Chapter 7 - THREE PEOPLE IN THE ELEVATOR
Uncle Andrew had sworn he hadn’t seen Ava in months.
The security video proved he was lying.
I called him immediately.
He didn’t answer.
Again.
Nothing.
By midnight, his hotel room was empty.
He had checked out less than an hour after meeting me.
I wanted to believe there was an explanation.
I was running out of explanations.
Daniel and I sat at opposite ends of our kitchen island studying every frame of the video.
It was strange.
For months we had barely spoken without fighting.
Now a conspiracy had forced us into the same room.
That did not make us husband and wife again.
It made us two people with the same enemy.
Maybe.
“You think Andrew works for Vale?” Daniel asked.
“I think everyone has lied to me.”
“Including me.”
“Yes.”
He accepted it.
I zoomed in.
Ava carried a black portfolio.
Richard held nothing.
Andrew looked furious.
Not friendly.
Not cooperative.
“They might not have been together voluntarily,” Daniel said.
“Andrew walked into the elevator.”
“That doesn’t mean he wanted to.”
I looked at Daniel.
“You’re defending him?”
“I’m saying we need facts.”
It was ironic hearing that from the man who had made half a year of decisions based on manipulated evidence.
But he was right.
The next morning, Benjamin called.
“Andrew contacted me.”
“Where is he?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
“What did he want?”
“To give you something.”
Benjamin sent a file.
An audio recording.
Andrew’s voice began immediately.
Charlotte, if you’re hearing this, Richard knows the trust documents have surfaced. I did meet Ava and Richard yesterday. I went because Ava contacted me and claimed she wanted out.
I sat forward.
Andrew continued.
She said Richard had been paying her after he discovered I’d hired her. He doubled what I offered and changed her assignment. She was no longer supposed to protect your ownership.
She was supposed to destroy it.
Daniel leaned closer.
The recording continued.
Richard wants Meridian because its routing platform can be integrated into companies he controls. Your father knew years ago that Vale intended to dominate commercial freight data across the western United States.
A pause.
Then Andrew’s voice became strained.
I made mistakes, Charlotte. Hiring Ava was one of them. Keeping the trust secret was another. But I did not kill your father. And I did not betray you.
There was movement in the recording.
A door.
Then Andrew said quickly:
There is one thing your father left for you. Benjamin doesn’t know about it. It’s in the old Bennett cabin near Evergreen. Under the floor beneath the stone fireplace.
The recording ended.
Daniel looked at me.
“We’re not going there alone.”
“We?”
“Yes.”
“You’re suspended from your company and possibly under investigation.”
“And I’m still your husband.”
“Legally.”
His face tightened.
“I deserved that.”
We drove to Evergreen separately.
Daniel insisted two private security contractors follow us.
The Bennett cabin had belonged to my father’s family.
I had not visited since his death.
Dust covered the furniture.
Pine shadows moved across the windows.
The stone fireplace looked exactly as I remembered.
We pulled up the old floorboards.
Underneath was a rusted metal box.
Inside were photographs, ledgers, and a sealed envelope with my name.
Charlotte.
My hands trembled.
The letter was written in my father’s unmistakable handwriting.
Sweetheart,
If you are reading this, then the past has reached you despite everything I tried to do.
Richard Vale believes power belongs to the person willing to hurt others to keep it.
You must never become like him.
Meridian should belong to the people who build it, not the people who manipulate it.
Trust your judgment.
But never confuse love with loyalty.
People who love you can still fail you.
People who fail you can still choose to become better.
I stopped reading.
Daniel turned away.
The final paragraph was shorter.
There is evidence in this box that can destroy Vale.
But if Andrew is alive, ask him before using it.
Because the evidence can destroy him too.
I looked at the ledgers.
They documented payments.
Companies.
Dates.
Names.
One page listed a transaction made two weeks before my father’s death.
Richard Vale had transferred $250,000 to a private security company.
The same company had employed the driver of the truck police believed caused my father to swerve off the mountain road.
Daniel went pale.
“That’s enough to reopen the investigation.”
“Maybe.”
A sound came from outside.
A vehicle.
Daniel moved toward the window.
“Stay here.”
The front door suddenly burst open.
One of the security men entered.
“Mrs. Reeves, we need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Someone followed us.”
Headlights appeared between the trees.
Three SUVs.
Black.
No plates.
Daniel grabbed my hand.
For the first time in months, I didn’t pull away.
We escaped through the rear of the property and reached the second security vehicle.
As we sped toward the highway, Daniel looked back.
The cabin disappeared behind us.
Then orange light flashed through the trees.
Fire.
Someone had set my father’s cabin ablaze.
I stared through the rear window.
My phone rang.
Ava Monroe.
I answered.
Her voice trembled.
“Charlotte, Richard knows you found the box.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“What do you want?”
“To stay alive.”
Then she whispered:
May you like
“And if you want to stay alive too, stop trusting Daniel.”
The line went dead.
