Chapter 5 - THE DETECTIVE'S GREATEST SINViktor had spent three years imagining the moment he would confront Gabriel Morel.
In those fantasies, the detective always begged for mercy.
But reality was crueler than imagination.
Because now Viktor didn't want revenge.
He wanted answers.
And the man who possessed them might already be dead.
Rain poured through the orchard as Viktor led Jeanne and Milan toward an abandoned equipment shed.
The building stood near the edge of the property, partly hidden by overgrown vines.
Inside, rusted tools hung from wooden beams.
A broken tractor occupied one corner.
Viktor helped Jeanne sit on an overturned crate.
Milan remained near the doorway.
Nobody spoke for several minutes.
Then Jeanne looked at Viktor.
“You believe my son had something to do with your mother's death.”
Viktor hesitated.
“I don't know what to believe.”
Jeanne nodded slowly.
“Gabriel became a detective because his father was murdered.”
Viktor looked up.
“I didn't know that.”
“He was sixteen. His father witnessed a robbery and agreed to testify. Two days before the trial, somebody shot him outside our house.”
Her voice remained steady, but her hands trembled.
“The killer was never caught.”
Viktor said nothing.
Jeanne continued.
“Gabriel decided that if the law couldn't protect his father, he would spend his life trying to make it protect somebody else's.”
Viktor looked toward the rain.
“That doesn't mean he never made mistakes.”
“No,” Jeanne replied. “It means his mistakes hurt him more than you might imagine.”
Milan suddenly stepped away from the doorway.
“Someone's coming.”
Viktor moved toward the cracked window.
A figure emerged between the trees.
A man.
Walking slowly.
One hand pressed against his shoulder.
Gabriel.
Viktor rushed outside.
The detective nearly collapsed before reaching the shed.
Viktor caught him.
“Easy.”
Gabriel grimaced.
“I've had better afternoons.”
His shirt was soaked with blood.
Viktor helped him inside.
Jeanne gasped.
“Gabriel!”
“I'm all right, Mom.”
“You're bleeding!”
“It's not as bad as it looks.”
Viktor examined the wound.
The bullet had passed through the upper arm, but Gabriel had lost considerable blood.
He needed medical attention.
Soon.
Jeanne tore a strip from an old clean cloth stored in the shed and helped apply pressure.
Gabriel looked at Viktor.
“You still have the drive?”
Viktor nodded.
“Then don't let Bennett get it.”
Viktor crouched in front of him.
“First, you're going to tell me about my mother.”
Gabriel's expression changed.
Jeanne looked between them.
“What?”
Viktor held up the photograph.
Gabriel stared at it.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he closed his eyes.
“Where did you get that?”
“Milan.”
Gabriel looked toward the younger brother.
Milan lowered his head.
Viktor leaned closer.
“Did you investigate her death?”
“Yes.”
“Did you sign the report?”
“Yes.”
Viktor felt his jaw tighten.
“Did you know it wasn't an accident?”
Gabriel looked directly at him.
“I suspected.”
The answer made Viktor's chest ache.
“Then why did you close the case?”
“Because the evidence disappeared.”
“That's not good enough.”
“I know.”
Viktor stood.
For a moment, he wanted to walk away.
Leave Gabriel bleeding.
Take his mother somewhere safe.
And let the detective face the consequences of his secrets.
But Jeanne was watching him.
And Viktor remembered what Gabriel had done at the farmhouse.
He sat down again.
“Tell me everything.”
Gabriel took a slow breath.
“Seven years ago, your mother contacted an internal affairs investigator. She claimed a private medical company was illegally testing experimental treatments on vulnerable patients.”
Viktor listened.
“The company was called Meridian Health Research.”
Milan looked up sharply.
“I've heard that name.”
Gabriel nodded.
“Meridian had contracts with several hospitals and correctional facilities. Some patients never knew they were part of experimental programs.”
Viktor felt sick.
“What did my mother discover?”
“Patient records were being falsified. Deaths were being hidden. And millions of dollars were being moved through shell companies.”
“Who owned Meridian?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“A businessman named Richard Vale.”
Viktor frowned.
He recognized the name.
Vale was a wealthy investor who appeared regularly on television, donating money to hospitals and charities.
Gabriel continued.
“Your mother collected documents. She planned to testify.”
“And Bennett?”
“He worked private security for Meridian.”
Viktor looked at the photograph.
The pieces were beginning to fit together.
“Bennett killed her.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“I can't prove that.”
“But you believe it.”
“Yes.”
Viktor swallowed.
“Then why did you sign the accident report?”
Gabriel looked toward Jeanne.
“Because the medical examiner's findings supported a collision. The vehicle was burned. There were no witnesses willing to testify. The only evidence suggesting foul play had vanished.”
He paused.
“And I made the mistake of trusting someone inside the department.”
“Who?”
Gabriel's expression darkened.
“My supervisor.”
Viktor stared.
“Name.”
“Captain Daniel Hargrove.”
Milan stepped backward.
Viktor noticed immediately.
“What?”
Milan shook his head.
“Nothing.”
Gabriel looked at him.
“Milan?”
The younger man's breathing quickened.
Viktor moved closer.
“What is it?”
Milan whispered, “That's the name of the man who arranged the transfer.”
Silence filled the shed.
Gabriel closed his eyes.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then he whispered, “God help us.”
Viktor stared.
“What?”
Gabriel looked up.
“Hargrove isn't just protecting Bennett.”
May you like
His voice became almost inaudible.
“He's the man who ordered your mother's murder.”
Related Stories
