Chapter 8 - Leo did not run.
That mattered.
He slowly placed his security badge on the table.
Then his sidearm.
“I did not access Rachel’s car.”
Grant stared at him.
“Your credentials did.”
“I know.”
“You ran fleet security.”
“Yes.”
“You knew her route?”
“No.”
“You knew her car.”
“Yes.”
Celeste leaned toward the screen.
“Check physical login.”
Melissa searched.
The access came from a workstation at Holloway Tower.
Security floor.
Badge entry required.
Leo’s badge entered at 3:08.
Grant’s jaw tightened.
“Where were you?”
Leo thought.
“Airport.”
“Proof?”
“Yes.”
Flight records.
Phone location.
Airport camera.
At 3:08 p.m., Leo was forty miles from Holloway Tower.
His badge had been cloned.
Grant felt relief.
Then fear.
Someone inside security had high-level access.
They pulled security-floor footage.
Archived camera corrupted.
Rachel anticipated that too.
She had copied exterior elevator footage.
3:04 p.m.
Someone exited.
Baseball cap.
Dark coat.
Face turned away.
Grant watched.
The person entered using Leo’s cloned badge.
No clear face.
Then Grant noticed the left hand.
Large gold ring.
Charles whispered:
“No.”
Grant looked at his father.
“You know it.”
Charles pointed.
“Holloway signet.”
Grant stared.
Only a few family members had them.
Charles.
Grant.
Robert.
And—
“Megan.”
Grant felt sick.
He had given his sister one on her twenty-first birthday.
The figure’s build was slender.
Could be a woman.
Grant immediately called Megan.
No answer.
Security went to her townhouse.
Empty.
Phone found on kitchen counter.
Passport missing.
Grant closed his eyes.
“Find her.”
An international alert went out.
Then Emma wandered into the study carrying her stuffed elephant.
Everyone fell silent.
Grant immediately closed the laptop.
“Hey.”
She looked around.
“Why are all the grown-ups sad?”
Grant lifted her.
“Complicated day.”
“Can I have cereal?”
“It’s nine at night.”
She nodded seriously.
“Night cereal.”
Grant almost smiled.
“Yes.”
He carried her into the kitchen.
Emma sat at the island.
Grant poured cereal.
She watched him.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Is Aunt Megan coming?”
Grant stopped.
“Why?”
“She said we were going on a trip.”
His blood chilled.
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
Emma nodded.
“She came when Miss Dana was upstairs.”
Grant sat across from her.
“What trip?”
“She said maybe Grandma’s beach house.”
Eleanor’s house in Maine.
“Did Dana know?”
Emma shook her head.
Grant’s pulse increased.
Megan had secretly planned to take Emma.
“Did Aunt Megan say why?”
“She said Daddy needed a break.”
Grant closed his eyes.
Megan.
His little sister.
Emma loved her.
Grant remembered Megan volunteering to babysit.
Taking Emma to museums.
Buying ridiculous princess dresses.
Could she have manipulated the child too?
Emma continued eating.
Then said:
“Aunt Megan cried.”
Grant looked up.
“When?”
“When Miss Dana yelled at her.”
“Dana yelled at Megan?”
Emma nodded.
“What did she say?”
Emma tried to remember.
“She said, ‘You said nobody would hurt her.’”
Grant stared.
Dana accusing Megan?
Megan promised nobody would hurt Emma.
That sounded less like a mastermind and more like a co-conspirator whose plan had gone wrong.
“What did Aunt Megan say?”
“She said, ‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’”
Grant called Celeste into the kitchen.
“Did Megan know Dana?”
Celeste hesitated.
“Yes.”
Grant’s anger rose.
“How?”
“Rachel introduced them.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“Why?”
“Because Megan helped Rachel move the money.”
The four billion.
Grant stared.
“Megan helped.”
“Yes.”
“So she knew the archive.”
“Parts.”
“Did she know Rachel’s route?”
“I don’t know.”
Grant returned to the recovered files.
They searched MEGAN.
Dozens.
Emails between Rachel and Megan.
The sisters-in-law were much closer than Grant knew.
One email three days before Rachel’s death:
Megan, if Thomas backs out, send the reserves tonight.
Megan replied:
I’m scared.
Rachel:
So am I.
But if Charles sees the real numbers, he’ll choose the company over the truth.
Grant closed his eyes.
Rachel didn’t trust him.
But she also didn’t trust Charles.
Next email:
Megan:
What about Grant?
Rachel:
After it’s safe.
Megan:
He’ll hate us.
Rachel:
Better angry than ruined.
Grant felt grief mix with frustration.
Megan had helped Rachel.
So why clone Leo’s badge?
Another file.
Megan recorded herself the day after Rachel’s accident.
She was crying.
“I did what you asked.”
Grant leaned forward.
“I moved the reserves.”
She wiped her face.
“But someone knew.”
Grant held his breath.
“Someone used my ring.”
Grant froze.
Megan lifted her left hand.
No signet.
“I lost it at Dad’s house last month.”
Charles went still.
Grant looked at him.
“You had Megan’s ring.”
“No.”
“She lost it at your house.”
“I never saw it.”
Megan’s recording continued.
“I think someone wanted the elevator camera to show a Holloway.”
Grant understood.
The ring was planted evidence.
Someone wanted investigators to suspect family.
Megan continued.
“Rachel told me if anything happened, go to Eleanor.”
Grant frowned.
Emma’s grandmother.
“She said Eleanor has the second ledger.”
Grant looked at Melissa.
“What ledger?”
No one knew.
Then Eleanor called.
Grant answered.
“Where is Megan?”
Eleanor’s voice was shaking.
“With me.”
Grant stood.
“Put her on.”
“Grant—”
“Now.”
Megan came to the phone.
“Grant.”
“Where are you?”
“Maine.”
“Why did you run?”
“I didn’t run.”
“You left your phone.”
“Because someone was tracking it.”
“Who?”
“Thomas.”
Grant’s pulse jumped.
“He threatened you?”
“Yes.”
“What does he want?”
“The second ledger.”
“What is it?”
Megan looked to Eleanor off-phone.
Then answered.
“Rachel’s record of the four billion.”
Grant exhaled.
“Where is it?”
“Here.”
“Why?”
“Eleanor kept it.”
Grant’s mind raced.
“So Thomas knows Eleanor has it.”
“Yes.”
“Is anyone watching the house?”
A pause.
Megan moved to the window.
Then her voice changed.
“Oh no.”
Grant stood.
“What?”
“Car.”
“What car?”
“Black SUV.”
Grant looked at Leo.
Security already moving.
Megan whispered:
“They’re coming up the driveway.”
Grant shouted:
“Lock the doors.”
Eleanor’s voice came through.
“Megan, basement.”
Then glass shattered.
The line erupted in screaming.
Grant’s heart stopped.
“Megan!”
A man’s voice came onto the phone.
Not Thomas.
Grant recognized it anyway.
Robert.
His uncle.
“Grant.”
Grant stared.
“What are you doing?”
Robert’s voice was calm.
“Cleaning up what Rachel started.”
Grant felt cold.
“You said Dana used you.”
“She did.”
“You said you were helping Rachel.”
“I helped everyone.”
Robert laughed softly.
“That’s why nobody noticed me.”
Grant finally understood.
The failed uncle.
The family joke.
The man no one considered powerful enough to matter.
Robert had access because everyone underestimated him.
“You accessed Rachel’s car.”
“Yes.”
Grant stopped breathing.
“You killed her.”
Robert paused.
Then answered:
“I changed the route.”
Grant frowned.
“What?”
“I sent the diagnostic command.”
“Why?”
“To scare her into stopping.”
Grant’s hands shook.
“You sabotaged the car.”
“No.”
Robert’s voice hardened.
“Someone else turned my warning into murder.”
Grant stared.
“Who?”
Before Robert could answer, another voice sounded in the background.
Thomas Blake.
“Hang up.”
Grant froze.
Robert and Thomas were together.
Then Thomas said something Grant heard clearly.
“You’ve told him enough, Dad.”
Grant went completely still.
Dad?
Robert Holloway had a son.
Thomas Blake.
Grant’s CFO.
His best friend.
May you like
Was his cousin.
And the two men had been working inside Holloway Global for decades.
