Chapter 4 - the lawyer who knew too much)
Harold Pike did not make it out of the hospital.
Security officers found him hiding in a supply corridor on the fourth floor.
He carried no weapon.
No poison.
No medical equipment.
Only a small encrypted flash drive and a folded letter addressed to Luke.
Jessica watched through one-way glass while Cole questioned him.
Pike looked older than he had at the funeral.
His expensive black suit was wrinkled.
Sweat darkened the collar of his white shirt.
"I wasn't going to hurt him," he said.
Cole placed the stolen badge on the table.
"You stole hospital credentials."
"I borrowed them."
"From a nurse who says she's never met you."
Pike looked away.
Cole pushed the flash drive forward.
"What's on this?"
"Insurance."
"For whom?"
Pike hesitated.
"Myself."
Jessica felt no sympathy.
Cole remained quiet.
Silence worked.
Eventually Pike lowered his head.
"Frank approached me seven years ago."
Jessica's breath caught.
"About what?" Cole asked.
"Corporate restructuring."
"Illegal corporate restructuring?"
"Not initially."
"When did it become illegal?"
Pike rubbed his forehead.
"When Wendy began using Arthur's dormant subsidiaries."
Jessica's jaw tightened.
Pike continued.
"Arthur discovered some of it before he died. Frank convinced Wendy that Arthur intended to remove her from several trusts."
"So they stole from the company."
"They redirected funds they believed were part of Wendy's inheritance."
Cole almost smiled.
"That's called stealing."
Pike looked toward the mirror.
Jessica knew he could not see her.
But for one strange second, she felt as though he knew she stood there.
"Luke discovered irregularities three weeks ago," Pike said.
"How?"
"An internal auditor noticed payments tied to a closed shipping subsidiary."
"What did Luke do?"
"He came to me."
Cole's expression sharpened.
"And you told Frank."
Pike closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Jessica stepped away from the glass.
The betrayal felt intimate despite not being hers.
Luke had trusted Pike.
Not casually.
Completely.
Cole asked, "Whose idea was it to drug Luke?"
Pike's face changed.
"I wasn't part of that."
"You expect me to believe you helped cover up eighty-seven million dollars but developed principles at attempted murder?"
"I didn't know."
"What did you think would happen?"
"I thought Wendy would force Luke out."
"By declaring him dead?"
Pike looked frightened.
"I swear I didn't know that part."
Cole slid the letter forward.
"Then explain this."
Pike did not answer.
Cole opened it.
He read silently.
Then looked toward the mirror.
"Jessica needs to see this."
Minutes later, Cole handed her the letter.
Jessica,
If this reaches you, I assume events have gone badly.
Do not believe Luke's death was the original plan.
Frank wanted control.
Wendy wanted revenge.
Keller wanted money.
But someone else changed the arrangement.
Someone inside Sterling Holdings knew Luke was investigating and ordered that he be removed permanently.
I do not know the name.
I only know the internal designation used in communications.
Crown.
Jessica read it again.
"Crown?"
Cole nodded.
"Pike claims Frank and Wendy weren't the top of this."
Jessica looked through the glass at Pike.
"Do you believe him?"
"I believe he's terrified."
"That isn't the same thing."
"No."
Cole picked up the encrypted drive.
"But people like Pike keep evidence when they think they may need to survive their partners."
The drive contained emails, payment schedules and coded messages.
Most originated from temporary encrypted accounts.
One phrase appeared repeatedly.
CROWN APPROVES.
CROWN REQUIRES DELAY.
CROWN REQUESTS MEDICAL CERTIFICATION.
CROWN WILL HANDLE SUCCESSION.
Jessica felt a new kind of fear.
Wendy had hated her for years.
Frank had stolen money.
Keller had taken payments.
Pike had forged documents.
Those motives made sense.
But Crown was different.
Crown was inside the company.
Someone Luke saw every day.
Someone who knew his calendar.
His meetings.
His investigation.
His weaknesses.
Cole opened a spreadsheet.
"This was sent six hours before Luke collapsed."
Jessica leaned closer.
A payment authorization for two million dollars.
Recipient hidden behind a numbered account.
Subject line:
FINAL CONTINUITY EVENT.
Jessica whispered, "They scheduled his death."
Cole nodded.
"And someone approved it."
His phone rang again.
This time the call came from the ICU.
Luke was awake.
Fully conscious.
Jessica reached him fifteen minutes later.
His voice was still weak, but his eyes were clear.
She sat beside him.
"Do you remember what happened?"
Luke looked at the ceiling.
"The meeting."
"What meeting?"
"Board strategy."
"Who was there?"
Luke closed his eyes.
"Wendy. Frank. Pike. Keller came later."
"Anyone else?"
He nodded.
Jessica leaned closer.
"Who?"
Luke looked at her.
"Michael."
Jessica froze.
Michael Sterling.
Luke's younger brother.
The man who had supposedly been in London for the entire week.
The man who had called Jessica from Heathrow after learning Luke was dead.
The man who had cried on the phone.
The man who was due to land in New York the following morning.
May you like
Luke's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Michael gave me the drink."
