Chapter 19 - Behind the North Wall
The coastal estate had been empty since the company restructuring.
Leah, Chloe, Daniel, and two investigators entered the library shortly after sunrise.
The north wall was covered by dark wooden shelves. Nothing appeared unusual until Chloe noticed that one shelf had no dust along its edge.
Daniel removed it.
Behind the panel was a narrow steel door.
The brass key from Mara’s deposit box fit the lock.
Inside were original board records, bank instructions, recorded conversations, and signed statements from employees who had discovered Sloane’s schemes.
Charles had built an entire case.
At the center of the hidden compartment lay a document titled Independent Disclosure Authorization.
It instructed that every record be delivered to prosecutors if Charles died before he could report the fraud himself.
The document carried three witness signatures.
Martin Keene.
Elaine Hartwell.
Ryan Hartwell.
Ryan had known about the evidence from the beginning.
“He did not simply become corrupted after Dad died,” Chloe whispered. “He helped bury the truth.”
Daniel opened another folder.
It contained photographs of Martin transferring boxes from the library three days after Charles’s death.
One box was marked Meridian Originals.
The records they had found were only copies.
The original ledger could prove exactly where the stolen retirement money had gone.
A floorboard creaked in the hallway.
Daniel raised his hand, signaling everyone to remain still.
The front door slammed.
By the time they reached the entrance, a dark vehicle was speeding away.
On the library desk, someone had left a phone.
Its screen displayed a live video of Martin Keene.
He was sitting in a windowless room.
May you like
Victor Sloane stood behind him.
“Bring me Charles’s files,” Sloane said, “or Martin becomes the final Hartwell secret.”
