Chapter 10 - room 214
At eight the next morning, Mark entered Hale Meridian headquarters with Rachel, Daniel, Jessica, and two court-appointed observers.
Robert’s attorneys had attempted to block them.
The emergency judge refused.
The stained trust document, Daniel’s recording, and Jessica’s photographs had created enough concern to preserve the archive while the investigation continued.
Robert waited in the marble lobby.
He wore a dark suit and the expression he used whenever cameras were present.
Several reporters stood outside the glass doors.
“This spectacle will damage the company,” Robert said.
Rachel handed a copy of the order to his attorney.
“Any damage was caused before we arrived.”
Robert ignored her and looked at Mark.
“You brought Jessica?”
“She brought herself.”
Jessica avoided Robert’s eyes.
He smiled faintly.
“You believe she is helping you?”
“I believe she is helping herself.”
“For once, we agree.”
They took the private elevator to the second floor.
The official directory listed conference rooms 201 through 213, followed by executive offices.
No Room 214.
Daniel led them along a hallway lined with abstract paintings.
At the end stood a decorative wooden panel.
He pressed the edge.
The panel opened.
Behind it was a steel door.
Jessica inserted the silver key.
Nothing happened.
Robert spoke from behind them.
“The lock was replaced years ago.”
Daniel knelt near the electronic panel.
“There is still power.”
One of the observers photographed the door.
Rachel looked at Robert.
“Provide the current access code.”
“I do not have it.”
“This is your archive.”
“It is an unused storage room.”
Mark glanced at the security camera above the hallway.
“Then who entered it yesterday?”
Robert’s attorney stepped forward.
“That allegation has not been established.”
Jessica took out her phone.
“I entered with Robert’s code.”
She typed six numbers.
The lock clicked.
Robert’s face remained still, but his attorney closed his eyes briefly.
The steel door opened.
The room was smaller than Mark remembered.
Metal shelves lined the walls.
Most were empty.
Dust covered the floor except for several fresh footprints.
A rectangular space on one shelf showed where the metal case had been.
Daniel went directly to the rear wall.
He removed a vent cover and reached into the darkness.
Nothing.
His face changed.
“The box is gone.”
Robert folded his arms.
“Perhaps it never existed.”
Daniel searched deeper.
“I put it here.”
“Six years ago, according to you.”
Daniel pulled out his hand.
Dust covered his sleeve.
Mark examined the wall.
The panel around the vent had fresh scratches.
Someone had opened it recently.
The observers photographed everything.
Jessica walked toward a filing cabinet.
“It was here yesterday.”
“What?” Mark asked.
“A folder with Elena’s name.”
The cabinet was empty.
Robert gave a disappointed sigh.
“This is becoming embarrassing.”
Mark ignored him.
He moved slowly through the room, searching for anything left behind.
Ava’s words came back to him.
The key said 214.
Jessica had dropped it accidentally.
Robert’s plan had depended on timing. He invited Mark to lunch, provoked him, attempted to secure the signature, and ordered the archive cleared.
But why use Jessica?
Why involve a woman named Claire?
Near the floor, Mark noticed a thin line beneath the lowest shelf.
He crouched and pulled out a torn strip of paper.
Only part of a sentence remained.
Custodial transfer authorized upon confirmation of M. Hale’s incapacity.
Rachel read it over his shoulder.
“This is not Ava’s trust.”
“How do you know?”
“Her documents use your full legal name.”
Mark turned the paper over.
A handwritten date appeared on the back.
It was written six years earlier.
Two days after Elena’s death.
Daniel stared at it.
“M. Hale could mean Margaret.”
“My mother died eight years ago,” Mark said.
Rachel examined the paper again.
“Or it could mean another Hale.”
Robert moved toward them.
Mark closed his hand around the strip.
“Who?”
Robert stopped.
Mark searched his father’s face.
“Who were you trying to declare incapacitated after Elena died?”
Robert said nothing.
Jessica looked at the empty space where the metal case had been.
“Claire told me Mark was not the first person whose shares were placed under Robert’s control.”
Daniel turned.
“What did you say?”
Jessica’s breathing became shallow.
“She said this family had used the same method before.”
Robert’s voice cut across the room.
“She is lying.”
Jessica looked at him.
“You introduced us.”
“I have never met anyone named Claire.”
“She has been in your house.”
“Prove it.”
Jessica lifted her phone.
A new message had appeared.
It contained a photograph taken inside Room 214 only seconds earlier.
All of them were visible.
May you like
At the bottom were six words.
Stop searching, or Ava loses everything.
