Chapter 5 - Lucy’s Father Knew Arthur Wellington
Lucy had always been told her father died because he worked too much.
Heart attack.
Forty-seven years old.
Alone in his office.
That was eight years ago.
She had never connected him to Wellington Global.
Why would she?
Michael Carter worked for a small forensic accounting firm called Hart & Lane.
He brought home spreadsheets.
Complained about printers.
Forgot birthdays when audits ran late.
He was not part of billionaire families or corporate conspiracies.
At least that was what Lucy believed.
Victor asked, “Did your father ever mention Wellington?”
Lucy shook her head.
Then stopped.
“One time.”
Margaret leaned closer.
“What did he say?”
“I was fourteen. He came home late and Mom was angry. I heard them arguing.”
“About?”
“A client.”
“What client?”
“He said, ‘If Wellington is right, people could go to prison.’”
Victor stared.
“You remember that exact sentence?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the next morning Dad told me I had imagined it.”
That memory had bothered her for years.
Not because of Wellington.
Because her father never lied to her.
Except that morning.
Marcus searched old vendor records.
Hart & Lane appeared.
Wellington Global had hired the firm twelve years earlier.
One year before Arthur’s crash.
The engagement was confidential.
Authorized personally by Arthur Wellington.
Victor sat down.
“My father hired yours.”
Lucy’s face lost color.
“For what?”
Marcus opened the archived description.
Internal forensic review - aviation procurement and offshore disbursements.
Margaret whispered, “The same money Arthur was investigating.”
Victor looked at Lucy.
“Your father was helping him.”
Lucy felt suddenly dizzy.
Margaret took her hand.
The roles reversed.
“Sit, sweetheart.”
Lucy did.
Victor called Hart & Lane.
The firm had changed ownership, but old records remained in storage.
A senior partner remembered Michael Carter.
“He was obsessive about that case,” the man said.
“What happened to the files?” Victor asked.
“Gone.”
“How?”
“Michael removed them.”
“When?”
“The week before he died.”
Lucy stared at the phone.
“Why?”
“We assumed the client requested them.”
Victor asked, “Who was the client contact?”
The partner checked.
“Arthur Wellington initially.”
“And after Arthur died?”
A pause.
“Elaine Foster.”
Victor’s stomach tightened.
Elaine had worked in a junior corporate compliance role then.
Years before becoming Victor’s chief of staff.
Lucy whispered, “She knew my dad.”
The partner continued.
“Actually, yes. She visited him several times.”
“When?”
“The months before his death.”
Lucy stood.
“What?”
The man apologized.
He had assumed she knew.
Michael and Elaine had met privately about the Wellington investigation.
Then Michael died.
Elaine collected what remained of the files.
Lucy’s hands shook.
“My father didn’t have heart problems.”
Victor looked at her.
“Was there an autopsy?”
“No. The doctor said it was natural.”
Margaret squeezed her hand.
Victor asked Marcus to obtain the death records.
Then Charles called again.
This time he had found Arthur’s original letter.
He photographed it.
The final paragraph read:
If Carter confirms what I suspect, do not trust anyone who tells you his work was inconclusive. Michael knows where the duplicate ledger is.
Lucy covered her mouth.
Her father had not been a random accountant.
He had held part of Arthur’s evidence.
Victor looked at the remaining eleven pearls.
“Maybe the chips tell us where.”
Marcus began extracting the first pearl carefully.
Inside was a tiny encrypted memory module.
It required a password.
The clue displayed on-screen:
M.C. REMEMBERS THE FIRST NUMBER.
Everyone looked at Lucy.
She stared at the initials.
M.C.
Michael Carter.
“My father.”
Victor asked, “What first number?”
Lucy shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Then she remembered something.
Her father used to play a game with her when she was little.
Whenever she forgot a password, he said:
“Start with the first number that made you feel rich.”
For Lucy, that number was seven.
Seven dollars.
The money Michael gave her for her first lemonade stand.
She entered 7.
Wrong password.
Then she remembered his answer when she asked what number made him feel rich.
“One.”
Why?
Because one daughter was enough.
Lucy typed 1.
The pearl unlocked.
A single audio file appeared.
Arthur Wellington’s voice filled the room.
“If you’re hearing this, Michael and I were right.”
Victor stopped breathing.
Arthur continued.
“The person moving money through W-17 is not stealing from Wellington Global.”
A pause.
“They’re paying someone to sabotage my aircraft.”
Then another voice entered the recording.
Michael Carter.
Lucy began to cry.
Her father said:
“Arthur, I know who authorized the payments.”
The audio cut off.
A message appeared.
FILE CONTINUED ON PEARL 6.
Margaret looked at her necklace.
Victor whispered, “Open six.”
Marcus counted.
Then froze.
Pearl six was not there.
May you like
It was the pearl Robert had picked up.
The stolen chip contained the name.
