Chapter 4 - THE FILE THAT VANISHED AT 2:47 A.M.
Roman Hayes had built his empire by remembering every betrayal.
Yet the worst betrayal of his life had taken place in a hospital, where he had trusted people in white coats to save his brother.
And someone had used Maeve Carter's name to conceal it.
He stared at the medication record.
"Who had access to your credentials?"
Maeve swallowed.
"Technically, only me."
"Technically?"
She looked down.
"During emergencies, physicians sometimes ask nurses to open records while they work. But we aren't supposed to share passwords."
Roman remained silent.
Maeve continued.
"Dr. Vance often stood behind me while I entered orders."
Her expression changed.
"He could have seen my login information."
Roman looked toward Vincent.
"Preserve this document and provide it to the investigators."
Vincent nodded.
Maeve looked toward her father.
He was sleeping again.
Safe for the moment.
But she knew the threat wasn't over.
Roman stepped closer.
"Miss Carter, I want to help you clear your name."
She looked at him skeptically.
"Why?"
"Because Julian died."
Her expression softened.
Roman continued.
"And because if someone used your credentials to conceal what happened, you deserve the truth as much as I do."
Maeve studied him.
"You don't know whether I'm innocent."
"No."
His honesty surprised her.
"But I know the evidence deserves independent examination."
She nodded slowly.
"Then that's all I'm asking."
Over the following days, Maeve met with her attorney and a forensic technology specialist.
Roman's legal team provided resources, but Maeve insisted that her own attorney control her case.
Roman respected that.
The specialist examined copies of the hospital access logs.
Several entries appeared suspicious.
Maeve's account had been accessed from a workstation in the executive medical wing.
At 2:47 a.m.
While she was physically elsewhere.
The specialist also discovered that parts of the original audit history had been altered after the board investigation began.
Maeve stared at the report.
"Someone changed the records."
Her attorney nodded.
"That's what the evidence suggests."
Roman leaned forward.
"Who had administrative access?"
"Several senior employees."
Maeve looked down at the list.
Her pulse quickened.
Dr. Adrian Vance.
Chief Medical Officer Richard Sloane.
Hospital Administrator Claire Wexler.
And one other name.
Victor Bellamy.
Roman went completely still.
Maeve noticed.
"Victor?"
He nodded slowly.
"Julian's business partner."
Her stomach tightened.
"The man he warned me about?"
Roman's expression hardened.
"Possibly."
Victor Bellamy had managed several shipping contracts for Hayes International.
He'd been close to Julian.
Trusted by Roman.
Present at family dinners.
And one of the last people to see Julian alive.
Roman stood.
"I need to speak to him."
Maeve immediately shook her head.
"Not alone."
He looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because whoever did this has already threatened my father."
She took a breath.
"And because if you confront the wrong person without evidence, he'll know exactly what we're investigating."
Roman studied her.
Then nodded.
"You're right."
The words surprised both of them.
Roman had spent years giving orders.
Maeve had spent years being ignored.
And now they were making decisions together.
That evening, Vincent arrived with another report.
His expression was tense.
"Roman, we found something."
Roman looked up.
"What?"
"Julian had a private storage unit."
Roman frowned.
"He never mentioned one."
Vincent nodded.
"Registered under a holding company."
Maeve leaned forward.
"What's inside?"
"We haven't accessed it yet."
Roman looked toward his attorney.
"Then we do it legally."
The following morning, they entered the storage facility with appropriate authorization.
Inside the unit were financial files.
Several old photographs.
A locked metal case.
And a small digital recorder.
Roman pressed play.
Julian's voice filled the room.
"Roman, if you're hearing this, something has gone very wrong."
Roman stopped breathing.
His brother continued.
"Victor has been stealing money from our shipping contracts."
A pause.
"And Dr. Vance has been helping him hide where it goes."
Maeve covered her mouth.
May you like
Then Julian said something that made both of them freeze.
"The money isn't the real secret. They're using St. Catherine's charity program to move patients who were never supposed to disappear."
