Chapter 10: The General Manager's Secret
Daniel Harrison was waiting in my private office at Serenity Shores when Rebecca and I arrived that evening.
He stood beside the windows overlooking the Atlantic, still wearing the dark suit he'd worn that morning. His tie was loose, and a half-empty cup of coffee sat untouched on the desk.
For eleven years, Daniel had been the man I trusted to protect my resort when I wasn't there.
Now, for the first time, I wondered whether I had trusted him too much.
“Mrs. Whitmore,” he said, turning toward us.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet.””
Rebecca placed her briefcase on the table.
“Before we begin, Daniel, I want you to understand that we're preserving all communications related to this matter. If you have information concerning unauthorized access or financial transactions, you should provide it accurately.””
Daniel nodded.
“I understand.””
I sat down.
“Your message said you knew why Melissa Grant used your credentials. Explain.””
He lowered his eyes.
“Eight months ago, Melissa came to me after she resigned. She said she was having trouble accessing some of her employment records and needed help retrieving copies of her tax documents.””
“And you gave her access?””
“No. I told her I couldn't restore her account without authorization from IT.””
“Then how were your credentials involved?””
Daniel drew a breath.
“Two days later, I received a phone call from someone claiming to be from corporate technology support. They said there had been an administrative error and asked me to verify my identity. I gave them my employee number and completed what I believed was a routine verification.””
Rebecca's expression hardened.
“Did you provide your password or an authentication code?””
Daniel hesitated.
“I provided a code.””
I stared at him.
“You gave someone access to your account?””
“I believed I was speaking with our internal support team. The caller knew my employee number, department, and recent system requests. I had no reason to suspect fraud.””
“Did you report the call?””
“No.””
The answer landed harder than I expected.
“Why not?””
“Because nothing appeared to happen. My account continued working normally, and I assumed the verification was legitimate.””
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Daniel, did you receive any subsequent security alerts?””
“Yes. A few weeks later, I received a notification that an administrative session had been opened from an unfamiliar location. I reported it to IT.””
“And what happened?””
“They reset my password. They told me the session was closed.””
I looked at him.
“Did you tell me?””
He swallowed.
“No, ma'am.””
“Why?””
“Because I believed the problem had been resolved. I didn't want to alarm you over what seemed like a routine security incident.””
I stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, the resort's illuminated pools shimmered beneath the evening sky. Guests moved between restaurants, laughing and carrying glasses of sparkling water. Their vacations continued as though the foundations of my business weren't being examined for cracks.
“You made a decision on my behalf,” I said.
“You decided what I should know about a possible security breach.””
Daniel's shoulders sagged.
“Yes.””
“And now someone has used that access to create fraudulent accounts and documents.””
“I understand.””
“No, Daniel. You understand that something went wrong. I need to know whether you understand the cost of keeping me uninformed.””
He said nothing.
Rebecca interrupted gently.
“We can address the employment and reporting issues separately. Right now, we need to establish whether Daniel's account was used to create the unauthorized records.””
She opened her laptop.
“Daniel, have you ever attended a meeting with Christopher Bennett and Melissa Grant in Savannah?””
His head snapped up.
“No.””
“Have you ever authorized anyone to use your identity to attend a meeting?””
“Absolutely not.””
Rebecca showed him the security photograph.
Daniel stared at it for several seconds.
Then he pointed to the wrist.
“That's my watch.””
“I gave you that watch,” I said.
“Yes, ma'am. But I haven't worn it in months.””
“Why not?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Because it was stolen from my desk.””
“When?””
“About seven months ago. I filed a report with resort security, but I didn't consider it important enough to mention to you personally.””
I closed my eyes briefly.
A stolen watch. Compromised credentials. An unreported security alert.
Every missing piece seemed to fit another piece of the puzzle, but I still didn't know who had assembled it.
“Who had access to your office?”” Rebecca asked.
“Several employees. My executive assistant, department heads, maintenance staff when repairs were needed.””
“Could Melissa have entered?””
“She could have, before she left the company. She knew where my office was, and she had worked with our administrative team.””
“Could Christopher?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not without an escort or authorization.””
I looked at Rebecca.
“Can we verify Daniel's account activity against the hotel footage?””
“Yes. We'll request the original logs and preserve the relevant camera recordings.””
Daniel looked at me with tired eyes.
“Eleanor, I made mistakes. I should have reported the security incident directly to you. But I did not participate in this scheme.””
I believed that he was frightened. I believed that he regretted his silence.
Whether he was telling the whole truth was another question.
“Until the investigation is complete, you will cooperate fully with Rebecca and the security team. Your system privileges will be limited temporarily, and someone else will handle sensitive account approvals.””
He nodded.
“Of course.””
“I am not declaring you guilty, Daniel. But trust doesn't exempt anyone from scrutiny.””
He left the office without another word.
Rebecca remained beside the desk.
“Eleanor, the stolen watch and compromised account may explain the photograph. They don't prove who attended that meeting.””
“I know.””
“And the fact that Daniel failed to report the earlier incident doesn't establish that he knew about the fraudulent transactions.””
“I know that, too.””
I looked at the empty chair where he had been sitting.
“Then why do I feel as if every person I trusted has been keeping something from me?””
Rebecca closed her briefcase.
“Because several people made decisions without telling you, and someone may have deliberately exploited those silences.””
My phone rang.
It was Thomas Reed, our compliance director.
“We've received an update from the bank,” he said.
“The pending transfer to Whitmore Legacy Holdings has been linked to a second account. The bank has identified the account holder.””
“Who is it?””
There was a pause.
“Melissa Grant.””
I gripped the phone.
“Has she admitted involvement?””
“No. But she has agreed to meet with our attorneys tomorrow.””
“Good. Arrange it.””
Then Thomas added something that made me stop breathing for a moment.
“The bank also found an incoming payment to Melissa's account six months ago. It originated from Bennett Coastal Holdings.””
“How much?””
“Fifty thousand dollars.””
I stared at Rebecca.
Christopher had paid Melissa.
But the question was why.
And before I could ask another question, Thomas continued.
“There's a memo attached to the payment.””
“What does it say?””
He read the words aloud.
“*First phase complete. Await further instructions.*”
I ended the call slowly.
May you like
Someone had been paying Melissa for months.
And if the note referred to phases of a plan, the attempted takeover of my business might have been only the beginning.
