Chapter 13 - THE SECRET INSIDE ROMAN’S OFFICE
Roman’s office burned for eleven minutes before the sprinkler system contained the fire.
Nobody died.
That was the good news.
The bad news was that Tommy escaped.
Adrien vanished.
And a locked safe behind Roman’s office wall had been opened before the fire began.
Elsie stood beside him inside the smoke-damaged fourteenth floor at 2:30 a.m.
“What was in it?”
Roman did not answer.
“Roman.”
He looked toward the blackened wall.
“Your mother’s original transcript.”
Elsie froze.
“What?”
“Diane gave it to my father in 2019.”
“You knew my mother?”
“No.”
“My father did.”
The room suddenly felt too small.
Roman Bellamy had protected Elsie for four years.
Known her address.
Allowed her inside meetings.
Never raised his voice.
Never asked why she fled her wedding.
Now every quiet act looked different.
“Did you hire me because of my mother?”
Roman said nothing.
That was enough.
Elsie stepped back.
“You did.”
“My father asked me to.”
“Why?”
“Diane believed someone would eventually come for what she knew.”
“And you thought putting me inside Bellamy Holdings was protection?”
“I thought keeping you where I could see you was safer.”
“You should have told me.”
“Yes.”
The immediate admission stole some of her anger.
But not enough.
“What did the transcript contain?”
“Howerin’s confession.”
Elsie stared.
“Mom recorded him?”
“During the 2019 deposition break.”
Patrick Howerin had been working security for the waterfront project.
Diane accidentally recorded a private conversation between Howerin and Dominic Manuso discussing Teresa Vale’s death, falsified inspections, and payments.
“That is why they killed her.”
Roman nodded.
“And your father kept the recording?”
“My father hid it.”
“Where is he?”
Roman’s face changed.
“Dead.”
Elsie softened despite herself.
“Why didn’t you turn it over?”
“We did.”
“What?”
“A copy.”
Federal authorities buried it.
Howerin’s influence reached the investigation.
So Roman’s father kept the original as insurance.
After his death, Roman inherited it.
“And now Adrien has it.”
“Maybe.”
Roman walked toward the ruined safe.
He reached beneath a metal shelf.
Pressed something.
A narrow compartment opened.
Inside sat a small envelope.
Elsie stared.
“You said the transcript was stolen.”
“The transcript was.”
He removed a microSD card.
“The recording wasn’t.”
For the first time all night, Elsie breathed.
Diane’s voice had survived.
Then Norah ran into the office.
“Roman.”
“What?”
“They arrested Tommy.”
“And Adrien?”
“No.”
“Howerin?”
“Missing.”
She looked at Elsie.
“There’s something else.”
Tommy had confessed immediately.
He had worked for Adrien for two years.
But he had not opened Roman’s safe.
“Who did?”
Norah hesitated.
“Someone used Roman’s biometric override.”
Elsie looked at Roman.
“Who else has access?”
“No one.”
Norah shook her head.
“That isn’t true.”
She held up an old personnel record.
Roman’s father had registered two biometric users years ago.
Roman.
And one other person.
Diane Parker.
Elsie stared.
“My mother is dead.”
Norah’s expression remained grim.
“The system was accessed using Diane Parker’s fingerprint at 11:46 tonight.”
Someone had preserved her mother’s fingerprint for four years.
May you like
And only one person had been present when Diane’s body was released from the hospital.
Walter Parker.
