Chapter 8 - Richard Had Hidden The Original Ledger
The original ledger belonged to Harbor Shield’s founder, Thomas Carter.
Richard’s older brother.
Sophia’s uncle.
Thomas died four years earlier.
Before his death, he had discovered irregular contractor payments.
He kept handwritten notes because he no longer trusted the
organization’s digital systems.
After Thomas died, Richard found the ledger among his papers.
He hid it.
Sophia learned about it only after beginning her own investigation.
“Where is it?” Ethan asked.
Richard hesitated.
Sophia answered for him.
“Dad.”
Richard looked at his daughter.
She was bruised, bandaged, and barely strong enough to sit upright.
“Tell him.”
Richard finally did.
The ledger was inside a safe-deposit box.
Not under Richard’s name.
Under Samuel Price.
Ethan turned.
“The homeless man?”
Richard winced at the description.
Samuel had not always been homeless.
He was once Harbor Shield’s facilities manager.
Years earlier, he reported suspicious contractor access and was fired
after being accused of theft.
The accusation destroyed him.
He lost his job.
Then his apartment.
Then much of his stability.
Thomas believed Samuel had been framed.
Before Thomas died, he asked Richard to use Samuel as an independent
custodian if the records ever became dangerous.
Samuel had held the safe-deposit key for four years.
That was why he had been near Ethan’s neighborhood.
Sophia had asked him to meet her that night.
He arrived late.
By then, the attack had happened.
Samuel had not randomly witnessed the crime.
He had been coming to help Sophia expose it.
Ethan looked at Richard.
“You left that out.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because every person who touched this information got hurt.”
Ethan’s voice hardened.
May you like
“And secrecy helped?”
Richard had no answer.
