Chapter 4 - Someone Was Still Inside
Vincent Cole, head of Whitmore security, cleared the second floor room by room.
No intruder.
No broken window.
No open door.
Then he found a maintenance panel beside the nursery half unscrewed.
Inside was a wireless relay device wired into the house network.
“That can override cameras,” Vincent said.
Alexander looked at me. “How long has it been there?”
Vincent checked the dust around the screws.
“Not long.”
I thought about the male voice.
“Someone knew we were checking the footage.”
Alexander’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered on speaker.
Nolan Pierce said, “You made a mistake tonight.”
Alexander’s voice became flat. “Come say that to my face.”
“No. Listen. Vanessa is reckless. That doesn’t mean you should destroy the company because your emotions are high.”
“You helped her target my son.”
“Prove it.”
“We have your voice.”
A pause.
Then Nolan laughed softly.
“Do you?”
Vincent looked at Alexander.
Nolan continued. “Security audio can be manipulated. Ask your experts.”
Alexander clenched his jaw.
“What happened to Claire?”
Silence.
Then: “Read the March board minutes.”
The call ended.
Alexander searched his encrypted company portal.
March board minutes were missing.
Vincent checked the backup server.
Also missing.
But an archived email remained from Claire to Alexander, never delivered.
SUBJECT: IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME
The attachment had been deleted.
The email body contained one sentence.
Nolan is not protecting you. He is protecting whoever owns the clause.
Alexander looked at me.
“What clause?”
Before I could answer, Vincent’s radio crackled.
“Sir, you need to come downstairs.”
“What happened?”
“We found someone in the garage.”
May you like
It was Nolan’s paralegal.
And she was bleeding.
