrypted storage devices, paper records, and a small photograph.
The photograph showed Elena Sokolov standing beside a group of patients.
On the back, she had written:
Their names matter.
Rebecca examined the records.
Her expression changed.
“Oh my God.”
Viktor looked up.
“What?”
She turned a page.
“These aren't just medical records.”
“What are they?”
May you like
Rebecca looked at him.
“They're payment records. And one of the largest payments went to a man named Gabriel Morel.”
