Chapter 16 - The Brother
Mark’s answer came immediately.
“At headquarters.”
Everyone went still.
“Why?” I asked.
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Because Daniel called me. He said the lender needed a board consent before Monday.”
“What did you sign?”
“A resolution authorizing the refinancing.”
“Did it mention me?”
“No.”
Daniel laughed through the phone.
“He is lying.”
Maya cut in. “Daniel, if you have evidence, send it to counsel.”
“I am trying to keep my brother from burying himself.”
Mark stepped toward the phone.
“You forged her signature.”
“And you signed the board consent that made the package possible.”
“I did not know.”
“That is what everyone says when the room gets hot.”
Daniel hung up.
Evan checked the documents on his memory card.
The board consent existed.
Mark’s signature was genuine.
But the attachment describing my personal guaranty had a later timestamp.
Someone added it after Mark signed.
“It was modified forty-two minutes later,” Evan said.
“By whom?”
He zoomed in on the document metadata.
User: DMERCER.
Daniel.
Mark sank into a chair.
“He used me.”
Howard looked at his sons and seemed to age ten years in ten seconds.
Then Maya received a call from the lender.
They had suspended the entire refinancing and referred the documents for investigation.
Mercer Construction’s board scheduled an emergency meeting for the next morning.
Patricia had already submitted a statement blaming me.
According to her, I had used my compliance experience to alter company records after a “domestic dispute.”
The statement claimed the bridal-clutch flash drive was fabricated.
I read it once.
Then I smiled.
Maya noticed.
“What?”
“Patricia forgot something.”
“What?”
“The flash drive has file creation dates.”
May you like
“And?”
“Some of the files were created before Daniel and I ever met.”
