Chapter 2: The Reservation That Destroyed Everything
For several seconds, I couldn't hear the ocean anymore.
I could only hear the quiet clicking of Daniel Harrison's fingers against the tablet as he enlarged the reservation details.
Amber Mitchell.
Christopher Bennett.
Penthouse suite.
Five nights.
The dates were for the following month, not the current weekend.
Mark stepped closer.
“What is that?”” he asked.
Daniel hesitated, looking at me for permission to continue.
I nodded.
“Please explain everything you found.””
Daniel turned the screen toward Mark.
“Your wife's name appears on a reservation for our penthouse suite next month. Mr. Bennett is listed as the second guest. This is the sixth stay we've identified under the same combination of names.””
Mark stared at the screen.
“Sixth?””
His voice was barely audible.
Amber bent down abruptly, grabbed her handbag, and began searching through it as though she had misplaced something urgent.
“This is ridiculous,” she said.
“There must be a mistake.””
Daniel remained composed.
“Our reservation system records the names of all registered guests, Mrs. Mitchell. The bookings were made through an account linked to a payment card ending in 4812.””
Mark went completely still.
“That sounds like my credit card.””
Amber snapped her head toward him.
“Don't start this nonsense here!””
“I'm asking a question.””
“And I'm telling you it's a mistake!””
She stepped toward Daniel and held out her hand.
“Give me that tablet. I'll show you exactly how these records got mixed up.””
Daniel drew it back.
“I'm afraid I can't hand over confidential guest records without authorization.””
“I'm the guest!”” she shouted.
“You are one of the people named in the reservation,” he replied evenly.
“That doesn't authorize you to access every associated record.””
A few guests had begun pretending not to watch us.
Amber noticed them and immediately lowered her voice.
“Mark, we're going upstairs. Your mother is clearly enjoying this.””
I looked at her.
“Enjoying what, Amber? Learning that my daughter-in-law has booked six secret vacations with my son's best friend?””
Her lips parted.
Then she turned to Mark.
“Tell her to stop.””
Mark didn't move.
“Amber, why is Christopher's name on those reservations?””
“He's your friend!”” she cried.
“Maybe he helped me arrange something. Maybe I needed advice about a surprise for you!””
Mark frowned.
“A surprise?””
“Yes! That's what friends do. They help each other.””
I almost admired the speed of her improvisation.
But Daniel was still holding the tablet.
“Mrs. Whitmore,” he said carefully, “there's another detail. These reservations weren't paid for entirely through the card ending in 4812. Several additional charges were authorized through a separate account connected to your family profile.””
“My family profile?”” I repeated.
“Yes, ma'am. Your son was listed as the primary contact when the account was created.””
Mark shook his head.
“I never created an account here.””
Daniel glanced at his notes.
“The account was opened eight months ago. It includes a secondary authorization for someone acting on behalf of the resort owner.””
A cold sensation moved through my chest.
“Acting on my behalf?””
“Yes, ma'am.””
Amber suddenly stopped moving.
It was a tiny change, but I saw it. Her shoulders stiffened. Her eyes flicked toward the tablet, then toward the elevators.
Daniel noticed, too.
“Mrs. Whitmore,” he continued, “someone has submitted authorization documents bearing your signature.””
I felt as if the floor had tilted beneath me.
“My signature?””
“Yes.””
Mark reached for the tablet.
“Let me see.””
Daniel handed it to him.
My son scrolled through the records, his expression growing more troubled with every line.
Then he stopped.
“Mom,” he said, looking up at me, “this says Amber was authorized to manage certain expenses connected to your ownership account.””
“I never authorized that.””
Amber folded her arms.
“You probably forgot. You have a lot of business dealings. Maybe you signed something when you were tired.””
I looked at her steadily.
“I have never signed a document granting you access to my business accounts.””
She laughed nervously.
“Oh, come on. You're making this sound like some crime thriller.””
Daniel cleared his throat.
“Mrs. Mitchell, there is a scanned document attached to the account. It was submitted electronically eight months ago.””
“Then show us the original submission,” I said.
Daniel tapped the screen.
A digital document appeared, bearing my name, my business identification number, and a signature that looked remarkably like mine.
Except the final stroke was wrong.
My husband used to joke that I signed my name like I was racing a train. Over the years, my signature had developed a distinctive upward flick at the end of Whitmore.
The signature on that document curled downward.
Someone had copied my name without understanding how I wrote it.
I pointed to the screen.
“This is a forgery.””
Mark swallowed.
“Mom, are you sure?””
I turned toward him.
“I have signed thousands of business documents in my life. I know my own signature.””
Amber let out an irritated breath.
“This is absurd. Even if someone made a mistake, why are you accusing me?””
“I haven't accused you of anything,” I replied.
“I'm asking questions.””
“Your questions are humiliating me!””
I looked at her, remembering the suitcase she had pushed into my hands only minutes earlier.
“You seemed perfectly comfortable humiliating me in front of this entire lobby.””
Her face reddened.
“That was a joke!””
“No,” I said.
“It was a choice.””
Mark lowered the tablet.
“Amber, we need to talk about this.””
She grabbed his arm.
“Not here. Not in front of all these people.””
He pulled away.
For the first time that day, he didn't immediately obey her.
Daniel offered to take us to a private office. I agreed, but before we could leave the lobby, my phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from our corporate security director.
It contained a single sentence.
*Eleanor, we found three transfers from the ownership account. You need to see who received the money.*
Below it was a total.
$486,000.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Daniel.
“Lock down every account associated with this authorization. Preserve all the records, and do not delete or alter a single entry.””
“Understood, ma'am.””
Amber's face had turned pale again.
Mark noticed.
“What aren't you telling us?”” he asked her.
She stared at him, her lips trembling.
Then she whispered something that changed the look on his face completely.
“Mark, I can explain the money. But you have to promise me you won't call Christopher.””
My son stepped away from her.
May you like
And for the first time, I saw fear replace the anger in his eyes.
Because whatever Amber had done, she was terrified of what his best friend might say.
