Chapter 6 - The Signature
She joined the call with Ethan beside her.
Grant's face changed for half a second.
"Ethan," he said. "You should be resting."
"You should be explaining why you're using a forged document."
Silence.
Grant recovered quickly. "You signed that amendment in January."
"Where?"
"At your house."
"Who witnessed it?"
Grant looked toward someone off camera.
"Nora."
Maya smiled without warmth. "Of course she did."
She informed the board that law enforcement was investigating an attempted poisoning and possible document fraud. The directors postponed the vote.
By noon, Maya had traced the electronic signature certificate.
It had been created from Ethan's home network at 2:18 a.m. on a night he had been hospitalized after collapsing in his bathroom.
"You were unconscious at St. Vincent," Maya said. "Somebody sat in your house and signed as you while you were in an ER bed."
Ethan looked through the hospital window at the city below.
"Nora."
"Maybe. But the certificate was paid for with a Mercer Systems corporate card assigned to Grant."
A knock came at the door.
Detective Chen entered holding an evidence bag.
Inside was a tiny green glass bottle.
Ethan stood.
"Where did you find that?"
"We didn't. Your housekeeper did."
Rosa Alvarez stepped into the room behind her.
She had worked for Ethan since Lily was a toddler.
Rosa looked terrified.
"It was behind the pantry baseboard," she said. "I saw Mrs. Mercer drop something there last week. I thought it was a cap."
Chen set the bag down.
"We're testing it."
Rosa kept twisting her hands.
"There's more."
Ethan waited.
"Three weeks ago, I heard Mrs. Mercer arguing with Mr. Grant in the kitchen. I was cleaning the breakfast room. My phone was recording a voice note for my sister."
"You recorded them?"
"By accident."
She took out her phone.
"I didn't understand it then."
She pressed play.
Grant's voice came through first.
"You keep making him sick. That isn't the same as getting it done."
Then Nora answered.
"Tonight will be different."
Rosa stopped the recording.
Her face had gone gray.
"There is another minute."
Ethan looked at her.
"Play it."
May you like
Rosa swallowed.
"Mr. Mercer, the next thing they talked about was Lily."
