Chapter 9 - My Mother's Red Notebook
The Singapore hotel lobby smelled of orchids and expensive coffee. I barely noticed either. Adrienne had arranged a secure meeting room, and June appeared on a video screen surrounded by files.
"We located the missing truck," she said. "The driver diverted after a fake order from Carlos's department. The cargo is safe, but someone's trying to make our delivery numbers collapse."
"So I look unfit to run my own company."
"Exactly. And he's been planning longer than we thought."
June held up a scanned page from my mother's old red notebook. Before Mom died, she wrote down every big promise anyone made to Northstar. On the page she'd circled a name: VICTOR SALAZAR, LEGAL ADVISER.
Under it: NEVER SIGN A PROXY WITHOUT ELENA PRESENT.
"Why is that name important?" I asked.
"Salazar witnessed the emergency succession form," Adrienne said. "He's been claiming your mother approved the provision years ago."
I remembered Salazar bringing fruit to Mom in the hospital, calling himself an old friend. After her death, he'd stayed close to Carlos, always offering help. I had accepted it because grief made every familiar face feel safe.
"Mom didn't trust him," I said.
"Then we find out why," Adrienne replied.
A knock sounded. The hotel manager entered with a small brown envelope addressed to me. There was no return address. Inside lay a photocopy of a warehouse receipt and one handwritten sentence.
YOUR MOTHER FOUND THE SAME THING IN 2018. ASK ABOUT THE FIRE.
May you like
I looked up at June. Her face had drained of color.
"Elena," she said, "the warehouse fire wasn't an accident. Your mother was inside when it started."
