Chapter 8 - The Last Night of Nathan Hart
The photograph stayed on the screen.
Evelyn moved closer.
Nathan’s face was partly turned toward the camera. He looked angry. Cassandra stood behind him, gripping his keys in one hand and a folder in the other.
A timestamp appeared at the bottom.
10:42 p.m.
Nathan had died the following morning.
“Where did Arthur get this?” Evelyn asked.
“Private security archive,” Mr. Hale replied. “The garage cameras were replaced after the accident.”
“Replaced by whom?”
He looked toward the dark doorway.
“Lenora.”
Arthur’s recorded voice resumed.
“Nathan confronted Cassandra about payments made through a company called Northglass Holdings. Cassandra denied knowing the company. Nathan later discovered her signature on three transfer orders.”
Documents appeared on the screen.
Each transfer moved money from Ashford Maritime into Northglass accounts.
The total was more than twelve million dollars.
Lily could not understand the figures, but she understood her mother’s fear.
“Mommy, can we go?”
Evelyn knelt.
“Mara will take you downstairs for some hot chocolate.”
“I want to stay with you.”
“You don’t need to hear this.”
“Is it about Daddy?”
Evelyn hesitated.
Lily knew Nathan only through photographs and stories.
“It is.”
“Then I want to know.”
Mara crouched beside her.
“Some of it may be frightening.”
Lily hugged Captain.
“I was already frightened.”
The words silenced every adult.
Evelyn kissed Lily’s temple.
“You can stay, but sit beside me.”
Arthur’s image returned.
“Cassandra claimed Nathan gave her the keys because she had been drinking and needed someone to move her car. She said she returned them ten minutes later.”
The security footage played.
Cassandra entered the garage office.
She remained there for twenty-seven minutes.
When she emerged, another person followed her.
The second person wore a maintenance uniform and a cap pulled low.
The face was never visible.
They walked toward Nathan’s car.
“Who is that?” Evelyn asked.
“We don’t know,” Mara replied.
The video switched to another camera.
The uniformed figure knelt beside the front wheel of Nathan’s car.
The image became distorted.
Then the recording jumped forward forty minutes.
“Someone edited it,” Evelyn said.
“Yes,” Mara replied.
“Who had access?”
“Four people. Arthur, Lenora, Cassandra, and the security director.”
“What happened to the director?”
“He disappeared two days after Nathan’s funeral.”
“Disappeared?”
“His wife reported him missing. His car was found near the southern harbor.”
Evelyn felt sick.
Arthur’s recording continued.
“I did not discover this footage until three years after Nathan’s death. Lenora had hidden it inside a damaged server scheduled for destruction.”
The screen showed Arthur sitting at his desk.
“When I confronted her, she said Cassandra had made mistakes but would never hurt Nathan. She begged me to protect the family.”
Arthur looked down.
“And I did.”
The confession settled heavily in the room.
“For two years, I remained silent. I told myself I was protecting Lily from scandal. In truth, I was protecting the name on my buildings.”
Evelyn whispered, “Coward.”
Mr. Hale heard her.
“He knew.”
“Knowing didn’t bring Nathan back.”
“No.”
Arthur raised his eyes toward the camera.
“Evelyn, you have every right to hate me.”
Tears filled her eyes despite her anger.
“I began investigating without Lenora’s knowledge,” he continued. “I followed the money through Northglass Holdings. What I found went beyond Cassandra.”
A chart appeared.
Northglass had sent payments to medical laboratories, political consultants, port officials, and a private clinic.
One payment had been made two weeks before Arthur became ill.
Another had been sent the day after Nathan’s death.
The recipient was listed only as L.M.
“Lenora Margaret,” Mr. Hale said.
Mara shook her head.
“That is the obvious answer.”
“Who else?”
“Several people connected to the company have those initials.”
Arthur’s image returned.
“If I die before completing the investigation, assume the person responsible knows about Lighthouse Three.”
The recording flickered.
“Do not trust anyone who asks for both keys.”
Mara looked at the locks behind them.
Evelyn turned slowly toward her.
“You asked for my key.”
“To open the room.”
“You had the first one.”
“Yes.”
Arthur’s warning continued.
“The true trustee will never possess the blue key before Easter.”
Mr. Hale stared at Mara.
But Mara had arrived after Lenora removed the key from the egg.
She had then used it to open the room.
“How did you get the blue key?” Evelyn asked.
Mara’s expression changed.
“Lenora dropped it.”
“No,” Mr. Hale said. “She still had it when you entered.”
Everyone looked toward the doorway.
A faint movement appeared beyond it.
Mara reached into her jacket.
The lights went out.
Lily screamed.
Footsteps ran down the corridor.
May you like
When the emergency lights came on, Mara was lying on the floor.
The black case was gone.
