Chapter 4 - The Dead Phone
Maya unplugged the phone from the portable battery as if it might explode.
"This number was supposed to be inactive?"
Evelyn nodded. "I haven't used that phone in years."
I photographed the message without opening anything else.
Then the device rang.
UNKNOWN CALLER.
We let it stop.
Thirty seconds later, another text arrived.
CLAIRE BENNETT IS NOT YOUR ALLY.
I almost laughed.
"They're trying to separate us."
Evelyn didn't smile.
"It worked on me before."
Maya looked up. "What does that mean?"
Evelyn sat back.
"Years ago, a man came to me with questions about the company. He said employee retirement money had been routed through vendors that didn't provide real services. Harold told me the man was trying to extort us."
"Who?" I asked.
She looked at me.
"Your father."
My chair scraped the floor.
"You met him?"
"Twice."
I stood so fast the coffee tipped.
"You knew my father and never told me?"
"I didn't know who you were until Daniel brought you home. Your last name is common. Then I saw an old photograph on your phone."
"When?"
"Eight months ago."
I felt heat rise behind my eyes.
"And you said nothing."
"Harold had convinced me Thomas was dangerous. By the time I understood he was telling the truth, he had stopped calling."
I wanted to leave.
Then Maya opened the sealed envelope from the box.
Inside was a handwritten statement from Evelyn, dated ten years earlier.
It described hidden vendors, unauthorized transfers, and one sentence underlined twice:
HAROLD SAID BENNETT WOULD BE HANDLED.
I looked at Evelyn.
"Handled how?"
"I never knew."
My phone buzzed.
A message from my employer's security office.
URGENT: YOUR SYSTEM ACCESS HAS BEEN SUSPENDED PENDING AN INTERNAL DATA-THEFT REVIEW.
May you like
A second line followed.
FILES CONNECTED TO CARTER MERIDIAN WERE EXPORTED USING YOUR CREDENTIALS AT 2:13 A.M. ON YOUR WEDDING NIGHT.
