Chapter 7 - THE KEY TO THE SAFE-DEPOSIT BOX
Loretta waited until Brittany and Alexander left.
She picked up the brass key and found a small paper tag attached to it.
Box 417.
Hudson National Bank.
There was no name.
Loretta photographed the key and returned it to the exact spot where Alexander had dropped it.
She left the apartment through the service elevator.
When she told Howard what she had heard, he reacted exactly as she expected.
“You went there alone?”
“I was not alone for long.”
“They could have found you.”
“They almost did.”
Howard pushed away from his desk.
“This is not a game.”
“I know. I found twenty-three attempts to copy my signature.”
Naomi arrived within an hour.
Loretta showed her the photographs from the scanner.
Naomi enlarged the image of the remote notary certificate.
“The notary identification number belongs to an inactive account.”
“What does that mean?” Howard asked.
“The notary retired last year. Someone is using stolen credentials.”
“Alexander?”
“Possibly.”
Loretta showed her the bank key.
Naomi recognized the tag style.
“We need a court order to open a private box.”
“Unless the box belongs to us,” Loretta said.
The following morning, she visited Hudson National Bank with Naomi.
Box 417 had been registered twenty-nine years earlier to L.M. Holdings.
It had two authorized signers.
Loretta Marie Vale.
Daniel Miller.
The bank manager could not legally open it for them. However, he confirmed that someone had accessed the box six days earlier.
“Who?” Howard asked when Naomi called him.
“The access record was signed A. Reed.”
Alexander had inherited or obtained control of the box.
Naomi filed an emergency petition claiming that the box might contain evidence connected to attempted property fraud.
The court hearing was scheduled for the next afternoon.
Before the hearing, Loretta received another anonymous message.
Do not open the box in front of Howard.
She showed it to Naomi but not to her husband.
“Do you think Alexander sent this?” Loretta asked.
“Probably.”
“Why would he want me to hide something from Howard?”
“Because secrecy creates division.”
“Or because Howard is hiding more than he has admitted.”
Naomi did not answer.
The court granted limited access to the box under legal supervision.
Loretta, Howard, Naomi, and a bank officer entered the vault together.
Box 417 contained no cash.
Inside were three items.
A cassette tape.
A sealed envelope addressed to Howard.
And a birth certificate.
Howard reached for the envelope.
Loretta stopped him.
“The birth certificate first.”
Naomi unfolded it.
The document belonged to Alexander Daniel Reed.
His mother was Rebecca Vale.
The section naming the father had been left blank.
Attached to the certificate was a handwritten letter signed by Daniel Miller.
If anything happens to me, Alexander is my son. Howard must never know until Franklin is no longer a threat.
Howard lowered himself onto the vault bench.
Loretta read the sentence again.
“Daniel believed Franklin was dangerous.”
Howard stared at his brother’s handwriting.
“Why didn’t Daniel contact me?”
Naomi picked up the cassette.
“Maybe this explains it.”
The bank had an old cassette player stored for clients. The manager brought it into a private meeting room.
The recording began with static.
Then Daniel’s voice filled the room.
“Howard, if you are hearing this, then I failed to come back.”
Howard closed his eyes.
Daniel explained that Franklin had stolen the development money and used Daniel as the scapegoat. Rebecca had discovered evidence in her brother’s office. When she tried to expose him, Franklin threatened both of them.
Daniel and Rebecca fled.
They planned to return after securing the documents.
They never did.
Near the end of the recording, Daniel said something none of them expected.
“The money Franklin stole was not the most valuable part of the deal. Hidden in the original property agreement was an ownership option. Whoever controls L.M. Holdings can claim forty percent of any future development built on the Hawthorne land.”
Howard opened his eyes.
“Hawthorne Estate.”
Naomi nodded slowly.
“The wedding venue.”
The cassette continued.
“Franklin will come back for that land someday. When he does, look for the second signature. It will belong to someone you trust.”
The recording ended.
Loretta looked at the envelope addressed to Howard.
Inside was a copy of the original Hawthorne agreement.
At the bottom were two signatures.
May you like
Franklin Vale.
And Howard Miller.
