Chapter 7 - THE FILE HIDDEN IN THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT
The small silver key looked like an ordinary piece of metal.
But Samuel Hale held it as though it contained the future of an entire company.
Imani watched him.
"Is that part of my airplane?"
Samuel smiled gently.
"In a way."
"Can I still play with it?"
"Absolutely. We only need to check what this piece opens."
Lorraine folded her arms.
"Before anyone touches anything, I want to understand exactly what's happening."
Samuel nodded.
"That's reasonable."
Rebecca led them into Daniel's private office.
Behind a bookshelf stood a locked archival cabinet.
Samuel inserted the key into a concealed slot.
A small green light appeared.
Then the cabinet opened.
Inside were several storage drives, company records, and a sealed folder.
On the front, Daniel had written:
FOR MY DAUGHTER — WHEN THE TRUTH IS SAFE.
Lorraine felt a chill.
Samuel carefully documented the contents before handing the materials to an independent forensic specialist retained by the estate.
The first drive contained financial records.
Transfers between Mercer Aerospace subsidiaries.
Unexplained consulting payments.
And internal communications involving Gerald Whitford.
The second contained technical files from Naomi's humanitarian aviation project.
The third contained correspondence documenting threats and attempts to suppress her findings.
Samuel read the preliminary summaries.
His face darkened.
"This is more extensive than we anticipated."
Rebecca leaned closer.
"What?"
"Gerald wasn't merely attempting to take control of Daniel's estate."
Lorraine swallowed.
"Then what was he doing?"
"He appears to have been concealing years of unauthorized transactions involving company technology."
Imani had stopped listening.
She was sitting beneath the window, trying to attach the silver airplane's wings correctly.
Lorraine watched her for a moment.
Then turned back.
"How does this affect Imani?"
Samuel lowered his voice.
"If the records are authenticated, they may establish that Gerald used fraudulent documents to influence corporate ownership and estate administration."
"And why erase her identity?"
Rebecca answered quietly.
"Because Imani was the beneficiary Daniel intended to protect."
Lorraine felt sick.
This wasn't a normal inheritance dispute.
A ten-year-old girl had become an obstacle to a powerful man's plans.
Samuel opened another document.
It contained a legal instruction naming an independent trustee to manage Imani's inherited interests until adulthood.
Lorraine read the name.
Rebecca Mercer.
She looked up.
"You're the trustee?"
Rebecca nodded.
"If the court confirms the arrangement."
"And I remain her guardian?"
"Yes. Those are separate responsibilities."
Lorraine exhaled.
Then Samuel found a photograph attached to one of Naomi's final reports.
It showed a hangar.
A private aircraft.
And three people standing near the entrance.
Daniel Mercer.
Naomi Barrett.
Gerald Whitford.
But a fourth person stood partly hidden behind the aircraft stairs.
A woman wearing a black coat.
Lorraine leaned closer.
"Wait."
Samuel looked at her.
"What?"
"I know that woman."
Rebecca frowned.
"Who is she?"
Lorraine's heart began pounding.
She had seen that face before.
At Naomi's funeral.
The woman had stood near the back of the church, watching Imani.
When Lorraine approached, she'd disappeared.
"She came to Naomi's funeral," Lorraine whispered.
Samuel enlarged the photograph.
Then his expression changed.
Rebecca looked at him.
"Do you recognize her?"
He nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Who?"
Samuel swallowed.
"Her name is Vanessa Whitford."
Lorraine felt cold.
"Gerald's wife?"
May you like
Samuel shook his head.
"No. She's Daniel Mercer's former fiancée."
