Chapter 24 - the price of silence
Owen waited until Grace left the vault.
“I knew Simon was moving money,” he admitted. “I did not know Gideon was threatening Leah.”
“How long?”
“Four months.”
“And you said nothing?”
“I was trying to trace it.”
“You could have come to me.”
“You and Dad were barely speaking. I did not know who was involved.”
“You suspected me?”
Owen looked ashamed.
“Dad showed me transfers authorized with your digital signature.”
“My signature was copied.”
“I understand that now.”
Nora wanted to tell him trust should have come before proof. Instead, she remembered how effectively Malcolm had isolated every family member, giving each of them a different version of the truth.
“What did you discover?” she asked.
Owen opened an encrypted folder on his phone.
The diverted money had moved through six companies before arriving in an account called Meridian Renewal Partners. Its controlling owner was hidden, but the account regularly paid expenses for Gideon, Judge Holloway and Celeste Vane.
Celeste was Malcolm’s mistress and the woman he intended to appoint as Vale Meridian’s new communications director.
“The transfers total eighty-six million dollars,” Owen said.
“Does Malcolm know?”
“He approved the first payments. He may not know where the money ended.”
That did not absolve him. Malcolm had authorized the theft because he expected Nora’s trust to absorb the losses.
Owen showed her one final file.
“There is a payment scheduled tomorrow. Two hundred and forty million dollars.”
“To whom?”
“Northstar.”
Nora understood.
Gideon was not trying to destroy Northstar. He was trying to buy it.
If Northstar received the money, the foundation’s dormant shares could be classified as part of an unlawful transaction. A court could freeze them before Nora activated her ownership rights.
“Can you stop the transfer?” she asked.
“Simon’s authorization is required.”
Nora called the CFO again.
“I can protect Leah,” she said. “But you must help me prevent tomorrow’s payment.”
Simon’s answer came as a whisper.
“You do not understand. Gideon is not the person giving the orders.”
“Then who is?”
Before Simon could answer, the call disconnected.
A photograph arrived from his number seconds later.
It showed the entrance to Harbor Seven.
May you like
Standing beneath the warehouse light was a man Nora had mourned for eleven years.
Elias.
