Chapter 9 - THE OTHER HALF OF THE PLAN
The baby trust held enough voting shares that, if Alexander became incapacitated, Cynthia could become the company’s most powerful individual voter.
But they did find a life-insurance policy.
Vanessa had taken it out six months earlier.
Two hundred million dollars.
Beneficiary:
New Dawn Mothers Foundation.
A charity controlled by Cynthia.
Vanessa claimed Alexander knew.
He did not.
The application used a copied electronic signature.
Rowan supplied the medical exam.
Everything passed through the same people.
At 4:00 a.m., Margaret agreed to see Alexander.
I was not there.
That belonged to them.
Twenty minutes later, he came out alone.
His face was wrecked.
“She doesn’t remember me the way I remember her.”
I said nothing.
“She thinks I stopped looking.”
“Did you?”
His eyes lifted.
“For a while.”
Honest.
He had searched for eleven months.
Private investigators.
Coast Guard contacts.
Airport records.
Then legal advisers convinced him the crash evidence was final.
Eleanor Whitmore, his mother, urged him to accept death.
Vanessa entered his life later.
The guilt hit him visibly.
To Cynthia.
Dated fourteen months after Margaret disappeared.
Subject:
ALEXANDER MUST MOVE FORWARD.
The body contained one line:
If Vanessa is still willing, now is the time.
Alexander stared at the screen.
His mother had helped introduce Vanessa.
Then another email loaded.
From Cynthia to Eleanor:
He still asks about Margaret.
May you like
Eleanor replied:
Then make sure he stops.
