Chapter 8 - NAOMI
Naomi Beck was alive.
Barely.
Transit police found her in a maintenance stairwell three blocks from the station, dizzy from a head wound and terrified of everyone wearing a suit.
She asked for Sarah by name.
Sarah went alone.
Genevieve waited in the hospital with Ortiz and watched the rain strike the window in gray sheets.
Two hours later Sarah returned.
“She picked up the prescriptions.”
Genevieve closed her eyes.
“Why?”
“Julian told her they were for you. He gave her your ID and said you didn’t want the pharmacy staff gossiping.”
“That sounds exactly like him.”
“Naomi figured out something was wrong when he asked her to destroy the receipts.”
Sarah set a flash drive on the blanket.
“She copied his expense ledger first.”
Ortiz plugged it into an isolated laptop.
The files were ugly.
Payments to shell companies.
Consulting fees to Marcus Lyle.
Transfers to a private investigator.
Money from Eleanor’s family office flowing into Vale Capital, then back out through fake vendors connected to Julian.
Genevieve felt numb.
“How much?”
“Almost eighteen million,” Sarah said.
“And my father found it.”
“Looks that way.”
A folder labeled M.M. contained surveillance photographs of Genevieve leaving doctors’ offices, grocery stores, and prenatal appointments.
Someone had been tracking her for months.
Then Ortiz opened a spreadsheet dated the day Genevieve collapsed.
One line was highlighted.
TRANSFER WINDOW — 72 HOURS POST-DELIVERY.
Below it:
INCAPACITY DECLARATION.
CUSTODY PETITION.
PROXY ACTIVATION.
Genevieve stared at the words.
This had never been panic.
It had been a schedule.
Ortiz clicked the next file.
A payment of $250,000 had been authorized the morning Genevieve went into labor.
The sender was Eleanor Vale.
The recipient was listed only by initials.
M.L.
Marcus Lyle.
Julian’s driver.
May you like
The man who had notarized Genevieve’s forged signature.
And according to the security desk, Marcus had just entered the hospital.
