Chapter 6 - The Page Beneath the Floor
Theodore refused to believe the first ownership page remained inside the main house.
“I placed every original document in the red folder,” he said.
“Vivian told Conrad the first page was hidden here.”
“Vivian also told a bank I was incompetent.”
“She was arguing with him. She may have been telling the truth because she was afraid.”
Theodore studied the photograph of Conrad Vale.
“I know him.”
“From where?”
“He attended Daniel’s funeral.”
Avery’s skin tightened.
“That was twenty-four years ago.”
“He was younger, but I remember the eyes. He introduced himself as a business associate of Caroline’s family.”
“What kind of business?”
“I never learned.”
Avery searched Conrad’s public history.
Officially, he had worked as an international asset consultant for fifteen years. Before that, there was almost nothing.
No education record.
No early employment.
No photographs.
His identity seemed to begin after Daniel and Caroline died.
Theodore directed Avery to a cabinet in the former study. Its lower panel contained a concealed compartment, but the space was empty.
He searched his memory.
“Daniel helped design this room,” he said. “He wanted hidden storage everywhere. He said a person should never keep all evidence in one place.”
“Did he hide the ownership page?”
“He may have.”
They examined the shelves, fireplace, desk, and walls.
Avery found nothing until she noticed the pattern of the wooden floor.
Most boards ran lengthwise across the room. Beneath the old desk, one narrow section ran in the opposite direction.
She pressed the edge.
The board lifted.
Inside the shallow compartment was an envelope wrapped in aging plastic.
Theodore exhaled.
“Daniel.”
Avery opened it carefully.
The first document was the original founding agreement for Whitmore Residential Holdings.
The names appeared in order.
Theodore Everett Whitmore.
Daniel Rose Whitmore.
Caroline Elizabeth Hart.
Malcolm Everett Whitmore.
Avery looked up.
“Caroline was an original owner.”
Theodore took the page.
“That is impossible.”
“Her name is here.”
“I created the company before Daniel met her.”
Theodore examined the signatures.
His own signature appeared at the bottom.
“This is genuine,” he whispered. “But I don’t remember signing this version.”
A second document explained the amendment.
Caroline Hart had contributed intellectual property, property records, and initial capital through a company called Hart Urban Renewal. In exchange, she received fifteen percent ownership.
Her stake passed to Avery separately from Daniel’s shares.
Combined, Avery controlled fifty-five percent of the original company.
She was not merely an heir.
She was the majority owner.
“Why was this hidden?” Avery asked.
Theodore read the page again.
“I don’t know.”
“You signed it.”
“Yes, but the company was undergoing dozens of amendments. Daniel managed several of them. I trusted him.”
Avery found a handwritten letter beneath the agreement.
Father,
If anything happens to Caroline or me, protect Avery’s ownership. Do not allow Malcolm to merge the Hart assets into his division. Caroline discovered that someone inside the company is transferring properties through false foreclosures. She believes the scheme reaches beyond Malcolm.
The letter ended abruptly.
No signature appeared, but Theodore recognized Daniel’s handwriting.
Avery continued reading the final line.
The original evidence is held by C.V. He claims he will protect it, but Caroline no longer trusts him.
C.V.
Conrad Vale.
“He did not meet Caroline’s family after Daniel died,” Avery said. “He worked with them before.”
Theodore looked shaken.
The accident that killed Daniel had always been described as a mechanical failure during a storm.
Caroline’s death six months later was attributed to complications from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Two deaths.
One hidden company scheme.
One man connected to both.
Theodore reached for the phone.
“We need to send this to Elena.”
Before Avery could photograph the page, every light in the house went out.
The study fell dark.
Avery heard the heating system stop.
Then the security alarm gave a single electronic tone and died.
“This is not a power outage,” Theodore said.
Outside, snow continued falling beneath the streetlights. Neighboring houses remained illuminated.
Avery locked the study door.
A sound came from downstairs.
Glass breaking.
She called emergency services, but her phone displayed no signal.
Theodore pointed toward the old landline on the desk.
It had no dial tone.
Someone had cut both power and communications.
Avery moved the wheelchair behind the desk and handed Theodore the metal cane resting beside it.
“Stay here.”
“You are not going downstairs alone.”
“I need to see how they entered.”
“You need to remain where the evidence is.”
Another sound echoed through the hall.
Footsteps.
Avery placed the documents inside her coat.
The door handle moved.
Once.
Twice.
Then a man spoke from the other side.
“Avery, open the door. I only want the page.”
She recognized Conrad’s voice from the audio Owen had sent.
Theodore’s expression became hard.
“How did you know we found it?” Avery called.
Conrad laughed softly.
“Because your mother has been searching for it for twenty-four years. I knew the moment the floor was opened.”
Avery looked down.
A thin wire ran through the wooden compartment.
A sensor.
The hiding place had been monitored.
“You worked with Caroline,” Avery said.
“I tried to save Caroline from the Whitmores.”
“By helping Malcolm steal her company?”
“Malcolm is useful, not intelligent. Vivian is intelligent, but she thinks too small.”
Theodore tightened his grip on the cane.
“What do you want?”
“The ownership page.”
“Why?”
“Because it does not belong to your family.”
Avery glanced at the window.
The study was on the first floor, but the snow beneath it was deep. She could climb out, yet Theodore could not.
“Leave,” she said. “Investigators already have copies.”
“That is a lie. You found the page less than ten minutes ago.”
The handle stopped moving.
For several seconds, the house was silent.
Then Conrad said, “Ask Theodore why Daniel’s boat was inspected the morning before it sank.”
Theodore’s face lost color.
Avery turned toward him.
“What is he talking about?”
Theodore did not answer.
The lock began to splinter.
Avery searched the desk and found the emergency alarm Theodore had installed decades ago. It operated on an independent battery and connected directly to a security company.
She pressed the button.
A siren exploded through the house.
Conrad struck the door once.
Then his footsteps moved rapidly away.
By the time police arrived, the back door stood open and Conrad was gone.
Nothing had been taken.
But beside the broken kitchen window, Avery found a white envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Daniel standing beside his boat one day before his death.
Conrad stood behind him.
May you like
On the back was a message written in red ink.
Theodore knows who ordered the inspection.
