Chapter 7 - THE TWO PEOPLE WHO KNEW EVERYTHING
I watched the security footage three times.
Daniel Price.
Patricia Sloan.
Walking together through a warehouse that had been abandoned for nearly fifteen years.
The man I trusted most.
And the woman who had stolen medical assistance from employees who could barely afford to live.
Something about their movements troubled me.
Daniel looked angry.
Patricia appeared frightened.
I turned toward Rebecca.
"Can you get the audio?"
"Not from that camera."
"Then find another angle."
She nodded.
I looked toward Marcus, our security director.
"Contact the authorities. We have evidence of financial fraud and potentially more serious crimes. Everything goes through them."
Marcus nodded.
"Understood."
Annie sat near the window, holding her grandfather's notebook.
She looked up.
"Mr. Graves?"
"Yes?"
"Why would Daniel go to the old factory?"
"I don't know."
She hesitated.
"Maybe because the evidence is there."
I studied her.
"What makes you say that?"
She opened the notebook.
"Grandpa wrote about a testing room beneath the main floor."
I stepped closer.
"Show me."
A rough diagram filled the page.
The old factory had a basement laboratory that wasn't included in the modern property records.
Annie pointed to a narrow corridor.
"He called it the Blue Room."
I remembered hearing that name when I was young.
My father used to disappear for hours into the factory.
He told me it was where the real work happened.
"Annie, how did you know to look for this?"
She smiled faintly.
"Engineers draw maps when they're trying to remember complicated systems."
I almost laughed.
"Of course they do."
Annie looked toward the door.
"Can I come?"
"No."
Her expression fell.
I continued.
"Not because you're incapable. Because there's an active investigation, and we don't know whether the building is safe."
She considered that.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
I was surprised.
"Okay?"
She shrugged.
"I'm learning that being stubborn doesn't mean being stupid."
I smiled.
"Good distinction."
Later that afternoon, investigators searched the abandoned factory under a warrant.
They found the basement laboratory.
They also found Daniel.
He was sitting against a wall, holding a bloodied hand.
Patricia was nowhere to be seen.
When officers approached, he didn't resist.
Instead, he said, "I want a lawyer."
Hours later, Daniel agreed to speak with investigators through his attorney.
I was informed only of what they could lawfully share.
He admitted approving the vendor account without adequate verification.
He also admitted receiving Henry Carter's warning twenty years earlier.
But when investigators asked whether he'd helped sabotage the machine, Daniel denied it.
Then he made an extraordinary claim.
"Victor Graves didn't order Henry Carter's accident."
The investigator asked, "How do you know?"
Daniel swallowed.
"Because Victor tried to stop it."
The room went silent.
Daniel continued.
"He realized someone had modified the emergency release. He ordered the factory shut down."
"Who ignored him?"
Daniel lowered his eyes.
"Patricia Sloan."
The investigator leaned forward.
"Why would she do that?"
Daniel's face tightened.
"Because Henry had discovered what she was doing with the company's patents."
Then he revealed the secret none of us expected.
"Patricia wasn't working alone."
May you like
He took a shaky breath.
"She was working for Nathan's uncle."
