Chapter 5 - A DEAD MAN THOUGHT DOMINIC ORDERED IT
Clare stood so fast the chair scraped backward.
Dominic understood immediately.
For eighteen months, she had mourned a husband who apparently died believing Dominic Vale was connected to the scheme.
And now she worked in Dominic’s house.
She stared at him differently.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
“You own Vale Recovery.”
“I fund it.”
“Arthur runs it.”
“Yes.”
“That’s convenient.”
Vincent took one step forward.
Dominic lifted a hand.
Clare had earned the question.
“No,” Dominic repeated. “I did not know Halcyon’s defective inventory existed.”
“Why did Aaron say your name?”
Because Arthur used it.
The flash drive answered.
A procurement memo showed the acquisition proposal was presented internally as:
DOMINIC VALE STRATEGIC MEDICAL EXPANSION.
Dominic had approved a broad expansion of legitimate healthcare logistics eighteen months earlier.
He never reviewed the individual supplier list.
Arthur did.
His signature appeared on the due-diligence acceptance.
Dominic’s authorization funded the umbrella strategy.
Arthur used Dominic’s name to drive the transaction.
That distinction mattered legally.
It mattered less to Clare emotionally.
“My husband thought you were protecting them.”
Dominic nodded.
“I understand.”
“Do you?”
“No.”
That honesty stopped her.
“I didn’t lose Aaron.”
He looked at Ellie.
“You did.”
Clare’s eyes filled.
Then Dominic said:
“If my name gave Arthur the power to pressure your husband, then I need to know that too.”
No absolution.
No defensive speech.
Then investigators found something inside Aaron’s memo metadata.
The final audio had been copied two days after his death.
Someone accessed the flash drive.
But Clare said the toolbox had remained locked in her apartment.
Who had access?
Only her.
Aaron.
And the building superintendent.
The superintendent at the time was now dead.
However, building records showed a locksmith request the week Aaron died.
Requested by:
North Meridian Property Services.
Clare frowned.
“My building had nothing to do with North Meridian.”
Apparently it did.
North Meridian had quietly owned the apartment building through a subsidiary.
Arthur’s network had been her landlord.
Then Vincent discovered one more connection.
After Aaron died, Clare received an anonymous payment covering six months of rent.
She assumed Halcyon’s employee relief fund paid it.
It had not.
North Meridian did.
Arthur had financially supported Clare after Aaron’s death while never telling her why.
Dominic called him.
Arthur answered immediately.
“You paid Clare Rowan’s rent.”
Silence.
Then:
“She had a child.”
“You knew who she was.”
“Yes.”
Dominic’s grip tightened around the phone.
“And you still allowed her to be hired into my estate?”
Arthur’s answer came too calmly.
“I arranged it.”
Dominic went completely still.
Across the room, Clare stared at him.
Arthur continued:
“I thought keeping her close was safer.”
“For whom?”
May you like
Arthur did not answer.
Then the call disconnected.
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