Chapter 13 - Sterling's Last Ledger.
Sterling disappeared before sunrise.
The city issued warrants for him, but Gabriel knew official channels had failed too many times.
He focused on the one thing Sterling still wanted.
The notebook.
Lena believed the purple-star notepad mattered only because it linked dates to missing money.
Rory disagreed.
"He asked for it before he knew what I wrote."
Gabriel looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"He used to ask Mommy where my drawing book was."
Lena suddenly remembered something.
Months earlier, she had hidden a memory card inside the back cover of Rory's notebook.
She had later assumed Sterling found it because the card disappeared.
Gabriel carefully separated the cardboard backing.
A thin microSD card dropped onto the table.
Lena stared at it.
"I put it deeper than I remembered."
Mateo inserted the card into an offline computer.
It contained the complete ledger.
Not twelve million dollars.
Seventy-four million.
The records showed bribes, shell companies, false contractors, illegal surveillance payments, and transfers to Arthur's network.
They also showed something unexpected.
Sterling had secretly diverted six million dollars from Arthur into an account under another name.
He had been planning his own escape.
That account had made a transfer one hour earlier.
A payment went to a private airfield north of the city.
Gabriel looked at Mateo.
"He's running."
Lena shook her head.
"Not without insurance."
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Sterling.
"You found the card."
Gabriel took the phone.
"Where are you?"
"You know where."
"What do you want?"
Sterling laughed weakly.
"A head start."
He offered one final piece of evidence in exchange for ninety minutes before authorities were alerted to the airfield.
Gabriel refused.
"Then your mother goes to prison with Arthur."
Gabriel's expression changed.
"My mother?"
Sterling explained that Evelyn's signature appeared on trust amendments and offshore transfers.
They were forged, but without the original forgery templates, prosecutors might treat her as a participant.
Sterling claimed to have the templates.
Gabriel knew it could be another lie.
Evelyn was fragile.
Arthur's lawyers would exploit any ambiguity.
Rory stood beside Gabriel listening.
"Ask him why he didn't shoot me."
Gabriel hesitated.
Then he asked.
Silence followed.
Sterling finally answered.
"Because I have a daughter too."
Gabriel closed his eyes.
Sterling had spent months making another child hungry while using his own fatherhood as a line he would not cross.
The hypocrisy was almost unbearable.
"Where is she?"
"With her mother in Oregon."
"Does she know what you are?"
Sterling's breathing changed.
"No."
"Then give her one honest thing to remember."
Sterling said nothing.
Gabriel continued.
"Send the templates."
A file arrived thirty seconds later.
Mateo verified the metadata.
It was real.
Sterling whispered, "I want my ninety minutes."
Gabriel looked at Rory.
She shook her head.
"No more stars."
Gabriel understood.
"You get nothing."
He ended the call and sent the airfield location to federal investigators.
But when agents arrived, Sterling's plane was still on the runway.
The pilot was dead.
Sterling was gone.
May you like
And written in purple marker across the hangar wall were four words.
ASK RORY ABOUT DINNER.
