“I believed you would never suspect me.”

“I thought you would blame Hunter and Barbara, and eventually come to me for help.”

“I was going to be your savior.”

I looked at the man standing before me, realizing I did not know him at all.

The father who had encouraged my studies was gone, replaced by a cold corporate strategist.

“Who are Hunter’s allies, Dad?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Who did you make a deal with?”

My father did not answer immediately.

He picked up his scotch glass and took another long drink.

Before he could speak, the landline phone on his desk began to ring.

The red light on the line flashed in the dim room.

My father looked at the phone, his brow furrowing.

He reached out and pressed the speakerphone button.

A familiar voice filled the quiet office, cold and sharp.

“Arthur,” Dr. Sterling’s voice said through the speaker.

“We have a problem.”

My father did not touch the speakerphone again.

He stared at the black plastic console on his desk as if it were a bomb.