Chapter 6 - The Cousin Who Used My Name
Lucas Mercer had been part of my life since childhood.
We'd grown up together, fought together, and inherited a world neither of us had been wise enough to refuse.
When I expanded Mercer Coffee Group, Lucas insisted he could help with logistics.
He said the legitimate business would give our family a better future.
Now his face appeared beside Marcus Voss and a man whose daughter believed him dead.
I stared at Faith's photograph.
"Where did your mother get this?"
Faith shook her head.
"I don't know."
The envelope contained a second item.
An old storage receipt from the warehouse where Daniel had supposedly died.
Its date was six months after his funeral.
I showed it to Vivian.
She immediately contacted the independent investigators handling the Northstar review.
Within hours, the auditors uncovered a pattern.
Mercer Coffee Group paid Northstar for services that were exaggerated or never delivered.
Northstar then moved money into accounts connected to Lucas's logistics businesses.
Some transfers were disguised as payroll adjustments.
Others came from the unauthorized employee hardship deductions.
I felt sick.
My legitimate coffee chain had been used to support activities tied to my family's criminal operations.
And the employees struggling to pay rent were helping finance it without their knowledge.
"How much?" I asked.
Vivian hesitated.
"The preliminary discrepancies exceed four million dollars."
I stared at her.
Four million dollars.
Taken through accounting tricks, false expenses, and deductions that the workers were never properly told about.
"Can we recover it?"
"We'll need to trace the assets."
I nodded.
"Then do it."
Later that afternoon, Lucas arrived at my office.
He wore a tailored navy suit and a smile I suddenly couldn't stand.
"Ethan, I hear Vivian has people digging through the books."
I remained seated.
"Yes."
He laughed.
"You're overreacting to a difficult café manager."
I placed Faith's photograph on the desk.
Lucas stopped smiling.
"Where did you get that?"
I studied him.
"Why were you with Daniel Whitmore?"
He looked away.
"Daniel handled warehouse maintenance."
"Eight years ago?"
"Something like that."
"And last Tuesday?"
Lucas went silent.
I leaned forward.
"A document bearing Daniel's signature was filed last week."
Lucas's eyes narrowed.
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Then explain it."
He glanced toward the door.
For the first time, my cousin looked trapped.
Then he said something that made my stomach turn.
"You shouldn't have gone into that café dressed like a homeless man."
I stared.
"Why?"
"Because now everyone is looking where they shouldn't."
He realized his mistake too late.
I stood.
"What are you hiding?"
Lucas gave a bitter laugh.
"Your little coffee empire isn't as clean as you think."
"I know that now."
He leaned closer.
"Then perhaps you'd better stop asking questions before someone starts asking about the rest of your businesses."
The threat hung between us.
Then Lucas placed a photograph on my desk.
It showed Faith entering her apartment building.
The timestamp was from that morning.
I felt cold.
"Why are you watching her?"
Lucas's expression hardened.
"Because Daniel Whitmore left something with his daughter."
I looked at the photograph.
Then back at him.
"What?"
Lucas whispered:
May you like
"The original Northstar records."
And according to him, those records could connect both of us to crimes committed eight years earlier.
