"Same system."
"Different paperwork."
"Same outcome."
Pastor Eloin's voice was quiet.
"Then this isn't an incident."
"No," Selene said.
"It's a legacy."
Skyler suddenly turned her laptop around.
"Look."
She had traced transactions.
Every third Friday, Rivergate processed groups of cashier's checks.
Approximately nine thousand dollars each.
Just under a reporting threshold.
The money moved to several nonprofits.
Veterans United Progress.
Heroes Home Foundation.
Service Members First.
All sounded respectable.
None appeared to actually serve veterans.
"No employees," Skyler said.
"No offices."
"No real programs."
"Where does the money go?"
Skyler clicked again.
"Back into companies connected to Lang."
Selene stared at the screen.
Then she saw it.
Karen Slate.
Her name appeared on three nonprofit records as treasurer.
Different middle initials.
Same signature.
Selene leaned back.
"Now we know why they panicked when I walked into that bank."
Pastor Eloin nodded.
"They weren't afraid of your check."
"They were afraid of what I'd notice."
Skyler's phone buzzed.
She checked it.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"There's a shell company registered to the same building as Lang Holdings."
Selene's eyes hardened.
"Get the warrants."
"I already started."
For the next twelve hours, the kitchen became a command center.
Coffee cups multiplied.
Documents covered the table.
Computers hummed.
Evelyn fed everyone.
Skyler tracked accounts.
Selene prepared affidavits.
And across town, Karen Slate sat in a leather chair, hands trembling.
"They're going to find everything."
Victor Lang poured himself a drink.
"They won't."
"She saw the ledger."
"Then we'll discredit her."
"But she's FBI."
"That doesn't matter."
Lang looked at her.
"People believe what they're shown."
Karen's face tightened.
"And the video?"
Lang smiled.
"We'll show them the right video."
The Video
The footage went viral before midnight.
Skyler arrived at Selene's apartment pounding on the door.
"Turn this on."
Selene watched.
A customer had recorded the arrest.
Then another angle appeared.
Then another.
The footage showed everything.
Selene standing calmly.
Angela processing the check.
Karen approaching.
Slater and Vance entering.
The handcuffs.
The excessive force.
Selene asking for medical help.
The officers refusing.
The crowd recording.
The video spread across social media.
One hundred thousand views.
Then two hundred thousand.
Then more.
Civil rights groups began sharing it.
News stations picked it up.
People who had never heard Selene's name were now asking why an FBI agent had been arrested while depositing a legitimate check.
Chief Voss called.
"Agent Whitaker, Slater and Vance have been placed on administrative leave."
Selene thanked her.
After hanging up, Skyler laughed.
"Now they're pretending they care."
Selene looked at the screen.
"Public outrage fades."
"Not this time."
"It will unless we give it evidence."
They needed more.
And then came the retaliation.
A dark SUV followed Selene home.
The next night, someone followed Skyler.
She was attacked outside her building.
Her laptop was nearly stolen.
"Someone cloned the drive," she told Selene over the phone.
Selene's blood ran cold.
"Stay inside."
"I am."
"Don't open the door."
"I won't."
Selene looked outside.
A dark sedan sat across the street.
She knew what it meant.
Fear.
Intimidation.
A warning.
They wanted her to stop.
She touched the framed photograph of her father.
His words came back to her.
Darkness couldn't survive inspection.
Light found every crack.
The next morning, Selene went to FBI headquarters.
Her badge failed at the security checkpoint.
The guard wouldn't meet her eyes.
She was escorted upstairs.
Deputy Director Phillips waited.
"Given the political sensitivity surrounding your case, we're temporarily reassigning you."
Selene stared at him.
"You're suspending me?"
"Administrative duties."
"My field credentials?"
"Temporarily suspended."
"Because I was assaulted while investigating financial crimes?"
Phillips sighed.
"This isn't personal."
Selene stood.
"It is entirely personal."
She walked out.
Outside, Chief Voss was waiting at a coffee shop.
"I need to warn you."
"About what?"
"Lang's reach."
She explained how political contributions, union connections, and city officials were tied together.
Selene listened.
"Are you telling me to back down?"
"No."
Voss shook her head.
"I'm telling you they're afraid."
"Good."
"Fear makes people dangerous."
Selene looked at her.
"So does guilt."
That night, Officer Vance appeared at Selene's home.
He didn't enter.
He didn't need to.
"Nice house," he said.
Selene stared at him through the doorway.
"Why are you here?"
"Friendly advice."
His smile was thin.
"People who stir up mud tend to get dirty."
Then his eyes shifted toward Evelyn.
"Would be a shame if something happened to your family."
Selene's expression became cold.