Chapter 6 - Friday at Caldwell Tower
Friday morning arrived beneath a sky the color of steel.
Caldwell Tower rose over downtown Dallas, forty-two floors of mirrored glass bearing the name Richard had spent his life building.
Victor Hale wanted me on the thirty-eighth floor at ten.
I arrived at 9:58.
Alone.
At least, that was what he was supposed to believe.
Rachel had fitted a recording device beneath my blouse.
Federal agents occupied three surrounding buildings.
Michael remained two floors below.
Ethan was nowhere near downtown.
Victor believed he was.
That lie was our greatest advantage.
The elevator opened into the executive boardroom.
Victor stood beside the windows.
Daniel sat at the conference table.
Margaret beside him.
Neither was tied now.
Daniel looked exhausted.
A bruise covered one side of his face.
Margaret’s green cardigan had been replaced by a gray sweater somebody had given her.
When she saw me, tears filled her eyes.
“Claire.”
Victor smiled.
“You came.”
“You have my family.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Don’t do this.”
Victor placed a folder on the table.
“Sit.”
I remained standing.
“Where’s Natalie?”
His smile disappeared.
That was worth everything.
“You’ve been busy.”
“Where is she?”
“Alive.”
“Her daughter?”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“You opened Richard’s drive.”
I said nothing.
Victor walked toward me.
“He always was sentimental.”
“You killed him.”
Margaret began crying.
Victor looked amused.
“That depends on how philosophically you define responsibility.”
“Did you poison Richard?”
“No.”
Daniel stared at him.
Victor turned.
“Your son did.”
Silence exploded through the room.
Daniel stood.
“You liar.”
Victor laughed.
“Ask your mother.”
All eyes moved toward Margaret.
She shook her head violently.
“No.”
Victor leaned against the table.
“Richard discovered Daniel’s theft. Daniel panicked. Dr. Marsh supplied the medication.”
Daniel looked at Margaret.
“Mom?”
She covered her face.
“Tell him,” Victor said.
Margaret whispered:
“You put the pills in Richard’s drink.”
Daniel staggered backward.
“No.”
“You did.”
“No!”
Margaret sobbed.
“You came home angry. Richard said he was removing you from the company. You poured him whiskey.”
Daniel’s face lost all color.
“I gave him a sleeping pill.”
“You gave him three.”
“I didn’t know!”
Victor smiled.
Finally, I understood.
Daniel had administered the dose.
But perhaps without understanding its danger.
Victor had arranged everything around him.
Daniel whispered, “Marsh told me they were mild.”
Victor applauded slowly.
“There it is.”
I felt sick.
“You manipulated him.”
Victor shrugged.
“Daniel always needed a push.”
Daniel lunged toward him.
Two armed men appeared from the adjoining office.
He stopped.
Victor looked at me.
“Your husband killed the man who raised him.”
Margaret suddenly shouted:
“No!”
Victor’s expression changed.
Margaret stood.
“You switched Richard’s medication afterward.”
Victor stared at her.
“You told Marsh to change the prescription records. Richard was alive when Daniel left.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
Margaret trembled violently.
“I found Richard unconscious.”
“Why didn’t you call an ambulance?”
“I did.”
She began sobbing harder.
“Victor came before they arrived.”
Every person in the room froze.
“You canceled the ambulance,” Margaret said.
Victor’s face became flat.
“He told me Richard would survive and Daniel would go to prison for attempted murder. He said if I wanted to protect you, I had to trust him.”
Daniel stared at his mother in horror.
“What did he do?”
Margaret closed her eyes.
“He gave Richard an injection.”
Daniel collapsed into the chair.
“No.”
Margaret nodded.
“I watched him.”
The room went silent.
There was the confession we needed.
Victor realized it too.
His eyes moved toward me.
“Are you recording this?”
I said nothing.
His hand flew toward my blouse.
I stepped backward.
Agents were supposed to enter once he confessed.
Nothing happened.
Victor smiled.
“You really thought I wouldn’t sweep the room?”
One of his men held up a small signal jammer.
My stomach dropped.
Victor reached beneath my collar and ripped away the transmitter.
He crushed it beneath his shoe.
“Federal agents?”
Daniel stared at me.
“Claire, get out!”
Victor pulled a pistol from inside his jacket.
“Sit down.”
I obeyed.
My heart hammered.
The backup recording device was inside my watch.
Rachel had insisted on redundancy.
Victor didn’t know.
Yet.
He pushed the transfer documents toward me.
“Sign.”
“Where is Natalie?”
“Sign.”
“And then?”
“You leave.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
His smile chilled me.
“I expect you to understand you have no alternative.”
He slid a photograph across the table.
Ethan leaving school two weeks earlier.
Taken from across the street.
My anger overwhelmed my fear.
“If you ever go near my son—”
Victor slammed his palm on the table.
“SIGN.”
I picked up the pen.
Daniel stared at me.
“Don’t.”
Margaret whispered, “Claire, please.”
I lowered the pen toward the paper.
Then the building fire alarm erupted.
Victor looked up.
A second later, every light went out.
Emergency lighting flashed red.
Michael.
The fire alarm was our contingency.
Victor shouted at his men.
I overturned the conference table.
Daniel tackled one guard.
A gunshot shattered the window behind us.
Margaret screamed.
I crawled toward her.
“Stay down!”
The boardroom doors burst open.
Federal agents entered.
Victor ran toward the private elevator.
Michael appeared from the stairwell.
“Hale!”
Victor fired.
Michael ducked behind a column.
Daniel charged Victor from the side.
They crashed into the wall.
The gun slid across the floor.
I grabbed it.
Victor threw Daniel backward and reached for me.
I pointed the weapon.
“Stop.”
He smiled.
“You won’t shoot.”
“No.”
I kept the gun steady.
“But the twelve federal agents behind you might.”
Victor slowly turned.
Rachel stood in the doorway.
Agents surrounded him.
For the first time, Victor Hale looked afraid.
He raised his hands.
I thought it was over.
Then his phone rang.
Victor looked at the screen.
And smiled.
Rachel seized it.
A video call remained connected.
Natalie appeared.
A gun pressed against her head.
A little girl cried beside her.
Victor laughed quietly.
“You caught me.”
He looked at me.
“But my insurance policy is still active.”
The man holding Natalie spoke.
“Mr. Hale?”
Victor’s smile returned.
May you like
“Plan B.”
The video went black.
