Chapter 6 - THE SECRET MY HUSBAND TOOK TO HIS GRAVE
Daniel Carter had never been a perfect man.
But he had been honest.
At least, that's what I'd believed for thirty-one years.
Now Grant Whitmore was threatening to expose something about him.
Rachel sat across from me.
“Mom, what does he mean?”
“I don't know.”
But one name kept returning to my mind.
Charles Whitmore.
Charles had joined Meridian eleven years earlier.
Two years before Daniel died.
Daniel had personally approved his promotion to regional director.
At the time, I'd barely noticed.
I was busy expanding our manufacturing division.
My phone rang.
Margaret.
“Evelyn, we found a connection between the loan and an old Meridian account.”
“What kind of connection?”
“The account was created nine years ago.”
My stomach tightened.
“Before Daniel died?”
“Three weeks before.”
I gripped the phone.
Margaret continued.
“The account was authorized under Daniel's executive credentials.”
“That's impossible.”
“That's what makes this troubling. The access logs show activity after his death.”
I stared into the darkness.
Someone had been using my husband's credentials.
For nine years.
I asked Margaret to preserve every record and involve outside forensic accountants.
Then I went upstairs.
In the back of my closet sat a wooden box containing Daniel's personal belongings.
His watch.
His reading glasses.
An old photograph of Rachel at age seven.
And a small black notebook.
I opened it.
Most pages contained ordinary business notes.
Equipment orders.
Warehouse repairs.
Employee names.
Then I found a page dated two days before his death.
Three words were underlined.
Whitmore. Missing funds. Audit.
My heart began racing.
Below them, Daniel had written:
If anything happens, Evelyn must see the blue file.
I stared.
The blue file?
I'd never heard of it.
Rachel appeared in the doorway.
“Mom?”
I looked up.
“Did your father ever mention a blue file?”
She frowned.
“No.”
Then she hesitated.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“When I was little, Dad used to keep a blue folder in his home office.”
I stood.
“What happened to it?”
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
“After his funeral, Charles Whitmore came to the house.”
My stomach dropped.
“Charles?”
She nodded.
“He said he was collecting important company documents.”
I stared at her.
“Did I know?”
“I don't think so.”
My heart hammered.
“What did he take?”
May you like
Rachel swallowed.
“The blue folder.”
