The report said Mercer had suffered a sudden medical emergency.

He was alive but unconscious.

I exhaled.

Then another message arrived.

From an unknown number.

You think Mercer was the last one?

Michael and I stared at the screen.

A second message appeared.

Ask Rebecca who funded the Holloway Foundation.

My heart sank.

We looked at each other.

The past was not finished.

Not yet.

PART 8 — THE LAST NAME IN THE LEDGER

By eight the next morning, my kitchen had become a war room again.

Emily brought pastries.

Ryan brought coffee.

Thomas arrived carrying three binders.

Michael brought nothing except a face that said he had not slept.

Daniel joined by video call from his hotel.

Special Agent Lane came last.

I showed her the messages.

She examined my phone.

“The number is masked.”

“Mercer?”

“He is still under medical supervision. No access to a phone.”

“Rebecca?”

“In custody.”

Thomas opened the old ledger.