Chapter 7 - The Missing Investigator
Marcus Bell returned at dawn.
He was angry, soaked, and bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow.
Vivian met him in the kitchen.
“Where were you?”
“Following someone.”
“Without telling us?”
“They were watching the house.”
Graham crossed his arms.
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Marcus explained that he had seen headlights parked beyond the hedge. When the vehicle moved, he followed on foot to the service road.
A second car had been waiting.
Someone struck him from behind.
“They took my wallet,” Marcus said.
“And your bag,” Vivian replied.
“No.”
Marcus looked toward the basement.
“My bag is downstairs.”
It wasn’t.
Inside had been copies of Nora’s ledgers and photographs of the original Vale partnership documents.
Graham stared.
“So whoever watched you knew what they wanted.”
Marcus’s expression darkened.
“Yes.”
“Which means they knew where the evidence was.”
No one said the obvious.
Only a small number of people knew.
Graham.
Vivian.
Elias.
Nora.
Marcus.
Possibly Colin.
And now whoever Colin had told.
They searched the house.
Nothing else appeared disturbed.
At nine, Graham drove to Whitaker Holdings headquarters in Stamford.
The glass tower had his name on it.
For the first time, he wondered whether it should.
His chief financial officer, Owen Price, was waiting.
Owen had worked for the family since Graham was twenty-five.
“Colin wants an emergency board meeting.”
“Why?”
“He says there’s a potential claim against the company.”
Graham watched him carefully.
“From Elias Vale?”
Owen’s reaction was small.
Too small.
“You’ve heard?”
“How?”
“Legal.”
The same answer Colin had given.
“Who in legal?”
Owen hesitated.
“I’d have to check.”
Graham smiled.
“Check.”
He spent the morning reviewing archived Harbor Point transactions.
Most records had been digitized.
Several early files were missing.
Not destroyed.
Checked out.
Access log: O. PRICE.
Graham leaned back.
Owen had accessed them three days earlier.
The day Elias was run off the road.
Graham called him.
“Come in.”
Owen entered.
Graham turned the monitor.
“Why were you in these files?”
Owen looked at the screen.
“Colin asked me to review exposure.”
“Before Elias contacted anyone?”
“He had reason to believe Elias was active.”
“From whom?”
Owen sat.
“Graham, I think you should stop.”
The sentence was so unexpected that Graham almost missed its meaning.
“Stop what?”
“Whatever Sarah is doing.”
Graham felt his heartbeat change.
“You know her name.”
Owen’s expression froze.
“How?”
“I heard Colin mention it.”
“When?”
Silence.
Graham stood.
“Get out.”
“Listen to me.”
“Now.”
Owen rose.
At the door he turned.
“Your father spent his life protecting this company.”
“From what?”
Owen looked at him.
“From the truth.”
Then he left.
Graham called Vivian.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
A third call went directly to voicemail.
He drove home faster than he should have.
The front door stood open.
Inside, a dining chair lay on its side.
“Miles?”
No answer.
“Vivian?”
He ran upstairs.
Empty.
Then he heard a voice from the basement.
Vivian.
He charged down.
She was standing beside Nora.
Elias sat with his face in his hands.
“What happened?”
Vivian looked up.
Her eyes were red.
“Miles is fine. He’s at school.”
Graham exhaled.
“Then what?”
Nora held an empty archival envelope.
“They took the partnership agreement.”
“The original?”
Vivian nodded.
“Everything Marcus photographed.”
Graham stared.
“Someone broke in?”
Elias shook his head.
“No.”
Graham looked at him.
“The alarm never triggered.”
Nora swallowed.
“Whoever took it used a key.”
And Graham knew of only four people with full keys to the house.
Himself.
Vivian.
May you like
Their housekeeper.
And Colin.
