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After hearing Henry out, Jack Reacher said with a strange expression, "You just told me you killed the Ardens. What—planning to silence me afterward?"
Henry waved it off. "I already told you—once you walk out that door, I won't admit to anything.
"There's already a group of people claiming they saw me kill the Ardens and turn them to ash. They're on their way to psychiatric evaluation.
"Because if they don't end up in a psych ward, they'll be facing charges for false accusations, perjury, obstruction of justice, and malicious prosecution. One more person doesn't make a difference.
"Besides, in a murder case, the most important thing is a body—or any scientifically verifiable evidence. In this situation, even if I confessed in front of a prosecutor, I'd still walk free.
"Unless you plan to change the law—make killing vampires, who leave no bodies, a capital crime. Think about the consequences of that.
"You might as well just give prosecutors and judges the power to declare anyone a murderer on the spot. Saves you the trouble of defining what a vampire is—and who qualifies."
Reacher frowned. "Vampires are real?"
Henry laughed. "That's what you're focusing on? Fine—pretend they don't exist. I can't prove I killed two vampires anyway.
"All you need to know is this: James and Lilith Arden no longer exist. Legally, they're missing.
"And besides—" Henry looked him up and down, "—even if I wanted to silence you, unless I acted immediately, you'd have enough time to secure yourself.
"So there's no point. I'm just giving you as many leads as possible. You asked, I answered. That's all."
Reacher pressed, "But you also said none of this information is guaranteed to be true."
"At least what I personally experienced isn't false," Henry replied. "I told you exactly what I did."
"Even so," Reacher said, "you've only described your actions—not your motives."
Henry raised his hands in mock surrender. "Whoa there, buddy. I thought you weren't interested in my personal business—just the case your superiors assigned you.
"Howard Stark's death—that's your focus. Everything else is secondary. Besides, if you knew what those two vampires had done, would you still think I was wrong?"
Reacher answered coldly, "I'll make that judgment myself. You don't need to justify your actions like a vigilante."
Henry shrugged and let it go. Not everyone shared his worldview—and that was fine.
In fact, he doubted anyone timid or overly rigid could uncover the truth behind Howard Stark's death anyway.
---
"You said I could print the files?" Reacher asked, shifting focus.
"Yes. If you think it's necessary. But first—a warning. Some of these documents, if exposed, won't just lead to a hunt for the source of the leak. Anyone who's seen them could become a target. Be prepared."
"I understand."
Even so, Reacher printed everything.
Henry noticed—but chose not to interfere.
Reacher then added, "Stark's secretary mentioned you could provide support for the investigation."
Without hesitation, Henry stood, opened his safe, and took out three rolls of cash along with a vintage mechanical wristwatch. He set them on the table.
"Operating funds. And a survival tool.
"If you need weapons or equipment, tell me—I can arrange it. Or if you'd rather source them yourself, that's fine too.
"If you run out of money, just ask. No need for receipts or reimbursement paperwork. With Tony Stark footing the bill, you're not draining his fortune anytime soon."
Reacher picked up the watch, examining it. "This is the 'survival tool'?"
Henry nodded. "Tourbillon movement. Doesn't look like much, but it keeps time better than a Rolex—no need for daily adjustments. Water-resistant to fifty meters.
"But more importantly—it's a transmitter. It can be tracked, even log movement paths. The signal isn't standard—most people won't detect it.
"The crown—press it lightly once, you'll feel the first click. That activates a continuous distress signal.
"Press it further to the second stage—it triggers self-destruct. Ten-second delay. No warning sound.
"The explosive yield is limited by size, but trust me—you don't want it going off on your wrist.
"To cancel either function, press deeper to reset the crown."
Reacher held the watch thoughtfully. "If you're giving me something like this, it means this investigation could reach a point where I'll need it. Correct?"
Henry didn't answer directly. "If Howard Stark's death wasn't an accident, you don't think some random street punk pulled it off, do you?
"Think about his world. Who could take someone like him down?"
Reacher didn't hesitate. He strapped the watch onto his left wrist.
"How long for support to reach me if I trigger the signal?"
"Three seconds," Henry said. "Faster than the self-destruct countdown.
"If you have time to press the distress signal, you won't die.
"After the mission, if you keep the watch, you'll still have one emergency response left. Whether there's a second… depends."
Reacher's eyes widened. "If you have someone like that on standby, why not send them to investigate instead?"
Henry smiled. "My friend isn't suited for this kind of work.
"And when it comes to clearing enemies inside buildings, someone skilled in close-quarters combat is better than… say, leveling the place with a tank."
Henry meant it as a metaphor.
Reacher replied flatly, "If there are no hostages, using a tank is the optimal approach.
"If a commander has access to overwhelming firepower but still sends troops into confined spaces full of potential traps—that's incompetence. Do I need to elaborate?"
…Henry had no comeback.
He'd forgotten—this man came from the modern U.S. military.
Overkill wasn't a problem.
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