Chapter 6 - THE ACCIDENT THAT WASN'T
My father had built his empire on secrets.
I had always known that.
But learning he might have betrayed his closest friend was different from discovering he may have allowed that friend to be killed.
Laura Carter sat across from me, her hands trembling.
"What do you mean, sabotaged?"
She looked at Annie.
"Honey, maybe you should wait outside."
Annie shook her head.
"No."
"Annie—"
"I'm eighteen, Mom. I've spent four months working through pain because people kept lying to us. I'm tired of being protected from the truth."
Laura looked devastated.
But she nodded.
"Okay."
Then she turned toward me.
"My father was testing a new industrial lifting mechanism. The equipment failed and crushed his right leg."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Was anyone investigated?"
"An internal review said it was operator error."
"Who conducted it?"
Laura's expression hardened.
"Victor Graves's security department."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Laura continued.
"Dad told me someone had tampered with the emergency release. He believed the failure was deliberate."
"Did he have proof?"
"He kept notes."
"Where?"
She hesitated.
"I thought they were destroyed."
Annie suddenly spoke.
"Mom."
Laura turned.
"What?"
"Grandpa's red toolbox."
Laura went still.
"What about it?"
"You told me never to throw it away."
Laura stared at her daughter.
Annie continued.
"It's in our storage closet."
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
I looked toward Rebecca.
"Arrange for an independent forensic team to examine the documents and equipment records."
She nodded.
Within hours, Annie and Laura retrieved the toolbox.
It was old, red, and covered in scratches.
Inside were ordinary tools.
Wrenches.
Measuring tape.
A small hammer.
But beneath the removable tray lay a sealed plastic envelope.
Annie lifted it carefully.
"What's this?"
Laura's eyes filled.
"Your grandfather's handwriting."
Inside were engineering drawings, maintenance reports, and handwritten notes.
One page contained a warning.
Emergency release mechanism modified without authorization. Do not operate equipment until independent inspection.
The date was two days before Henry's injury.
I stared at it.
"Who received this warning?"
Laura pointed to the distribution list.
Victor Graves.
Patricia Sloan.
And a third name.
Daniel Price.
I froze.
Daniel had been only twenty-two at the time.
A junior security employee.
But he had received Henry's warning.
I looked toward Rebecca.
"Find Daniel."
She nodded.
Then Annie pulled another paper from the envelope.
It was a letter addressed to Laura.
My darling girl,
If something happens to me, remember that nothing I built belongs to Victor alone.
The agreement protects our family.
Never sign away what is yours.
Laura began crying.
Annie wrapped her arms around her mother.
I looked at the letter.
Then at the young woman standing beside her.
Her grandfather had spent his final days trying to protect a future he would never see.
A future in which his granddaughter could afford the medical care she needed.
A future stolen by people I had trusted.
Rebecca's phone rang.
She answered.
Her expression changed.
"Nathan."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Daniel's gone."
My stomach tightened.
"What do you mean?"
"His apartment is empty. His company phone was left behind."
I stared.
"Find him."
Rebecca hesitated.
"There's something else."
She turned the screen toward me.
Security footage showed Daniel entering the old Graves-Carter factory earlier that morning.
May you like
He was carrying a metal case.
And beside him walked Patricia Sloan.
