Chapter 8 - The Signature Trap
By two in the morning, Claire was at the downtown police station in a borrowed sweater, answering the same questions three different ways.
She was exhausted enough to cry and too angry to let herself.
Ethan was in another room with an attorney.
Vivian was still missing.
Richard Vale's name had been entered into a widening investigation.
And somewhere in police evidence sat a photograph of Claire taken without her knowledge.
Officer Nolan placed a coffee in front of her.
"You should go home."
Claire gave her a look.
"Which one? The house with secret cameras or the penthouse Ethan's company owns?"
Nolan almost smiled.
"Hotel, then. Somewhere private."
Martin Hale entered carrying a slim laptop bag.
"I found something."
Claire straightened.
Martin opened his laptop to the Bennett Trust portal.
"At 8:03 tonight, someone attempted to upload the forged transfer we found in your foyer."
"From where?"
"Your home network."
"Ethan?"
"Possibly. But the document was rejected because of the failsafe your father installed."
Claire remembered the line in his letter.
"What does the failsafe require?"
"Any transfer above ten million dollars requires two things: your live biometric confirmation and a verbal code phrase known only to you and Samuel."
"Samuel is dead."
"Exactly. Your father designed it so that after his death, the code phrase would be replaced by a phrase sent to you through a separate sealed instruction."
"I never got one."
Martin looked sick.
"I sent it. Certified courier. Four years ago."
"To where?"
"Your Manhattan apartment."
Claire stared at him.
At the time, she had been on her honeymoon.
Ethan had returned to the apartment alone for one night because he claimed he had forgotten his passport wallet.
"He took it."
Martin nodded slowly.
"That would explain how they know a phrase exists."
"But not what it is."
"Unless they opened the envelope."
Claire felt a cold pressure behind her ribs.
"What was the phrase?"
Martin shook his head. "I never knew. Samuel generated it himself."
Officer Nolan's phone rang.
She listened, then looked directly at Claire.
"We found Vivian."
"Where?"
"She walked into St. Matthew's Hospital ten minutes ago. Says she was abducted from her car."
Claire stared.
"Do you believe her?"
"I haven't heard the story yet."
Then Nolan added, "But she asked for you by name."
Claire's jaw tightened.
"Why?"
May you like
Nolan glanced toward Martin.
"Because she says she knows the code phrase."
