Chapter 12 - Who Brought Lauren In
Charles’s letter named no one.
That would have been easier.
Instead, it described a sequence.
Lauren had appeared at the Charlotte Children’s Foundation gala where Daniel first met her.
Hale Ridge was a sponsor.
Attendance lists were private.
Daniel had not been publicly announced.
Yet Lauren had known he would be there.
Charles had investigated.
Someone from Hale Ridge had downloaded the guest list three days before the event.
The employee login belonged to the finance department.
Daniel stared at the letter.
“Mark.”
Margaret shook her head.
“Maybe.”
“Who else?”
“Finance had fifteen employees then.”
“But Mark ran it.”
“Yes.”
Charles had written:
I cannot prove Mark arranged the meeting. I only know he accessed historical files related to Mesa Vista shortly before Lauren entered Daniel’s life.
Daniel called Detective Shaw.
She told him not to confront Mark.
So naturally, Mark called first.
“Daniel.”
“Where are you?”
“I need protection.”
“From Lauren?”
“From whoever she’s working with.”
Daniel frowned.
“You helped her.”
“Yes.”
“So why would she hurt you?”
“Because I copied something.”
“What?”
“Meridian Ridge.”
Daniel remembered Rachel mentioning the entity.
“What is it?”
“I thought it belonged to Lauren.”
“And?”
“It doesn’t.”
“Who owns it?”
Mark’s breathing sounded uneven.
“I can’t say on the phone.”
“Then come to the sheriff’s office.”
“No.”
“If you want protection—”
“I don’t trust them.”
“Why?”
“I don’t trust anyone.”
Daniel nearly hung up.
Then Mark said, “Your father was right about one thing.”
“What?”
“I did access Mesa Vista.”
Daniel went still.
“Why?”
“Because Lauren asked me to.”
“When?”
“Nine years ago.”
Before Daniel met her.
“You knew her before I did.”
“Yes.”
The betrayal became almost physical.
“You arranged the gala.”
“Yes.”
Daniel gripped the desk.
“You introduced her into my life.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Mark’s voice cracked.
“Because she knew about Emily.”
Daniel frowned.
“What about Emily?”
“My daughter’s treatment.”
“You stole money.”
“Before that.”
Daniel waited.
“She had records.”
“Of what?”
“Your father paid for Emily’s treatment.”
Daniel stared at Margaret.
Margaret looked equally confused.
“What?”
Mark continued.
“Charles personally covered almost four hundred thousand dollars my insurance didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t.”
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
“I altered company accounts to hide the payments.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Mark had embezzled partly to conceal money Charles had given him?
It made no sense.
“Why would Lauren care?”
“Because she found the entries and thought they proved Charles used company money to buy loyalty.”
“Did he?”
“No. It came from his personal account. I falsified reimbursement classifications because I was ashamed.”
Daniel sat down.
“You let her blackmail you over something Dad did to help you.”
“I was terrified of losing my job.”
“So you gave her access to me.”
“I gave her the guest list.”
“You helped her target me.”
“I didn’t think she would marry you.”
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“What did you think she would do?”
Mark went silent.
“Mark.”
“Humiliate Charles.”
“How?”
“She said she wanted you to fall in love with her, then she would leave you publicly and tell the press why.”
Daniel stared at the wall.
A revenge plan.
Cruel.
But smaller than what followed.
“What changed?”
“You loved her.”
“That’s what changed?”
“And she loved you.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Where are you?”
Mark gave him an address.
A roadside motel forty miles away.
Daniel forwarded it to Shaw.
“Stay there,” Daniel said.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Lauren knows I copied the Meridian file.”
“What is it?”
Mark whispered, “It’s not about stolen money.”
“What is it about?”
“A purchase agreement.”
“For what?”
“Hale Ridge.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
May you like
Mark continued.
“Someone has been preparing to buy your company after it collapses.”
