The internal affairs interview with Miller was a tense dance. He asked about the Eastbrook assault timelines, focusing on the night of the third attack (Coleman's death). I stuck to my established, truthful-but-incomplete account: off-duty, personal errands, home. He probed, looking for inconsistencies, asking about contacts, witnesses to my activities. I remained calm, professional, offering nothing more than the facts. He eventually seemed satisfied, or perhaps just moved on, but the feeling of being scrutinized lingered long after he left.
Later, Alvarez and I dove back into the depths of the Eastbrook "insurance" folder. Freeman's meticulous records were a goldmine of corruption. Shell corporations, offshore accounts, blackmail material – it painted a picture of a deep, interconnected network protecting not just Freeman, but others who benefited from the hospital's silence.
"This isn't just about covering up assaults," Alvarez said, sifting through financial statements. "This is about money. Power. Using the hospital as a shield for all sorts of illicit activities."
We found evidence of inflated contracts, kickbacks for awarding supply deals, even ties to questionable real estate development permits that bypassed city regulations. The network extended far beyond the hospital walls, reaching into city hall, legal firms, and financial institutions.
Then we found the other list. Hidden within a password-protected file on one of Freeman's USB drives, separate from the victim videos. It wasn't a list of victims, but of names. Men. Alongside each name were cryptic notes – "handled," "satisfied," "problematic," followed by dates and sometimes dollar amounts or references to specific lawyers.
"What is this?" Alvarez frowned, reading over my shoulder.
I felt a cold certainty settle in my gut. "Freeman wasn't the only predator they protected. This looks like a ledger of other men whose 'problems' the network made disappear."
We cross-referenced the names. Lawyers who had represented individuals in quiet settlements. Businessmen with past allegations of misconduct that never went to trial. Politicians whose indiscretions somehow stayed out of the press. These were men who used their status and wealth to inflict harm and then bought their silence and freedom through this network.
"Look at this one," Alvarez pointed. "Edward Harmon. 'Problematic.' Note says 'handled by Pierce, M.' Dated five years ago. There was that case, remember? The graphic designer who sued him for sexual harassment. Settled out of court, she disappeared after that."
Pierce, M. A lawyer, likely. Part of the network that specialized in silencing victims. Another enabler. But were any of these names predators themselves, like Freeman and Walsh?
My eyes scanned the list, searching for patterns beyond just being "handled." Were there hints of repeated behavior? Connections to vulnerable individuals? My vigilante mind was already at work, identifying potential targets where the system had failed.
Then I saw a name that made my blood run cold.
*Daniel Blackwood.*
My father's name. Listed with a date twenty years ago. Notes: "sensitive," "handled by Sterling," "contained." Sterling – his lawyer at the time of my mother's death.
He was part of the network. My father. The man whose betrayal had driven my mother to suicide, whose lack of legal consequence had set me on this path, was connected to the very system I was now working to expose, and that protected men like the ones I hunted.
The convergence was complete. My personal trauma, my vigilante mission, the official police investigation – all were tied together by this corrupt network.
"Elise?" Alvarez's voice broke through my shock. "Are you okay? You're pale."
I quickly minimized the file, forcing a neutral expression. "Yeah, fine. Just... a lot to take in."
"Tell me about it," she sighed. "Freeman was just the tip of the iceberg."
"We need to go through every name on this list," I said, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. "Find out who they are, what their 'problems' were, who 'handled' them. Build a case against the *entire* network."
My focus had shifted again. Walsh was still pending. The new names were interesting. But my father being on that list, connected to this web of corruption that preyed on the powerless... that changed everything. The hunt wasn't just about punishing individual predators anymore; it was about dismantling the system that created and protected them.
By day, I would work within the legal system to expose the network through the evidence we had. By night... the network had many faces. And some names on that list might deserve a more personal form of justice. Starting with those who enabled my father.