Chapter 7 - The Blue Folder)
Captain Morris ordered every internal door unlocked.
The yacht was searched section by section.
Crew cabins.
Storage rooms.
Mechanical spaces.
Guest suites.
Laundry rooms.
Utility closets.
Vanessa was found first.
She was sitting in Olivia's bridal suite as if nothing unusual had happened.
Olivia stood beside her crying.
"What is going on?" Olivia demanded when Danil entered.
Vanessa rose.
"My husband is having some kind of breakdown."
Danil held up the blue folder.
Olivia stared at it.
"What is that?"
"A forged control agreement."
Vanessa laughed.
"Allegedly."
Danil looked at his sister in law.
"Did Vanessa ever mention Lucas Vale?"
Olivia glanced at Vanessa.
That was enough.
Danil stepped closer.
"What did she tell you?"
Olivia began to speak.
Vanessa snapped, "Don't."
Captain Morris moved between them.
Olivia started crying harder.
"She said Lucas was helping restructure the company."
"When?"
"Months ago."
Danil looked at Vanessa.
"You've been meeting him for months?"
Vanessa folded her arms.
"You refused to make difficult decisions."
"Did you know him before Hannah died?"
Vanessa said nothing.
Olivia covered her mouth.
Emily stood near the door with Sophie.
She felt the child stiffen.
Danil noticed.
He lowered his voice.
"Take Sophie away from here."
Sophie spoke first.
"No."
Everyone looked at her.
"I want to hear."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"Sophie, go upstairs."
The girl moved behind Emily.
Emily said, "She doesn't have to take orders from you."
Vanessa's control snapped.
"This woman does not belong in my family."
Emily stared back.
"Then stop making your family my problem."
Olivia made a startled sound that was almost a laugh.
Vanessa glared at her.
Danil looked toward Captain Morris.
"Keep Vanessa here."
Vanessa's mouth opened.
"You cannot imprison me."
"We're waiting for Coast Guard assistance."
Her eyes sharpened.
"You called them?"
"Of course I called them."
For the first time, Vanessa looked genuinely afraid.
Caleb entered.
"We found Lucas's blue bag."
"Where?"
"Engine access corridor."
"Lucas?"
"No."
Inside the bag were three phones, two keycards, a yacht maintenance map, and a small external drive.
Caleb held up the drive.
"This may contain copies of deleted footage."
Vanessa moved.
Captain Morris blocked her.
"Sit down."
She stared at him.
He did not move.
Vanessa sat.
Caleb connected the drive to an isolated laptop.
Folders appeared.
Most were encrypted.
One was labeled HG_ARCHIVE.
Danil went still.
"Hannah Grant?"
Caleb clicked.
Password required.
Sophie tugged Emily's sleeve.
"Mommy's birthday."
Danil looked at her.
"What?"
"Mommy used her birthday for everything."
Danil entered the date.
The folder opened.
Inside were audio files, scanned contracts, photographs, and videos.
Danil stared.
"How did Lucas get these?"
Caleb opened the first audio file.
Hannah's voice filled the room.
Danil sat down.
Sophie stopped breathing.
Emily felt the child grab her hand.
Hannah sounded calm.
"If you're hearing this, I was either wrong and unnecessarily paranoid, or I was right and I ran out of time."
Danil covered his mouth.
Vanessa turned away.
The recording continued.
"Lucas Vale has been moving money through shell companies connected to the proposed merger. I confronted him tonight. He told me I was making a mistake."
A pause.
Then Hannah's voice lowered.
"He also told me he wasn't working alone."
Danil stared at the laptop.
"I don't know who else is involved. But someone inside Grant Maritime has been giving him access to internal accounts."
The recording ended.
Caleb opened another.
Hannah again.
"I've hidden copies of the contracts and my notes in a blue lockbox aboard the Azure Crown. If Danil finds this, tell him I am sorry I didn't come to him sooner."
Sophie whispered, "Mommy."
Danil closed his eyes.
The next file was dated the night Hannah died.
Her voice sounded different.
Breathless.
"I'm driving home. Lucas followed me out of the restaurant. He says we need to talk. I don't think I'm alone on the road."
Static.
Then nothing.
Danil stood so suddenly the chair fell backward.
Vanessa said, "That proves nothing about me."
He turned toward her.
"No one said it did."
Her face changed.
Emily felt the room shift.
Vanessa realized she had defended herself before being accused.
Danil stepped closer.
"Why did you think it implicated you?"
"It doesn't."
"Then why are you afraid of it?"
"I'm not."
Caleb opened a photograph.
It showed Lucas Vale standing outside a restaurant.
Beside him was a woman.
Younger.
Blonde.
Wearing sunglasses.
Emily looked at Vanessa.
Danil looked at Vanessa.
Olivia began shaking her head.
"No."
Vanessa stood.
"That could be anyone."
Caleb enlarged the image.
The woman's face was unmistakable.
Vanessa.
The photograph was dated eleven days before Hannah died.
Danil stared at his wife.
"You told me you had never met Lucas."
Vanessa said nothing.
Sophie started crying.
Then a voice came through the yacht's speaker system.
A man's voice.
Calm.
Amused.
"Daniel."
Everyone froze.
The speaker crackled.
Lucas continued.
"You always were slow when grief was involved."
Danil looked upward.
"Where are you?"
Lucas laughed.
"Ask your wife."
Vanessa went pale.
Then a new alarm began screaming through the yacht.
Captain Morris grabbed his radio.
"What is it?"
Caleb looked at the laptop.
His eyes widened.
"Engine room fire warning."
Morris ran.
Emily grabbed Sophie.
Danil turned toward Vanessa.
Lucas's voice came through the speakers one final time.
May you like
"You should have signed the contract when Hannah was alive."
Then the lights went out.
