Chapter 3 - THE AUDITORS AT THE DOOR
At eight the next morning, twenty-three forensic auditors entered Hale Development’s headquarters.
By eight fifteen, Marcus was calling me.
I let the first three calls go unanswered.
On the fourth, I picked up.
“You need to stop this,” he said.
“No.”
“Dad is willing to speak with you privately.”
“Dad has had thirty-one years to speak to me.”
“This is business, Nora.”
“No, Marcus. Business has rules. What you’ve been doing is organized theft.”
His voice hardened.
“You think owning Northbridge makes you powerful?”
“I think controlling the debt that keeps Hale Development alive gives me certain options.”
“You’re enjoying this.”
I looked through the windows of my office.
Northbridge Capital occupied the top six floors of a downtown tower. Only a handful of people knew I was the majority owner. Publicly, I served as chief risk analyst under the name Nora Mercer, using my mother’s maiden name in private filings.
My family believed I worked remotely as an accountant.
Their arrogance had been useful.
“I’m not enjoying it,” I said. “I’m correcting it.”
Marcus hung up.
At ten, the first serious discovery arrived.
Grant had approved payments to twelve subcontractors that did not exist. The addresses led to empty lots, storage units, and one abandoned gas station.
Elise had redirected municipal redevelopment funds into a consulting firm owned by her college roommate.
Marcus had falsified board minutes and concealed debt from minority investors.
Dad had transferred thirty-seven million dollars to an account in the Cayman Islands.
Each finding was worse than the last.
But none explained Samuel Cross.
Shortly before noon, my assistant entered.
“There’s a man downstairs asking for you.”
“Name?”
“He won’t give one. He says he has something that belonged to Samuel Cross.”
I went down with security.
The man waiting in the lobby was in his late sixties, thin, nervous, and dressed in a worn brown jacket.
He introduced himself as Thomas Cross, Samuel’s younger brother.
“I saw the news about Hale Development,” he said. “Then I saw your name.”
“What do you have?”
He glanced at the security cameras.
“Not here.”
We moved to a private conference room.
Thomas placed a cassette tape on the table.
“My brother gave me this the night before he disappeared.”
My heart began pounding.
“Why did you wait twenty-two years?”
“Because Samuel told me that if anything happened, I should not trust the police, the company, or anyone named Hale.”
“I’m named Hale.”
“You use Mercer in your corporate filings.”
I stared at him.
“How do you know that?”
“Samuel knew your mother planned to leave evidence with her youngest child someday.”
I inserted the cassette into an old recorder Thomas had brought.
Samuel’s voice filled the room.
“If you are hearing this, Charles Hale discovered the investigation. Evelyn’s life is in immediate danger. Charles has bribed a medical examiner and arranged a false death certificate. He intends to force Evelyn into hiding and take control of Mercer Urban Holdings.”
The tape crackled.
“There is also evidence that Charles was involved in the death of company founder William Mercer.”
My grandfather.
Dad had always claimed Grandpa died from a heart attack.
Samuel continued.
“William had discovered Charles’s theft. The night before he died, he changed his will and removed Charles from all company authority.”
The recording stopped.
I looked at Thomas.
“Where is the will?”
“Samuel hid it.”
“Where?”
“He never told me.”
My phone rang.
It was Dad.
This time, I answered.
“You met Thomas Cross,” he said.
I looked toward the conference room door.
“How do you know?”
“You’re not the only person with loyal employees.”
“I’m beginning to understand how you define loyalty.”
“Give me the tape.”
“No.”
“Nora, your mother made the mistake of believing documents could protect her.”
My blood turned cold.
“You know she’s alive.”
A quiet laugh came through the phone.
“I have always known.”
“You told us she was dead.”
“She chose to leave.”
“You threatened her.”
“She was unstable.”
“You forged her signature.”
“Be careful what you accuse me of.”
I stood.
“Where is Samuel Cross?”
Dad’s silence lasted several seconds.
Then he said, “Some people disappear because they understand when a fight is over.”
The call ended.
Before I could speak, an alarm sounded in the building.
Smoke began spreading beneath the conference room door.
Someone had started a fire on the floor below us.
Security moved quickly, guiding employees toward the stairwells.
Thomas grabbed my arm.
“The tape.”
I slipped it into my handbag.
As we reached the emergency stairs, a man in a maintenance uniform pushed through the crowd and collided with me.
His hand entered my handbag.
I caught his wrist.
He pulled a knife.
Security tackled him before he could use it.
During the struggle, his cap fell away.
Thomas went pale.
“I know that man.”
“Who is he?”
“He worked for Charles twenty-two years ago.”
The attacker looked directly at me and smiled.
May you like
Then he said something only I could hear.
“Your grandfather didn’t die in his bed.”
