Chapter 13
Claire and Sophie were moved before whoever was outside could reach them.
The person disappeared.
Police found a stolen sedan two blocks away.
No fingerprints.
No useful camera footage.
Whoever had gone looking for them knew what they were doing.
Richard refused to identify the leak.
That bought him another investigation.
Witness intimidation.
Potential conspiracy.
For the first time, his attorney looked afraid too.
My father wanted Claire and Sophie placed under federal protection.
Ortiz said they were working on it.
I hated the phrase working on it.
Everything felt like it moved slowly except danger.
That moved fast.
Two days passed.
Bennett Capital remained under temporary independent management.
Victor was suspended.
Daniel was still barred from company systems while investigators reviewed his stolen credentials.
Dad stayed home.
For him, that was torture.
For me, it was revealing.
Without meetings and calls, he had nowhere to hide.
On Tuesday morning, I found him in Mom’s old greenhouse.
He hadn’t used it since she died.
Most of the plants were gone.
Dust covered the shelves.
He stood beside an empty pot.
“She grew basil here.”
“I remember.”
“She hated buying herbs.”
“She said grocery store basil tasted like disappointment.”
Dad laughed.
I hadn’t heard that sound in days.
Then his face changed.
“I kept this room closed because I thought preserving it meant preserving her.”
I leaned against the doorway.
“But?”
“But maybe I was just afraid to come in.”
I understood that.
He looked at me.
“You were right.”
“About what?”
“I protected you until I stopped seeing you.”
The words hit hard.
“Dad.”
“I saw danger and reacted.”
He swallowed.
“I didn’t ask what you wanted.”
I walked closer.
“You were scared.”
“So were you.”
“Yes.”
“I should have respected that.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
He touched my cheek gently.
The bruise barely hurt now.
“I’m sorry.”
That apology mattered more than he knew.
My phone rang.
Margaret.
I answered.
“Tell me something good.”
“I can tell you something important.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Federal investigators confirmed payments from Caldwell entities to Shaw Advisory Partners.”
“We already knew that.”
“They traced where the money went afterward.”
Dad listened.
“Where?”
“Three shell companies.”
“Owned by?”
“One links to Victor.”
“And the others?”
Margaret paused.
“One links to Marcus Reed.”
My stomach tightened.
“The security guard.”
“Yes.”
“What about the third?”
Silence.
“Margaret?”
“A Bennett Capital director.”
Dad went still.
“Who?”
“Stephen Burke.”
I knew the name.
Everyone did.
Stephen had seconded Victor’s motion to remove Dad.
He had worked at Bennett for twenty years.
Dad whispered, “No.”
Margaret continued.
“Investigators believe Burke may have helped Victor obtain internal access after Daniel’s credentials were stolen.”
“Is he arrested?”
“Not yet.”
“Why are you telling us?”
“Because the board is meeting this afternoon, and Burke is attending.”
Dad’s eyes sharpened.
“Can we expose him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because investigators asked us not to.”
I groaned.
“More waiting.”
“Yes.”
“I’m getting bad at it.”
“I noticed.”
The board meeting was held remotely.
I joined as trustee.
Dad watched from another room.
He had agreed not to interfere.
That itself was progress.
Stephen Burke appeared on screen.
Gray hair.
Gentle voice.
The kind of man who remembered birthdays.
I had known him since childhood.
He asked me how my cheek was healing.
I wanted to scream.
Instead I said, “Better.”
The acting chair presented an update.
Independent audit.
Frozen Caldwell financing.
Cooperation with authorities.
Then Stephen spoke.
“We need stability.”
I watched him carefully.
“What do you suggest?”
“The Bennett family should temporarily surrender voting control to independent directors.”
There it was.
Another attempt.
I said, “Why?”
“Public confidence.”
“Or private convenience?”
His eyes narrowed.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I’m asking why you’re so eager to remove my family from voting.”
“Emily, you are inexperienced.”
“True.”
He blinked.
People expected defensiveness.
Sometimes agreement was more useful.
“I don’t know how to build financial models.”
I leaned closer.
“But I know when someone avoids a simple question.”
Stephen’s smile disappeared.
“What question?”
“Why are you afraid of the trust?”
The meeting went silent.
He looked at the acting chair.
“This is inappropriate.”
Maybe it was.
But then his phone rang.
He glanced down.
His face went pale.
Three seconds later, someone knocked on his office door.
We heard it through his microphone.
“Mr. Burke?”
He muted himself.
Too late.
We saw federal agents enter.
Stephen stood.
Then the video went black.
Nobody spoke.
The acting chair cleared his throat.
“I believe we will adjourn.”
My phone exploded with messages.
Dad came into the room.
“Was that—”
“Yes.”
Daniel called seconds later.
“They arrested Burke.”
“Apparently.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Then another call came.
Claire.
I answered.
Her voice sounded steadier than before.
“Emily, I need to talk to you.”
“What happened?”
“I remembered the third name.”
“What third name?”
“The people Richard used to call his partners.”
My stomach tightened.
“Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Burke?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Claire whispered.
“There was someone else.”
“Who?”
“I never knew his real name.”
“Then what did Richard call him?”
She hesitated.
“The Banker.”
Dad and I looked at each other.
Claire continued.
“I always assumed it was Victor.”
“But now?”
“Now I don’t.”
My phone beeped.
A news alert.
FORMER BENNETT EXECUTIVE VICTOR SHAW MISSING AFTER FAILING TO REPORT FOR FEDERAL INTERVIEW.
My stomach dropped.
Victor had disappeared.
May you like
And if Claire was right, he might not have been the person at the top.
For the first time, I wondered whether the betrayal inside my family’s company went even deeper than him.
