Chapter 12 - The dead man’s password
The attempt failed.
Bluebird had frozen everything.
But someone possessed Robert’s credentials.
That terrified Daniel more than the money.
“Those passwords were changed after his death.”
“Who had access?”
“Three people.”
“Names.”
“Me. Robert. Charles Vane.”
Emily whispered, “Then it’s Charles.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Not necessarily. Credentials can be copied.”
Police cyber investigators were notified.
By morning, Hartwell headquarters looked less like a restaurant company and more like a financial-crimes unit.
I brought Emily and Lily with me.
For years, Emily had avoided headquarters because Evan convinced her the company was my world, not hers.
That morning, I took her directly into Robert’s old office.
“This was always supposed to be yours too.”
She looked around.
“I thought Dad wanted Evan here.”
“What?”
“He said Dad offered him the management position because he believed Evan understood business better than I did.”
I stared at her.
“Robert opposed hiring Evan.”
Her face fell.
Another lie.
“How did he get the job?”
“After Robert died, you asked me to give him a chance.”
“I never asked you.”
I remembered.
Evan had presented an email from Emily saying she wanted him brought into Hartwell.
Emily had never sent it.
Daniel located the archived message.
Forged.
That was the pattern.
Small lies became access.
Access became authority.
Authority became money.
By noon, forensic accountants identified more than $4.6 million in questionable transactions stretching back five years.
But the oldest payments were not to Gloria.
They led to Charles.
Then something unexpected happened.
Charles Vane walked into Hartwell headquarters voluntarily.
No lawyer.
No warning.
He looked twenty years older than I remembered.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Police are looking for you.”
“I know.”
Charles placed a flash drive on the table.
“I didn’t kill Robert.”
Nobody had accused him aloud.
That made the statement worse.
“What happened?” I asked.
Charles sat.
“I stole from Hartwell.”
Emily inhaled sharply.
“Robert caught me.”
“How much?”
“Eight hundred thousand initially.”
“Initially?”
“I covered it with false vendors. Then Evan discovered what I was doing.”
Emily stared.
Charles looked at her.
“He didn’t expose me.”
My stomach tightened.
“He blackmailed you.”
Charles nodded.
“Then he learned the system.”
“And Robert?”
Charles lowered his eyes.
“He was going to expose both of us.”
“Did you hurt him?”
“No.”
“Did Evan?”
“I don’t know.”
Then Charles pushed the flash drive toward me.
“But Robert believed someone was tampering with more than company accounts.”
“What does that mean?”
May you like
Charles looked directly at Emily.
“Three days before he died, your father asked me whether Evan had access to his medication.”
