Chapter 13 - The Attorney's Blind SpotRichard Bellamy arrived at Nisha Porter's office looking like a man who had aged ten years overnight.
His usually immaculate gray hair was disordered. He carried a battered leather briefcase and avoided Elena's eyes when he sat down.
Nisha had invited him to discuss the disputed corporate resolutions.
Elena insisted on attending.
"Before we begin," Nisha said, "Mr. Bellamy, I need to clarify whom you represent."
Bellamy glanced toward Elena.
"My firm has served as counsel to Hawthorne River Holdings for many years."
"Then you understand that Elena is a member of the company, but you're not her personal attorney."
"Naturally."
"Good. I don't want any confusion about that."
Bellamy opened his briefcase.
"I reviewed the January amendment you questioned."
Elena leaned forward.
"And?"
"The signature is problematic."
"Meaning?"
Bellamy looked exhausted.
"Meaning I cannot presently verify that Margaret executed it."
Elena stared at him.
"Did you witness her signing?"
"No."
"Did anyone from your office?"
"No."
"Then why did you accept it?"
"Graham sent the scan with a representation that Margaret had signed it during a meeting with an outside notary."
"Which notary?"
Bellamy hesitated.
"The acknowledgment identifies Marissa Flynn."
Nisha made a note.
"Have you contacted her?"
"I attempted to."
"And?"
"She says she did not perform the acknowledgment."
Silence filled the room.
Elena gripped the arm of her chair.
"Then somebody forged it."
Bellamy lowered his eyes.
"That appears possible."
"Possible?"
Nisha placed a hand on Elena's arm.
"Let him finish."
Bellamy removed a folder.
"I also reviewed our electronic document-management records. The original scan was uploaded from an account belonging to Graham's administrative office. The metadata associated with the upload indicates that the file was created several days after the date it supposedly bears."
Elena felt a sudden rush of anger.
"And you never checked?"
"I relied on the information provided by a trusted corporate officer."
"You were Mother's attorney."
"Yes."
"You knew she was seriously ill."
"Yes."
"You knew she had been questioning Graham."
Bellamy looked away.
"Yes."
Elena stood.
"Then why?"
For the first time, Bellamy's voice rose.
"Because I thought I was protecting what Margaret had built!"
He stopped.
Nisha remained motionless.
Bellamy looked ashamed.
"Margaret had become increasingly concerned about the company's finances. Graham assured me that he had arranged temporary financing and that delays could trigger serious losses."
"And you believed him?"
"I wanted to."
Elena stared.
The words were almost identical to Vivian's.
I wanted to believe him.
Everyone had wanted something from Graham.
Competence.
Security.
A solution.
An excuse not to face uncertainty.
And he had learned to sell those things at extraordinary prices.
"Did you know about the Marshlight payments?" Nisha asked.
"Not initially."
"When did you learn?"
"Margaret asked me to review them shortly before her final hospitalization."
"Did you?"
"I began reviewing the documentation. Then her condition deteriorated."
Elena felt sick.
"What happened to the review?"
Bellamy opened his briefcase again.
"I retained copies of certain materials."
He withdrew a slim archival folder.
"Margaret asked that I preserve them. I did not give these copies to Graham."
Elena reached for it.
Nisha stopped her gently.
"Let's identify and inventory them first."
Bellamy agreed.
Inside were correspondence, handwritten notes, copies of consulting agreements, and an index prepared by Margaret.
At the top of the index was a title.
RIVERTON — HISTORICAL DISPOSAL AND RESERVE RECONCILIATION.
Elena scanned the entries.
One reference caught her attention.
Original operating ledger — 1998–2004.
"Where is it?" she asked.
Bellamy looked troubled.
"Vivian delivered the original to Graham for the company's records several years ago."
"Mother's letter said Graham must never destroy it."
"She became concerned when she learned he had possession."
"Do you have a copy?"
"Only selected pages."
Elena felt frustration rise.
"What good are selected pages?"
Nisha examined the index.
"Potentially a great deal. They tell us what existed, what Margaret was reviewing, and where related records may have originated."
Elena looked at Bellamy.
"Did you tell Graham she was investigating him?"
Bellamy's face changed.
A long silence followed.
Then he nodded.
Elena stepped away from the table.
"You warned him."
"I believed a direct conversation might resolve the accounting discrepancies."
"You gave him time to remove evidence."
"I didn't know—"
"You didn't want to know."
Bellamy said nothing.
Elena looked at the old man who had attended family birthdays, helped arrange her father's funeral, and sent flowers when Mia was born.
She had once trusted him as completely as she trusted the walls of Hawthorne House.
Now she understood that familiarity was not the same as loyalty.
Nisha closed the folder.
"Mr. Bellamy, these records need to be preserved. And your firm should consider whether it can continue representing the company given the potential conflict."
Bellamy nodded.
"I understand."
He rose slowly.
At the door, he turned toward Elena.
"Your mother knew she'd made mistakes."
Elena's expression hardened.
"So do I."
He lowered his eyes.
"I wish I'd had the courage to listen to her."
When he left, Nisha examined the index again.
"There's a reference here to the original environmental consultant."
"Who?"
"Daniel Whitcomb."
Elena frowned.
The name was familiar.
Her father had mentioned it years earlier.
Nisha continued.
"He prepared the first disposal assessment in 1998."
"Could he still have the records?"
"Possibly. We can find out."
Elena looked at the old ledger index.
Her mother had not left a complete answer.
May you like
She had left a trail.
And for the first time, Elena suspected the trail led much further back than Graham Mercer.
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