Chapter 13 - Forty-Eight Hours
Federal prosecutors moved fast.
Thomas Bell moved faster.
His accounts emptied overnight.
A private jet filed a flight plan from Teterboro to Lisbon.
Authorities stopped the aircraft.
Thomas was not aboard.
Vanessa, awaiting criminal proceedings for child neglect and fraud, suddenly requested a meeting with Richard.
He refused.
She asked again through her attorney.
This time she included one sentence.
THOMAS WILL TAKE SOPHIE IF YOU DON’T LISTEN.
Richard went.
Vanessa sat behind reinforced glass.
She looked smaller than he remembered.
No emerald dress.
No perfect hair.
No practiced authority.
Richard felt nothing resembling sympathy.
“You have five minutes.”
Vanessa swallowed.
“Thomas has a second plan.”
“What plan?”
“If the fraud was exposed, he intended to make Sophie disappear.”
Richard’s face hardened.
“Careful.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“You starved my daughter.”
Vanessa looked down.
“Yes.”
“You locked her in closets.”
“Yes.”
“You made her afraid of food.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled.
“I know.”
Richard leaned toward the glass.
“You don’t get to become helpful now and imagine it changes what you did.”
“I don’t.”
That answer surprised him.
“Then talk.”
“Thomas needed Sophie controlled.”
“Why?”
“Her shares.”
“She’s seven.”
“At eighteen, the Hale trust gives her voting rights.”
“Eleven years away.”
“Unless something happens to you.”
Richard went still.
Vanessa continued.
“If you died, Sophie’s guardian could exercise temporary voting power.”
“You wanted to be guardian.”
“Yes.”
“You were working with Thomas.”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Vanessa looked sick.
“He told me Amelia planned to have me prosecuted.”
“She should have.”
“I was stealing.”
Richard said nothing.
“Thomas offered protection.”
“In exchange for Sophie.”
Vanessa wiped her eyes.
“I told myself I could manage it.”
“You punished a child for drinking water.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Because I needed her obedient.”
Richard felt disgust.
“At least that is honest.”
Vanessa flinched.
“Thomas taught me something.”
“What?”
“If you control what a person is afraid to lose, you control them.”
Richard stared.
“He controlled Charles with his reputation.”
“Mark with prison.”
“Amelia with Sophie.”
“And me with you.”
Richard’s expression hardened.
Vanessa gave a bitter laugh.
“I spent years wanting your life.”
“Not me?”
“At first I thought it was you.”
She looked away.
“It was the life.”
Richard felt only exhaustion.
“What does Thomas plan now?”
“There’s a contingency trust.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does it do?”
“If Sophie is unavailable and you’re declared incapacitated, voting rights move temporarily to a corporate trustee.”
“Thomas?”
“No.”
“Who?”
Vanessa leaned closer.
“Your father.”
Richard frowned.
“Thomas was going to frame Charles?”
“No.”
“He was going to use him.”
Richard thought of Charles’s guilt.
His desperation to protect the company.
“Why forty-eight hours?”
Vanessa’s voice dropped.
“The board votes on the emergency control provision Friday.”
Richard stared.
“What emergency provision?”
“Mark proposed it this morning.”
Richard felt cold.
Mark had said nothing.
“What does it do?”
“Transfers temporary CEO authority if criminal investigations make you unable to serve.”
“To who?”
Vanessa answered.
“Mark.”
Richard left immediately.
He called Mark.
No answer.
The board packet arrived five minutes later.
Emergency meeting.
Friday.
9:00 a.m.
Forty-six hours.
Richard called his chief legal officer.
“Who drafted the resolution?”
A pause.
“Bell & Reeves.”
“Thomas?”
“No.”
“Who?”
“Martin Reeves.”
Richard’s heart sank.
Martin.
The man who gave him Amelia’s letter.
The man who claimed not to know Thomas’s secret accounts.
Richard called him.
Martin answered.
“Richard?”
“Why are you helping remove me?”
Silence.
“I can explain.”
“Do it now.”
“I didn’t draft the provision.”
“Your name is on it.”
“My electronic signature.”
Richard stopped.
Another forgery.
Martin continued.
“Richard, I think Thomas is inside the legal network.”
“He’s been inside everything.”
“I found something else.”
“What?”
“An old contingency document.”
“Whose?”
“Amelia’s.”
Richard’s pulse changed.
“What does it say?”
“If both parents become unavailable, Sophie’s guardian is not Vanessa.”
“Who is it?”
Martin inhaled.
“Margaret Vale.”
Richard looked toward Amelia.
Margaret.
The grandmother no one knew existed.
“Thomas knew?”
“Yes.”
Richard understood.
That was why Margaret had become dangerous.
“Where is she?”
Richard looked around.
Margaret had gone to buy Sophie a coat less than an hour earlier.
He called.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Mara’s phone rang at the same moment.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
“Richard.”
“What?”
“Margaret’s car was found.”
“Where?”
“Parking garage.”
“Is she there?”
“No.”
Richard went cold.
May you like
Mara continued.
“There’s blood on the driver’s seat.”
