Chapter 11: Room 417
Room 417 no longer existed.
The hotel did.
Thirty-two years earlier, it had been called the Belmont House.
Now it was an office building owned by a real-estate company.
Nathaniel obtained the archived hotel records within hours.
Room 417 had been rented under Corvina Systems.
The date was the night before my mother's crash.
Four people had entered.
My mother.
My father.
Clara Reeve.
Alistair Voss.
According to Voss, only three walked out together.
My mother left alone.
"What happened inside?"" I asked.
We were sitting in Nathaniel's office now.
Police had advised me not to return home.
Voss stared at the tabletop.
"Elaine accused me.""
There it was.
Simple.
Ugly.
"Of stealing?""
"Of selling technology.""
Gideon leaned against the window.
"She was wrong.""
Voss looked at him.
"Was she?""
Their hostility had changed.
It no longer felt theatrical.
It felt old.
I turned to Voss.
"Explain.""
He took a breath.
"I had authorized licensing agreements Elaine didn't know about.""
"Why?""
"Corvina was running out of money.""
"Without board approval?""
"Yes.""
"So you betrayed her.""
"I betrayed procedure.""
Gideon laughed.
"You always were good at renaming sins.""
Voss ignored him.
"Elaine found the transfers and assumed I was selling proprietary systems.""
"Were you?""
"Not the systems she thought.""
"Then why didn't you show her?""
"Because the licensing partner was confidential.""
"Who?""
He looked at me.
"Martin Reeve.""
Desmond's father.
Again.
I felt trapped inside a web where every strand led to the same people.
"What was Martin licensing?""
"Security architecture.""
"From Corvina?""
"Parts of it.""
"Why?""
"He had government clients.""
Nathaniel frowned.
"Martin wasn't licensed for government contracting.""
"Not publicly.""
Gideon pushed away from the window.
"Tell her the rest.""
Voss's eyes hardened.
"You tell her.""
"I wasn't in Room 417.""
"But you created the situation.""
I slammed my hand down.
"Stop.""
Both men went silent.
I pointed at Voss.
"My mother accused you. What did my father do?""
"He defended me.""
The answer hurt more than I expected.
"Against his wife?""
"He believed the evidence was incomplete.""
"Was it?""
"Yes.""
"What did Clara do?""
Voss looked toward Nathaniel's speakerphone.
Clara had agreed to remain connected.
Her voice came quietly.
"I told Elaine she was right about the transfers but wrong about Alistair.""
I leaned toward the phone.
"You were there.""
"Yes.""
"What happened?""
"Elaine became furious.""
I could imagine it.
My mother surrounded by people telling her the evidence in her own hands didn't mean what she thought it meant.
"Arthur tried to take the file from her," Clara said.
"That's what the video meant.""
"Yes.""
"He took her evidence.""
"Because he believed she would go directly to police.""
"Why stop her?""
Clara hesitated.
"Because Martin's operation couldn't survive scrutiny.""
"Why did my father care about Martin?""
Silence.
Then Voss said, "Because Martin wasn't working alone.""
My pulse accelerated.
"Who was he working with?""
Nobody answered.
I looked at Gideon.
He stared at the floor.
"Who?""
Gideon finally said, "Arthur.""
I stood.
"My father?""
"Arthur helped design the operation.""
"For money?""
"No.""
"Then why?""
Voss spoke.
"Because Corvina's technology had attracted people none of us were prepared for.""
"What people?""
"Competitors. Private contractors. Foreign buyers.""
Nathaniel leaned forward.
"So Arthur created a covert licensing structure.""
"Yes.""
"And hid it from Elaine.""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"Because she would have shut it down.""
I felt sick.
My father had betrayed my mother's trust.
Maybe not for greed.
But betrayal didn't become harmless because the motive sounded noble.
"What happened after she left Room 417?""
Clara answered.
"Arthur followed her.""
"In his car?""
"Yes.""
"Then?""
"Elaine's brakes failed.""
My throat tightened.
"Did my father see the crash?""
"Yes.""
"And you?""
A pause.
"Yes.""
I closed my eyes.
"You were there.""
"I was following Arthur.""
"Why?""
"Because Martin told me to.""
I opened my eyes.
"Martin knew?""
"He knew someone had tampered with a vehicle.""
"But he thought it was my father's.""
"Yes.""
"Who tampered with it?""
"I never knew.""
Nathaniel's phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
"The fingerprint results.""
Everyone went still.
"Who?""
He looked confused.
"That's impossible.""
"Nathaniel.""
"The fingerprints from the camera housing belong to Martin Reeve.""
Desmond's father.
A man missing for nine years.
My phone immediately rang.
Desmond.
I answered.
"Wren.""
He sounded breathless.
"Where are you?""
"Why?""
"I found my father.""
Nobody in the room moved.
"Where?""
"At the Marrow Club.""
"Is he alive?""
Desmond's next words came as a whisper.
"Yes.""
Then I heard an older man's voice behind him.
May you like
"Tell your wife to bring Elaine's key.""
The line went dead.
