Chapter 14 - The Man at the Window
Dad and I entered the mansion with two officers.
The upstairs hallway was empty.
A side door near the library stood open.
Outside, tire marks cut across the gravel service lane.
Victor Dane was gone.
But he had left something behind.
In the room overlooking the wedding lawn, we found a leather briefcase containing copies of the trust agreement, my company’s shareholder structure, and photographs of my parents’ house.
There were notes beside each document.
Eleanor — pressure point.
Robert — legal obstacle.
Daniel — emotional attachment, exploitable.
I read the last line twice.
Dad stood beside me, perfectly still.
“This was never just Lauren’s plan,” I said.
“No.”
“Did you know about Victor?”
“I suspected another person after Marcus found the loan structure. Not him.”
I looked at the photographs of our home.
My mother walking to her car.
Dad leaving for work.
Me carrying groceries through the side door.
“We were being watched.”
Dad nodded.
One officer found a miniature camera case in the briefcase. Another found printed access logs from Hale Development.
Someone had entered our corporate system using my credentials.
I thought of Lauren sleeping beside me while my laptop sat on the nightstand.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Dad looked at me.
I answered on speaker.
A man’s calm voice said, “Daniel Hale.”
“Victor.”
He chuckled. “So the bride finally told you something true.”
“Where are you?”
“Not important.”
“The police are looking for you.”
“They’ve looked before.”
Dad leaned closer. “You targeted my family.”
Victor’s voice cooled. “Robert Hale. The honorable man who walked away from my deal and cost me forty million dollars.”
Dad’s face changed.
This was personal.
Victor continued. “Your son was supposed to correct that mistake.”
I said, “I’m not signing anything.”
“I know.”
“Then we’re done.”
“No, Daniel.”
A pause.
Then he said, “Check on your mother.”
My blood went cold.
May you like
I ran for the lawn.
Her chair was empty.
