Chapter 11: The Account That Never Died
At 7:30 the next morning, I sat in a conference room at Carter Hospitality Group's headquarters with Laura Bennett, our forensic accounting specialist, and our chief information security officer.
The blue metal box remained sealed inside a secure evidence bag.
My father's records were no longer just a family discovery. They were potentially connected to a financial scheme involving my company, Collins Development Group, and an investment agreement bearing a disputed signature.
Laura placed a printed access report in front of me.
“The archived Riverside account was accessed at 4:12 p.m. yesterday,” she said.
“The login originated from a network associated with our former records contractor.””
“Who had permission to access it?””
“Under the original arrangement, the contractor maintained encrypted backups. But the credentials assigned to your father were supposed to have been disabled when the archive was transferred.””
Our security chief, Marcus Lee, adjusted his glasses.
“They weren't disabled. They were marked inactive in the primary directory, but a legacy authentication service remained connected to the archive.””
“Meaning someone could still use the old credentials?”” I asked.
“Potentially. We need to determine whether the credentials were used directly, copied, or exploited through another account.””
Laura turned another page.
“The access event was followed by a download request for documents labeled Riverside Final Accounts.””
“Was the request successful?””
“We're still verifying what was retrieved.””
I leaned forward.
“Could Nathan have accessed them?””
Marcus nodded cautiously.
“He could have, if he had the credentials or access to the contractor's systems. But several other people may also have had technical access. We cannot identify the user from the log alone.””
I appreciated his answer.
The temptation to blame Nathan was overwhelming, but I wasn't going to repeat the mistake of treating suspicion as proof.
“Preserve everything,” I said.
“No one contacts the former contractor until legal counsel has reviewed the evidence.””
Laura agreed.
Then she opened a separate file.
“There's another development. The bank has formally acknowledged our dispute of the investment commitment. It has requested supporting documentation before making a decision about the scheduled disbursement.””
“Can we provide the access records?””
“We can provide the information necessary to establish that the commitment is disputed, subject to counsel's review. We should not disclose unrelated confidential information without a clear legal basis.””
I nodded.
“Proceed.””
The meeting continued for another hour. We reviewed the forged signature, the disputed transfers, and the records Evelyn had supplied. Nothing conclusively established who had fabricated the agreement or whether Nathan had acted alone.
But the pieces were beginning to form a pattern.
After the meeting, I returned to my office and found Maya waiting outside.
She was holding a paper coffee cup and looking distinctly uncomfortable.
“Daniel, do you have a minute?””
“Of course. Come in.””
She stepped inside and closed the door.
“I wasn't sure whether I should tell you this.””
“Then start at the beginning.””
She took a breath.
“Last night, after you left the restaurant, I saw Nathan near the service entrance.””
I frowned.
“When?””
“A little after ten. I was taking clean linens downstairs, and he was standing near the loading bay, talking to someone on the phone.””
“Did you hear what he said?””
“Not everything. But I heard him mention the old account. Then he said, ‘The box has to disappear before Daniel understands what his father kept.’”
For several seconds, I didn't speak.
“Are you certain it was Nathan?””
“Yes. I've seen him at the restaurant before. He comes in for meetings with you.””
“Did he see you?””
“I don't think so.””
“Did you tell anyone else?””
“No. I thought maybe I misunderstood.””
I stood and walked to the window.
Maya had risked her job to defend me the previous evening. Now she was bringing me information that might place her in an uncomfortable position again.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said.
“Please write down exactly what you remember, including the time and location. Don't try to investigate this yourself, and don't contact Nathan. I'll make sure our legal team handles it appropriately.””
She nodded.
Then she hesitated.
“Daniel?””
“Yes?””
“There's something else. He wasn't alone.””
I turned.
“Who was with him?””
“I couldn't see the person's face. They were standing inside a dark SUV. But I heard Nathan say, ‘You promised the original files were gone.’”
A cold feeling settled in my chest.
“Did you recognize the vehicle?””
“No. But the passenger had a silver bracelet with a little star charm.””
I remembered Brittany's jewelry from the previous night.
She had worn a silver bracelet alongside her diamond necklace.
That wasn't proof of anything. A bracelet could belong to thousands of people.
Still, the coincidence was troubling.
After Maya left, I called Laura and relayed what she'd told me. Laura arranged for our security team to document the report and advised that any potential threat to evidence should be referred to the appropriate authorities.
I then called my mother.
“Mom, I need you to leave the storage room locked. Don't let anyone inside unless you know exactly who they are.””
Her voice tightened.
“Why? What happened?””
“Someone may be looking for Dad's records.””
“Oh, Daniel.””
“I'm not saying anyone is coming to your house. I just want you to be cautious.””
“I will.””
I ended the call and opened the photograph of my father standing outside the Riverside project.
I zoomed in on the three men.
Nathan Brooks.
Peter Wallace.
Thomas Reed.
A name suddenly surfaced from my memory.
Peter Wallace was the same investor who had financed several commercial developments in Tennessee before disappearing from public business records. Our legal department had encountered his name during an unrelated acquisition.
I searched our internal archives and found an old acquisition memorandum.
The final page listed a company that had purchased the Riverside project's remaining assets after the original development collapsed.
Carter Hospitality Group had acquired one of those assets years later.
But the memorandum included an additional note.
Certain historical financial claims remain unresolved. Seller represents that no surviving records exist beyond those already disclosed.
I read the sentence twice.
The seller had assured us that no additional records existed.
Yet my father had kept an entire ledger.
And someone had accessed the archive yesterday, apparently searching for it.
My phone rang.
It was Laura.
“Daniel, we've identified the person who approved the legacy account's continued access.””
“Who?””
She paused.
“The authorization was renewed six months ago through an executive-level security exception.””
“Whose approval?””
“Your chief financial officer's.””
I closed my eyes.
Nathan had approved access to an account associated with my father.
He had also signed the disputed transfers to Meridian.
But before I could respond, Laura added another detail.
“The renewal request included a note stating that the account was required for a confidential historical audit.””
“Who requested the audit?””
May you like
She read the name from the file.
“Brittany Collins.””
