Evelyn closed her eyes.
"So he was investigating."
"Yes."
"While he was sick?"
Marcus nodded.
"Even when he could barely walk."
Tears appeared in Evelyn's eyes.
She looked away.
"Why didn't he tell me?"
"Because he was afraid you'd become a target."
"I was his wife."
"Exactly."
Marcus reached into his jacket.
He removed a small envelope.
"I found this after Daniel died."
Evelyn stared at it.
"What's inside?"
"I don't know."
"You've had it for six years?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because Daniel told me not to open it."
Evelyn almost laughed.
"You're both insane."
Marcus gave a sad smile.
"Probably."
She took the envelope.
There was no name.
No address.
Only four numbers written in black ink.
9-4-1-6.
Evelyn looked at Marcus.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
She opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
The photograph showed Daniel standing beside the Harley.
He was younger.
Healthy.
Smiling.
Behind him was an old warehouse.
Evelyn recognized it.
"That's the old Voss storage facility."
Marcus nodded.
There was another photograph.
Then another.
Then a handwritten note.
Evelyn unfolded it.
Her hands began shaking.
It contained only one sentence.
If something happens to me, look where we first learned to ride.
Evelyn stared at the words.
"Where did we first learn to ride?"
Marcus smiled faintly.
"You tell me."
She thought.
Then remembered.
"Camp Hollow."
Marcus nodded.
"Exactly."
Camp Hollow had been an abandoned military training area where Daniel and Marcus had taught a group of veterans how to ride motorcycles.
Evelyn had gone there once.
Six years ago.
Before Daniel died.
She had watched him ride around an empty field.
She remembered laughing because he nearly fell when he tried to teach her.
She remembered him saying:
"Someday."
She had forgotten the place.
Daniel hadn't.
The next morning, Evelyn and Marcus drove there.
The old camp had been abandoned for years.
Trees had grown through cracks in the pavement.
The buildings were covered in vines.
The riding field was almost invisible beneath weeds.
They searched for hours.
Finally, Marcus found an old metal storage locker.
The lock had already been broken.
Inside was a black plastic case.
Evelyn opened it.
There were documents.
Bank statements.
Photographs.
Copies of contracts.
Names.
Dates.
Amounts.
And one flash drive.
Evelyn stared at it.
Marcus whispered.
"That's what Daniel was protecting."
They took everything to an attorney Marcus trusted.
Her name was Rebecca Stone.
She was a former federal prosecutor.
For two days, she examined the evidence.
On the third morning, she called them.
"You need to come here."
Evelyn and Marcus arrived immediately.
Rebecca placed the flash drive on the desk.
"This is bigger than the charity."
"What do you mean?" Evelyn asked.
Rebecca opened a file.
"Daniel discovered that the charity was being used to move money between shell companies."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Whose companies?"
Rebecca looked at them.
"Richard Voss."
Evelyn felt cold.
"Can you prove it?"
"With this evidence, probably."
Marcus looked at the documents.
"Then why did someone vandalize the motorcycle?"
Rebecca was silent.
Then she looked at Evelyn.
"Because whoever did it may believe Daniel left something hidden on the bike."
Evelyn stared.
"There's nothing on the bike."
Rebecca shook her head.
"Maybe there isn't."
"Then why?"
"Because they don't know that."
Evelyn thought about the scratch across the tank.
She thought about the men at the roadhouse.
She thought about the strange piece of metal.
Then she remembered something.
"Wait."
Marcus looked at her.
"What?"
"Daniel changed the motorcycle shortly before he died."
Rebecca frowned.
"Changed what?"
"The fuel tank."
Marcus's face went pale.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Evelyn stood.
"We need to go home."
The Secret Beneath the Tank
The Harley sat inside Evelyn's garage.
For the first time in six years, she looked at it differently.
It wasn't only Daniel's motorcycle anymore.
It was a locked box.
And she didn't know what was inside.
Marcus removed the damaged tank carefully.
They found nothing beneath it.
No documents.
No flash drive.
No hidden compartment.
Nothing.
Evelyn sighed.
"Maybe we were wrong."
Marcus shook his head.
"Daniel was careful."
They continued searching.
Finally, Marcus noticed something unusual beneath the rear seat.
A small metal plate had been replaced.
He removed it.
Behind it was a narrow cavity.
Inside was a plastic-wrapped package.
Evelyn stared.
Marcus carefully pulled it out.
Inside was a second flash drive.
There was also a photograph.
Daniel stood beside a group of veterans.
One man in the photograph had his face scratched out.
Evelyn looked at Marcus.
"Who is that?"
Marcus's expression changed.
"I know him."
"Who?"
"Samuel Crane."
"Who is Samuel Crane?"
"Voss's accountant."
Rebecca arrived twenty minutes later.
She examined the flash drive.
"It could contain everything."
They copied the contents.
There were recordings.
Bank transfers.
Emails.
Audio conversations.