Daniel kept Claire on the phone while Richard arranged a security detail to reach her without using anyone from Bellmont\u2019s regular executive protection team.<\/p>\n
He would not risk sending a driver whose loyalty he could not verify.<\/p>\n
Claire gave Richard the address of her friend\u2019s apartment, then repeated it after Daniel asked her to make certain no one had followed her there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not imagining this,\u201d she said. \u201cSomeone really came to my door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knocked for almost five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing at first. Then a man said he was from the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s gaze moved toward the forged restructuring document on the conference table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he know about the safety-deposit box?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked whether I had recently removed property from one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
That was not coincidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing. I stayed quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe eventually left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you see him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly through the peephole. Baseball cap. Gray jacket. I\u2019d never seen him before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard typed notes into his laptop.<\/p>\n
Daniel said, \u201cUntil our people reach you, don\u2019t answer the door for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said not to trust Bellmont people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese won\u2019t be Bellmont people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked up.<\/p>\n
Daniel added, \u201cI\u2019m using an outside firm.\u201d<\/p>\n
That seemed to reassure her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the drive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep it with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the board members seated around the table.<\/p>\n
He suddenly disliked having the conversation in front of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, I\u2019ll call you shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Listen to me. Anna was scared before she died. I didn\u2019t understand how scared until I read that letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said people at Bellmont had started watching her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every eye in the room shifted toward him.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned away from them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe thought someone was following her from work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last few weeks before the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she was trying to protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded painfully like Anna.<\/p>\n
She had always believed problems were burdens to be carried quietly until she could solve them herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call you soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ended the conversation.<\/p>\n
Silence settled over the boardroom.<\/p>\n
One of the directors, Evelyn Pierce, cleared her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, we should contact the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we know what we\u2019re giving them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already have a forged corporate filing and potential financial fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have an anonymous caller who knows details of an internal investigation and a dead woman\u2019s name being used to authenticate a document.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly why law enforcement should be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel agreed in principle.<\/p>\n
But Anna\u2019s warning echoed in his mind.<\/p>\n
Trust no one inside Bellmont until you know who was involved.<\/p>\n
If the conspiracy had lasted three years, it had survived audits, legal reviews, board meetings, insurance investigations, and executive turnover.<\/p>\n
He was not going to assume every outside institution was compromised.<\/p>\n
He also was not going to hand over the only evidence Anna left without first knowing what it contained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe secure the drive,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cWe duplicate it. Then we bring in federal investigators and local police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus Whitmore leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy federal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause money moved through vendors across state lines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
Something about the CFO\u2019s agreement bothered him.<\/p>\n
Not because it was wrong.<\/p>\n
Because Marcus had seemed unsurprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you first notice Northbridge Advisory?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard glanced at him.<\/p>\n
Daniel did not.<\/p>\n
He kept his eyes on Marcus.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus shifted in his chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d need to check records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel picked up one of the payment summaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cNearly half a million dollars passed through accounts under your department.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe process thousands of transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthbridge had no valid vendor contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat should have been flagged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus looked toward Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause someone bypassed the usual controls.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing my credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus went still.<\/p>\n
Richard looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
Daniel tapped one transaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecondary authorization. M. Whitmore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus leaned across the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t approve that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel slid the paper toward him.<\/p>\n
Marcus stared.<\/p>\n
Color drained from his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t my authorization token.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard moved beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExplain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus pointed at the code.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy current token ends in seventy-two. Before that, forty-one. This ends in eighteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you use eighteen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
Daniel said, \u201cBefore Anna died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard stopped typing.<\/p>\n
Marcus looked between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat token was deactivated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho had access to its history?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIT security. Maybe systems administration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGregory?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cDirectly is becoming a useless word.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody disagreed.<\/p>\n
His phone rang again.<\/p>\n
This time it was the outside security coordinator.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Mercer, we have Ms. Claire Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Two agents are inside the apartment with her. Another team is checking the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring her to headquarters?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel reconsidered immediately.<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
If headquarters was compromised, bringing Claire there would be irresponsible.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake her to the Westlake residence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s family owned a house west of the city that had been unused since Anna died.<\/p>\n
Very few Bellmont employees knew the current alarm systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel ended the call.<\/p>\n
Evelyn said, \u201cIf you distrust this building, why are we still sitting here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause whoever is involved believes I\u2019m still reacting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you aren\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the directors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer made them uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
He wanted everyone uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Thirty minutes later, IT delivered the first access report.<\/p>\n
Richard projected it onto the conference-room screen.<\/p>\n
The complaint database had been entered sixteen times using executive authorization.<\/p>\n
Nine sessions originated from Bellmont headquarters.<\/p>\n
Four from a remote corporate VPN.<\/p>\n
Three from Bellmont House.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich credential?\u201d Daniel asked.<\/p>\n
The technician hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t determine that from the surface logs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe identification field was overwritten.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technician enlarged a code sequence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe account used administrator privileges normally reserved for infrastructure maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho holds that access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNames.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technician read them.<\/p>\n
Two belonged to current IT administrators.<\/p>\n
One to the chief technology officer.<\/p>\n
One was a discontinued emergency account.<\/p>\n
The fifth belonged to Gregory Shaw.<\/p>\n
Daniel said nothing.<\/p>\n
Gregory\u2019s name was becoming too obvious.<\/p>\n
That bothered him.<\/p>\n
Real conspiracies rarely left one person\u2019s fingerprints on every door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Gregory now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard checked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one has reached him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the technician.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we see when his phone last connected to company systems?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The technician began working.<\/p>\n
Marcus remained unusually quiet.<\/p>\n
Daniel watched him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CFO looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me your old authorization token appeared on the transactions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t recognize it when you reviewed them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI only reviewed the summary totals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel let the silence stretch.<\/p>\n
Marcus became defensive.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I\u2019m involved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re asking them like I\u2019m a suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is a suspect until I understand what Anna found.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked for your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did Gregory.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed hard.<\/p>\n
Marcus stared at him.<\/p>\n
Daniel continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory doesn\u2019t clear anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus sat again.<\/p>\n
No one spoke for several minutes.<\/p>\n
Then Daniel\u2019s phone vibrated with a message from Claire.<\/p>\n
They had reached the Westlake house.<\/p>\n
A photograph followed.<\/p>\n
The flash drive sat on a wooden table.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Black.<\/p>\n
Ordinary.<\/p>\n
Anna had once carried dozens like it between meetings.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the picture longer than necessary.<\/p>\n
He could almost see her hand holding it.<\/p>\n
Richard asked, \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the first honest answer Daniel had given all morning.<\/p>\n
He stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Westlake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus started gathering his files.<\/p>\n
Daniel stopped him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Anna named Gregory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t name me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at the transaction showing Marcus\u2019s obsolete authorization code.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut someone wanted your credentials inside this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s expression shifted.<\/p>\n
For the first time, fear replaced indignation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I was framed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think either you helped them or someone wanted it to look like you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s hardly reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel turned to Richard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the board?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing leaves this room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t order directors not to contact counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can ask you not to compromise an active fraud investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn studied him.<\/p>\n
Then sat.<\/p>\n
Daniel and Richard left through a private stairwell instead of the executive elevator.<\/p>\n
On the way down, Richard said, \u201cYou don\u2019t trust Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t trust anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat includes me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
Richard gave a tired smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cFair enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The drive to Westlake took forty minutes.<\/p>\n
Neither man spoke much.<\/p>\n
When they arrived, Claire met them at the door and hugged Daniel before he had removed his coat.<\/p>\n
For one second, he was no longer Bellmont\u2019s owner.<\/p>\n
He was simply Anna\u2019s husband holding Anna\u2019s sister while both of them tried not to think about the woman missing between them.<\/p>\n
Claire stepped back.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRuns in the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna used to say exactly that.<\/p>\n
Daniel almost smiled.<\/p>\n
They moved into the dining room.<\/p>\n
The flash drive waited on the table beside an envelope.<\/p>\n
Daniel recognized Anna\u2019s handwriting immediately.<\/p>\n
His name was written across the front.<\/p>\n
He reached for it.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrive first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire nodded.<\/p>\n
Richard produced a clean laptop purchased on the way over, one that had never connected to Bellmont systems.<\/p>\n
He disabled wireless connections before inserting the drive.<\/p>\n
A password prompt appeared.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny idea?\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry Sophie\u2019s birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard did.<\/p>\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna\u2019s birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrong.<\/p>\n
Their wedding anniversary failed too.<\/p>\n
Claire said, \u201cWhat about the date you two met?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel tried it himself.<\/p>\n
Access granted.<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Anna remembered dates Daniel routinely forgot.<\/p>\n
The drive contained seven folders.<\/p>\n
FINANCIAL.<\/p>\n
VENDORS.<\/p>\n
COMPLAINTS.<\/p>\n
GREGORY.<\/p>\n
BOARD.<\/p>\n
DANIEL.<\/p>\n
And one labeled IF I AM WRONG.<\/p>\n
Richard whispered, \u201cJesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened FINANCIAL.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of spreadsheets appeared.<\/p>\n
Anna had tracked payments for almost nine months.<\/p>\n
The amounts were small at first.<\/p>\n
Five thousand.<\/p>\n
Eight thousand.<\/p>\n
Twelve thousand.<\/p>\n
Then larger transfers appeared.<\/p>\n
Each moved through entities Daniel did not recognize.<\/p>\n
Northbridge Advisory was among them.<\/p>\n
So were six others.<\/p>\n
Richard began copying the records onto encrypted storage.<\/p>\n
Claire stood behind Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did all this alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened BOARD.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
Meeting notes.<\/p>\n
Scanned documents.<\/p>\n
A list of names.<\/p>\n
Some were highlighted.<\/p>\n
Evelyn Pierce.<\/p>\n
Marcus Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Gregory Shaw.<\/p>\n
Two former directors.<\/p>\n
Richard Hale.<\/p>\n
Richard stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
Richard stared at his own name.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel opened the attached note.<\/p>\n
Anna\u2019s writing filled the screen.<\/p>\n
Richard knows something is wrong but I don\u2019t believe he understands the scale. He asked questions after the May audit. Gregory noticed. Richard may be useful, but I cannot tell him everything yet.<\/p>\n
Richard sat down.<\/p>\n
Daniel read it again.<\/p>\n
It was not an accusation.<\/p>\n
But it proved Anna had been watching him too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked questions?\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
Richard rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout irregular vendor payments?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked genuinely disturbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember discrepancies during a compliance review. Gregory said they were related to property acquisitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you verify that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat stopped you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe records were corrected before the audit closed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words struck both of them.<\/p>\n
Anna had died during the same period.<\/p>\n
Richard continued quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were barely functioning. Gregory told me he would handle the review.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Again, Gregory.<\/p>\n
Always Gregory.<\/p>\n
He opened the folder labeled GREGORY.<\/p>\n
There were photographs of Gregory meeting with Vanessa years before she officially joined Bellmont House.<\/p>\n
Emails showed him recommending her for promotion.<\/p>\n
Internal notes documented instructions to suppress complaints.<\/p>\n
It seemed overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Too overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Daniel leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna made this easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she believed Gregory was the center of everything, why write that she didn\u2019t know who else to trust?\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire looked at the folders.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe because Gregory had help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n
He opened IF I AM WRONG.<\/p>\n
There was one document.<\/p>\n
A note.<\/p>\n
Anna had written:<\/p>\n
If Gregory is only the person I can see, then the person behind him will become careless once Gregory is exposed.<\/p>\n
Daniel read it twice.<\/p>\n
Richard said, \u201cShe thought he might be a shield.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who was behind him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel returned to the financial ledger.<\/p>\n
He sorted the transfers by approval source.<\/p>\n
Patterns emerged.<\/p>\n
Gregory appeared frequently.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s forged credentials appeared occasionally.<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s old code appeared six times.<\/p>\n
Then another authorization identifier repeated across nearly every large transfer.<\/p>\n
Daniel pointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard leaned toward the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n
They searched the company authorization directory stored on the drive.<\/p>\n
The identifier belonged to an account created fourteen years earlier.<\/p>\n
The account name was simple.<\/p>\n
FOUNDERS OFFICE.<\/p>\n
Daniel felt cold.<\/p>\n
Only two people had originally controlled that account.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
And Daniel himself.<\/p>\n
His father had died seven years ago.<\/p>\n
Daniel had never used the account.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone revived a dead executive credential,\u201d Richard said.<\/p>\n
Daniel shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just any credential.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the account history.<\/p>\n
The access restoration had been approved three years earlier.<\/p>\n
Two days before Anna died.<\/p>\n
Claire stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho approved it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel scrolled.<\/p>\n
A signature appeared.<\/p>\n
Not Gregory\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not Marcus\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Not Richard\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The authorization came from the office of Harold Mercer.<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
A man who had already been dead for four years.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
Whoever was manipulating Bellmont had built the scheme around ghosts.<\/p>\n
His wife.<\/p>\n
His father.<\/p>\n
Old credentials.<\/p>\n
Dead signatures.<\/p>\n
People who could never contradict the documents carrying their names.<\/p>\n
Then Richard noticed a final line.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe restoration request has an internal routing number.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel followed the code.<\/p>\n
It led to one Bellmont department.<\/p>\n
Executive Succession and Trust Administration.<\/p>\n
Claire asked, \u201cWho runs that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel already knew.<\/p>\n
He had known the person since childhood.<\/p>\n
His father\u2019s oldest adviser.<\/p>\n
Chairman emeritus.<\/p>\n
The man who had delivered the eulogy at Harold Mercer\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
Samuel Voss.<\/p>\n
Daniel stared at the name.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the investigation began, Gregory Shaw no longer looked like the top of the structure.<\/p>\n
He looked like someone standing beneath it.<\/p>\n
Daniel kept Claire on the phone while Richard arranged a security detail to reach her without using anyone from Bellmont\u2019s regular executive protection team. He would not risk sending a … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11580,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11536\/revisions\/11580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}