The message reached Brittany\u2019s temporary phone at 3:17.<\/p>\n
Nobody outside the room was supposed to have the number.<\/p>\n
That fact alone told us what kind of problem we had.<\/p>\n
The text contained no greeting.<\/p>\n
ASK ELAINE WHAT HAPPENED TO PETER LARKIN.<\/p>\n
Below it was a photograph of Marianne sitting in what appeared to be a hotel room.<\/p>\n
She was alive.<\/p>\n
A newspaper lay on the table beside her.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s date was visible.<\/p>\n
Brittany handed the phone to the detective.<\/p>\n
A second message arrived.<\/p>\n
MARIANNE CAME WILLINGLY.<\/p>\n
A third.<\/p>\n
I WANT TO SPEAK TO BRITTANY.<\/p>\n
I took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what he wants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said I get to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause this man has spent years manipulating your father, stealing information, and tracking you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now he has Marianne.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not know that he has her against her will.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contradiction tasted terrible.<\/p>\n
Less than two days earlier, I had promised myself not to make every decision for Brittany.<\/p>\n
Now every protective instinct I possessed was screaming louder than reason.<\/p>\n
Kendra intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody responds until law enforcement traces the message.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat decision is easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now,\u201d I agreed.<\/p>\n
Malcolm called Elaine.<\/p>\n
When he mentioned Peter Larkin, she went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring her here,\u201d the detective said.<\/p>\n
Elaine arrived forty minutes later.<\/p>\n
She looked older than she had that morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Peter Larkin?\u201d Malcolm asked.<\/p>\n
Elaine did not pretend ignorance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWarren\u2019s partner before Travis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of partner?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd target?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe tried to expose Warren.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he die?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCar accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany looked at me.<\/p>\n
The detective asked, \u201cWas it an accident?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Warren cause it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why would he tell Brittany to ask you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he wants me frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already seem frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants me silent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward Brittany.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter discovered who Northstar was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan said, \u201cMarianne?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew the real name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said Peter did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to his records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWarren took them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now Warren is alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany\u2019s phone chimed again.<\/p>\n
A photograph.<\/p>\n
This one showed a handwritten note.<\/p>\n
MARIANNE IS NOT NORTHSTAR.<\/p>\n
Underneath:<\/p>\n
YOUR MOTHER HAS BEEN LOOKING AT THE WRONG WOMAN.<\/p>\n
Nathan read it twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Marianne isn\u2019t the insider, someone used her credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendra said, \u201cWhich would explain why the altered succession document names her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA fall person,\u201d Daniel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind returned to thirteen years of trust.<\/p>\n
Marianne knew everything because her job required knowing everything.<\/p>\n
That made her the perfect suspect.<\/p>\n
Too perfect.<\/p>\n
The detective asked Elaine, \u201cDid Warren ever tell you how Northstar communicated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDead drops at first. Later encrypted email.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough consulting vendors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich vendors?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can give you names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wrote six.<\/p>\n
I recognized two as former Mercer Ridge suppliers.<\/p>\n
Nathan recognized four.<\/p>\n
All had legitimate contracts at some point.<\/p>\n
Malcolm began cross-referencing.<\/p>\n
One company, ClearPath Advisory, had received nearly $600,000 from Mercer Ridge over eight years.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cExecutive recruitment,\u201d Nathan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe barely used outside recruitment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho approved the invoices?\u201d<\/p>\n
He searched.<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho initiated them?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another search.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cExecutive office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarianne?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer credentials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Everything led to Marianne because somebody had designed it that way.<\/p>\n
Brittany\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at it.<\/p>\n
The detective motioned for silence and activated recording equipment.<\/p>\n
Brittany answered on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrittany.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWarren?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective began tracing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Marianne?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then Marianne\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrittany?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you there because you want to be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came because I needed answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne did not answer.<\/p>\n
Warren returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can leave when our conversation is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound voluntary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows where the door is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell her to walk out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not calling to debate semantics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prevent your father from destroying your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2019s under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTravis is a symptom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what Elaine told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said you recruited him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou paid him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had me followed when I was twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tried to manipulate me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His willingness to admit everything unsettled the room.<\/p>\n
Brittany said, \u201cWhy should I believe anything you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
That silenced her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why call?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause evidence does not require trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Northstar archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren ignored him.<\/p>\n
Brittany asked, \u201cWho is Northstar?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaine stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
Warren continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew once. Peter knew. Marianne may know now. But names become unreliable after eleven years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople inherit operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective scribbled something.<\/p>\n
\u201cA network?\u201d Brittany asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar began as one person inside Mercer Ridge. That person sold me information. Later someone else took over the access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what Marianne and I are determining.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could not remain silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect us to believe you\u2019re helping?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren recognized my voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cJocelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent eleven years targeting my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleven years ago, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd today?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday I am trying to survive what I built.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like regret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least he was consistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSelf-interest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you would appreciate precision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Marianne?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe came to me because she found the succession alteration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she knew I had the old Northstar archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she come to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she believed your office was compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas she right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan looked around the executive floor as if walls could become suspects.<\/p>\n
Warren continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone knew she downloaded the file within six minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMonitoring software.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan\u2019s face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat system is isolated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want from Brittany?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany touched my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat cooperation?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren answered her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour trust attack failed. That means Northstar will move to the corporate route.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother\u2019s incapacity clause.\u201d<\/p>\n
The altered succession documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need Mom incapacitated?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need a physician willing to certify it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood chilled.<\/p>\n
Kendra said, \u201cThe paper original defeats that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately if presented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf presented before a corporate action.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat action?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA special board vote.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren said, \u201cSale of Mercer Ridge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
The company was not for sale.<\/p>\n
No board discussion had authorized one.<\/p>\n
No legitimate offer existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSale to whom?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cA holding group called Halcyon Strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan started searching.<\/p>\n
Warren continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe offer will arrive tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat value?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne hundred thirty million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Far below reasonable valuation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would the board approve that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it fails.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless your sixty-eight percent voting block is temporarily represented by someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marianne\u2019s forged designation.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Marianne won\u2019t do it,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the scheme fails.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless Northstar produces a revised designation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendra swore quietly.<\/p>\n
Warren said, \u201cThe file downloaded last night contained the signature certificate and drafting history needed to manufacture one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarianne\u2019s download.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Marianne has it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHad it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone copied it before she reached me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective signaled that the trace was progressing.<\/p>\n
Brittany asked, \u201cWhy do you need me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your mother\u2019s incapacity is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family holding trust contains a beneficiary-protection clause. If Jocelyn becomes incapacitated while you are under twenty-one, major corporate transactions require independent review.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendra looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI forgot that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did Northstar,\u201d Warren said. \u201cUntil recently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat bypasses it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn adult beneficiary declaration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat declaration?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA statement that you support the transaction and waive review.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t sign that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face emptied.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot knowingly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The birthday forms.<\/p>\n
The tablet.<\/p>\n
The hidden power of attorney.<\/p>\n
Warren said, \u201cVanessa did not give you three documents that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brittany whispered, \u201cThere were three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were four.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne was hidden after signature capture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendra asked, \u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Brittany considered Jocelyn\u2019s management of family assets harmful and authorized restructuring in the event of incapacity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
A file arrived.<\/p>\n
Brittany opened it.<\/p>\n
Her electronic signature appeared at the bottom.<\/p>\n
Timestamp: 12:06 a.m. on her eighteenth birthday.<\/p>\n
The same window when her phone had been downstairs.<\/p>\n
The document referred specifically to Mercer Ridge.<\/p>\n
Not just the trust.<\/p>\n
The birthday scheme had always served two purposes.<\/p>\n
If the trust attack succeeded, Travis gained money.<\/p>\n
If it failed, the forged beneficiary declaration remained available for the company attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho drafted this?\u201d Kendra asked.<\/p>\n
Warren answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I recognize the metadata.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan checked.<\/p>\n
The author field had been scrubbed.<\/p>\n
But one internal template identifier remained.<\/p>\n
MR-LEGAL-4471.<\/p>\n
Mercer Ridge Legal.<\/p>\n
Someone inside my company had drafted it.<\/p>\n
The detective signaled.<\/p>\n
Thirty seconds until location.<\/p>\n
Brittany asked the question everyone else had missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWarren, if you have all this evidence, why not just send it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you need me in person?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
The trace completed.<\/p>\n
A hotel near the airport.<\/p>\n
Police began moving.<\/p>\n
Warren finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there is one piece of evidence I will not transmit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeter Larkin\u2019s recording of Northstar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if Northstar learns I still have it, Marianne and I will not survive the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just told us you have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction came too late.<\/p>\n
A sound erupted through the phone.<\/p>\n
Glass breaking.<\/p>\n
Marianne screamed.<\/p>\n
Then a gunshot.<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
The message reached Brittany\u2019s temporary phone at 3:17. Nobody outside the room was supposed to have the number. That fact alone told us what kind of problem we had. The … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13037"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13064,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13037\/revisions\/13064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}