Chapter 5: The Woman Who Signed Twice
I stared at the message until the screen went dark.
Then I turned toward my wife.
"Claire, did you send this?""
She looked at the photograph.
Her knees seemed to weaken.
"No.""
"Is that Dad's seal?""
She nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
"Why is your name beside it?""
"I don't know.""
"Stop saying that!""
My voice echoed through the workshop.
Claire stepped backward.
"I swear to you, Arthur. I haven't seen that seal since the funeral.""
I wanted to believe her.
But the notebook contained her name. The authorization contained her signature. And now somebody was using her name to threaten me.
I called Marcus.
He answered immediately.
"What's wrong?""
I described the photograph.
He went silent.
"Arthur, send it to me.""
I did.
A few seconds later, he called back.
"Don't go home yet.""
"Why?""
"Because somebody knows you've found the notebook. We need to secure the original.""
I looked at Claire.
"Who would want to stop us?""
Marcus replied quietly.
"Someone who knows what your father wrote in the last pages.""
I opened the notebook again.
There were only three pages left.
The first contained a list of bank account numbers.
The second had several handwritten calculations.
The final page had been torn out.
I examined the binding.
The tear was clean.
Someone had removed it deliberately.
"Marcus, there's a missing page.""
"I was afraid of that.""
"What was on it?""
"I don't know. Dad wouldn't show me.""
I rubbed my forehead.
"Then how are we supposed to find out who owns Northbridge?""
Marcus said, "We start with Daniel Reeves.""
The following morning, I met Marcus at his attorney's office.
His lawyer, Patricia Hall, was a sharp-eyed woman in her early sixties who had handled my father's estate.
She placed the notebook inside a clear protective sleeve.
"Your father kept better records than most business owners," she said.
"Then why couldn't we find this three years ago?"" I asked.
"Because he deliberately kept it outside the company's premises.""
Patricia opened a folder.
"Marcus contacted me shortly after your father's death. He wanted to prevent the company from being dissolved before the financial investigation was completed.""
I looked at my brother.
"You never told me.""
"You wouldn't have listened.""
Patricia continued.
"There's another problem. The separate investment account your father established was connected to a trust. Marcus wasn't the beneficiary in the ordinary sense. He was the trustee.""
I frowned.
"Meaning?""
"Your father entrusted him with the funds to protect the business and certain employees from financial exposure.""
I looked at Marcus.
"Why didn't you explain that?""
"Because the trust contained confidential information about someone Dad wanted to protect.""
"Who?""
Patricia exchanged a glance with Marcus.
Then she opened another folder.
Inside was a company registration certificate.
Northbridge Consulting was owned by a parent corporation called Reeves Holdings.
Its registered director was Daniel Reeves.
But the ultimate controlling shareholder was listed as a private trust.
I leaned closer.
"Who controls the trust?""
Patricia tapped a line near the bottom.
"That's where it gets interesting. The trust was established using a nominee arrangement. We have reason to believe the controlling person is someone with direct access to Bennett Construction's financial records.""
"Jordan?""
"Possibly.""
Marcus shook his head.
"Not necessarily.""
I turned toward him.
"You're still protecting him?""
"No. I'm telling you we don't have enough evidence.""
Patricia closed the folder.
"There's a way to find out. Daniel Reeves has been scheduled to attend a property development conference tomorrow evening. If we can obtain the original authorization documents, we may be able to establish who actually approved the transfers.""
I stood.
"Then let's get them.""
Patricia held up a hand.
"Not so quickly. You cannot simply accuse someone or seize private records. We need to follow the legal process.""
I nodded.
But inside, I was thinking about the company.
About my employees.
About the family business my father had spent forty-two years building.
And about the possibility that the man who had stolen from us was still sitting in my office.
That afternoon, I returned home.
Claire was in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
She had made Dad's favorite roast chicken.
The smell of rosemary filled the room.
For a moment, I remembered Sunday dinners when Dad would sit at the head of the table, telling stories about his early days in construction.
Marcus would make jokes.
Jordan would ask questions.
Maya would sneak pieces of roasted potatoes before anyone else had been served.
We had been a family.
I wondered when we had stopped being one.
Claire placed a plate on the counter.
"How did it go?""
"Patricia believes the financial arrangement was a trust, not an inheritance.""
Claire closed her eyes.
"Your father told me that.""
I looked at her.
"He told you about the trust?""
"Yes.""
"Then why did you let me accuse Marcus of stealing it?""
She lowered her head.
"I was afraid that if I explained it, Jordan would know I had gone against him.""
I pulled out a chair.
"Claire, I need the whole truth. Not pieces.""
She sat opposite me.
"After your father died, Jordan came to me with a document. He said Grandpa had authorized him to transfer some of the company's remaining funds into a temporary account.""
"Did you sign it?""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"He told me he needed another authorized family member to approve the transfer.""
"And you signed?""
"He said it was to pay employees and suppliers. I believed him.""
I leaned forward.
"How much?""
"Thirty-five thousand dollars.""
I stared at her.
"Where did it go?""
"I don't know.""
"Did you ask?""
"Yes. Jordan said it had been returned.""
"Did you verify that?""
She shook her head.
I stood and walked toward the window.
Thirty-five thousand dollars.
Not enough to explain everything, but enough to implicate her.
"Did you ever receive any money?""
Claire looked horrified.
"No!""
"Did Jordan give you anything?""
"No, Arthur.""
"Then why would someone put your name beside the seal?""
She began crying.
"I think I know.""
I turned.
"Tell me.""
"Three months after the funeral, Jordan asked me to meet him at his apartment. Daniel Reeves was there.""
"What did they want?""
"They wanted me to sign a statement confirming that your father had approved all the transfers before his death.""
I felt my stomach turn.
"Did you sign it?""
Claire nodded.
"Why?""
"Because Daniel showed me a document with your father's signature. Jordan said everything had been arranged properly and that the company would be ruined if I refused.""
"Was the signature real?""
"I don't know.""
"Claire!""
She covered her ears.
"I was scared! Jordan told me that if the financial investigation continued, you could lose everything. He said the bank could come after our house.""
I stepped back.
She continued through her tears.
"Then he said something I will never forget.""
"What?""
"He said Grandpa had left a letter explaining everything. He said if I cooperated, the letter would never become public.""
I stared at her.
"What letter?""
Claire shook her head.
"He wouldn't show me.""
I was about to ask another question when the doorbell rang.
I opened it.
Maya stood outside holding a small cardboard box.
"Dad, I need you to see something.""
She came inside and placed the box on the table.
"What's this?""
"Uncle Marcus gave it to me last night. He found it among Grandpa's old belongings.""
Inside was a small digital recorder.
Maya pressed the playback button.
A familiar voice filled the kitchen.
My father's.
"If you're hearing this, then I wasn't able to explain everything to my sons myself.""
Claire grabbed the edge of the table.
Dad continued.
"Arthur, I know you love Jordan. I know you want to believe he can do no wrong. But I need you to understand that the money is only the beginning.""
There was a pause.
Then Dad spoke again.
"The person who arranged the theft didn't act alone. Someone in this family helped them gain access to my accounts.""
I felt Claire's hand tighten around mine.
Dad's voice became weaker.
"Marcus knows the truth about the first transfer. But he doesn't know who signed the second authorization.""
A rustling sound followed.
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
"Claire, if Arthur is listening, you must tell him what happened on the night I fell in the workshop.""
The recording stopped.
I slowly turned toward my wife.
"What happened the night Dad fell?""
Claire's face had gone completely white.
She opened her mouth.
But Maya spoke first.
"Mom, you told me Grandpa fell because he was alone.""
Claire looked at her daughter.
May you like
Then she whispered:
"Your grandfather wasn't alone.""
