Chapter 6 - The Torn Page
The torn page listed one transfer.
$184,000.
Recipient:
North Crest Logistics.
Purpose:
Emergency transport services.
No transport occurred.
The payment date matched Claire Cole’s admission to Ashford House.
Adrian’s sister had entered rehab quietly.
Only family knew.
Vanessa knew.
Naomi looked at Evelyn.
“Why would the foundation pay anything related to Claire?”
“It didn’t.”
Then Adrian understood.
The transfer used Claire’s crisis as cover.
A week when no one asked questions.
A week when Thomas was in the hospital every day with Evelyn.
A week when Adrian was in London.
Vanessa had access to event approvals.
Graham Pike had old vendor templates.
Daniel Reece had motive to buy Cole Group intelligence.
The pieces fit badly.
Which meant they might fit.
Caleb came in carrying an evidence bag.
He looked nervous.
“My manager told me not to get involved.”
Naomi smiled.
“You already did.”
“Yeah.”
He looked at Vanessa’s empty chair.
“I saw her do it.”
“The kick?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you speak?”
Caleb shrugged.
“Because everybody rich in that room looked like they were waiting to see which story won.”
Adrian heard that.
It hurt.
Good.
Then Caleb added:
“I saw something else.”
The night before the gala, Vanessa used the service elevator.
She was carrying a banker’s box.
Marcus opened the basement security room for her.
The box left fifteen minutes later.
Smaller.
Adrian turned to Marcus.
“What did she take?”
Marcus shook his head.
“I didn’t see.”
Naomi asked:
“What did she leave?”
He swallowed.
“Old hard drives.”
They searched the security room.
Three drives were missing.
One remained.
The label:
FOUNDATION / ARCHIVE / 2024.
Naomi plugged it into an isolated laptop.
Most files were corrupted.
One folder opened.
Inside:
security exports.
A clip showed Thomas Cole entering the archive room three nights before his death.
He carried the black ledger.
Twenty minutes later, Vanessa entered.
May you like
Thomas was still inside.
And the camera went dark.
