Chapter 4 - A PAPER WITNESS
"They forged my name," Adrian said.
Nora pushed her glasses higher. "We suspect that. We have to prove it before Friday's vote. The board thinks the waterfront sale will keep the company afloat."
"Crescent Harbor houses three hundred families. It's not an asset to flip."
"To Graham Sloane it is."
Graham had been Blackwood Development's chief financial officer since Adrian's father ran the place. He attended birthdays, remembered employees' children, and had visited Adrian every week after the crash. Adrian felt sick thinking about all those polite conversations.
Nora slid over a financial summary. The buyer, Bellweather Holdings, had offered twenty-six million dollars for property appraised at almost ninety. A chain of anonymous LLCs concealed its owners.
"The board won't approve that price," Adrian said.
"They will if Graham convinces them the company faces a debt crisis. He's circulating numbers our auditor hasn't verified."
Adrian called Graham on speaker. "We need to talk about Crescent Harbor."
"Adrian! Heard you're on your feet. Amazing news." Graham sounded delighted. "A miracle, really."
"Whose idea was the sale?"
A pause. "Mine. You weren't available, and somebody had to steer the ship."
"I was sitting ten feet from you every Thursday."
"You weren't yourself."
"Try that answer in front of a judge."
Graham's warmth disappeared. "You should be careful about things you don't understand. Recovery doesn't make you invincible."
The line went dead.
Nora wrote down every word. "Threats on a recorded office line are useful. Not enough, but useful."
At home that afternoon Adrian found a plain red envelope slipped beneath his study door. There was no stamp, only six words written in block letters: ASK WHO HAD THE SPARE KEY.
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Inside was a photograph of his car taken hours before the crash.
Someone had circled the brake line in red ink.
