Chapter 11 - THE PATIENT WHO REMEMBERED EVERYTHING
The facility outside Chicago was hidden behind a perfectly ordinary medical office building.
Nothing about it looked suspicious.
Clean windows.
Neat landscaping.
A small parking lot.
But investigators discovered the facility had been operating under complicated ownership arrangements connected to Victor Blackwood.
Several patients had been transferred there after experiencing complications during experimental treatment.
Their records were incomplete.
Some families had difficulty obtaining information.
And several patients reported being discouraged from contacting outside physicians.
One of them was a man named Michael Grant.
He was thirty-four.
A former firefighter.
And one of the first participants in the Second Dawn project.
When investigators interviewed him, he asked to speak with Faith.
She arrived with her attorney.
I waited nearby, respecting the fact that this was her brother's story.
Michael looked at Faith.
"You look like Daniel."
Her eyes filled.
"You knew him?"
He nodded.
"He helped me."
Faith sat beside him.
"What happened?"
Michael took a slow breath.
"I was injured in a fire. Blackwood's foundation offered experimental treatment."
He paused.
"Daniel was one of the engineers."
Faith nodded.
Michael continued.
"He was worried about how the project was being run."
"What did he say?"
"That the safety reports didn't match what patients were experiencing."
Faith began crying.
Michael looked down.
"One night, Daniel came to see me. He said he'd discovered evidence of unauthorized changes."
Her hands trembled.
"What happened after that?"
"He disappeared from the facility."
Faith swallowed.
"And then he died."
Michael nodded sadly.
"But before he left, he gave me something."
He reached toward a drawer.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
Faith recognized her brother's handwriting immediately.
For Faith.
She covered her mouth.
Michael handed it to her.
"He said if anything happened, I should find you."
Faith opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
Little sister,
If you're reading this, I probably didn't make it home.
Please don't blame yourself.
I knew the risks when I decided to report what I found.
I wanted to build something that helped people move freely again.
Instead, I discovered people being treated like investments.
Faith began crying harder.
I watched from the doorway.
My chest tightened.
Daniel continued.
Don't let them convince you that money matters more than dignity.
And don't let fear make your life smaller.
The final paragraph contained a warning.
Victor has one more patient planned.
Someone powerful.
Someone whose recovery would make investors believe anything.
Faith looked toward me.
I felt cold.
Then Michael spoke.
"Daniel knew Victor was targeting you, Dominic."
I stared.
"Did he know about the attack?"
Michael hesitated.
"He suspected it."
Then he revealed the final detail.
"Daniel tried to warn you."
My stomach tightened.
"When?"
"Three days before your convoy was ambushed."
I looked toward Carmine.
He went pale.
Michael continued.
"Daniel sent a letter to Carter Holdings."
My heart stopped.
A warning.
May you like
Three days before the attack.
Someone had intercepted it.
