Chapter 6 - The Manager
His name at Bellamy House was Daniel Voss.
Not Daniel Vale.
Claire returned to the restaurant with Robert and Ethan.
Daniel was gone.
"He resigned this morning," the assistant manager explained.
"When?"
"About seven."
"Did he say why?"
"Family emergency."
Claire exchanged a look with Robert.
"Do you have his employment file?"
"We can't provide that without authorization."
Claire called Samuel.
Forty minutes later, they had enough legal permission to review limited information.
Daniel Voss had worked at Bellamy House for four years.
Address in Evanston.
No emergency contact.
No spouse listed.
His employment history before Bellamy House was sparse.
Claire studied his photograph.
Robert whispered, "That's him."
"You're certain?"
"I haven't seen Daniel Vale in twenty-five years."
"But?"
Robert nodded.
"It's Thomas's son."
Claire remembered the security room.
Daniel hadn't seemed shocked by Julian and Chloe.
He had seemed prepared.
He had immediately known where to search.
"He wanted me to find those old recordings."
Ethan looked at her.
"What?"
"The moment he saw Julian and Chloe, he said they'd been there before."
"Maybe he remembered."
"Or he'd been watching them."
Robert shook his head.
"Why?"
Claire didn't know.
Her phone rang.
Samuel.
"Claire, we found the registered agent for Northstar."
"Who?"
"Law firm in Delaware. But we traced the formation payment."
"To whom?"
"Daniel Voss."
Claire closed her eyes.
Robert whispered, "Daniel."
Samuel continued.
"There's more. Northstar's first payment from Morgan Industrial happened eighteen months ago."
"When did Julian become involved?"
"We don't know."
"Find out."
Claire hung up.
Ethan stared at her.
"If Daniel owns Northstar, Julian and Chloe may not be stealing from the company."
Claire understood.
"They may be paying him."
"For what?"
Robert looked at the photograph of Thomas Vale.
Claire answered.
"That's what we need to discover."
A server approached.
"Mrs. Morgan?"
"Yes?"
"This was left for you."
A small envelope.
No name.
Inside was a key.
A number had been written on a tag.
317.
May you like
Below it were three words.
UNION STATION. TONIGHT.
