"Can you trace it?"
Robert shook his head. "Burner number."
Another message appeared. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT DANIEL CROSS IS. Claire stared. Then another:
ASK HIM ABOUT HIS FATHER. Daniel froze. Robert looked at him. "Your father?"
Daniel slowly took the phone. He read the message again. Nobody in the airport should have known about his father. His father had been dead for sixteen years. And Daniel had never discussed him with anyone at work. He looked at the sender number. Nothing. Then a final message appeared. HE NEVER TOLD YOU WHY HE LEFT. Daniel's expression hardened. Robert asked quietly:
"Daniel?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
Daniel ignored him. "How many people know my family history?"
Robert shook his head. "I don't know."
"Find out."
Robert began typing. Daniel turned toward the window. For the first time that morning, the airport felt different. He had spent years believing his past was separate from his work. Now someone was proving that it wasn't. His father had worked in aviation systems. Not as an executive. As an engineer. He had designed security infrastructure for several regional airports before disappearing from Daniel's life. Daniel had been sixteen. His father had left one evening and never returned. The official explanation had been simple. A workplace accident. Daniel had never believed it. But he had stopped asking questions. Until now. Robert interrupted. "I found something."
Daniel turned. "What?"
"Your father's name appears in the old airport archive."
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "What name?"
"Thomas Cross."
Daniel stopped. "That's impossible."
Robert shook his head. "It's here."
He turned the monitor. A personnel file appeared. THOMAS CROSS
SYSTEMS ENGINEER
EMPLOYEE STATUS: TERMINATED
DATE: 2009
Daniel stared. "Open it."
Robert clicked. The file loaded. There was almost nothing. No photograph. No employment history. No termination reason. Just one note. IDENTITY REVOKED. Daniel's face went cold. "Identity revoked?"