Chapter 17 - The Attorney at the Door
Martin did not run when police came for him.
He sat behind his desk with both hands visible and looked older than Daniel had ever seen him.
“You were at my house,” Daniel said.
Martin nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of Olivia?”
“No.” Martin looked at Detective Reed. “Of what I had done.”
Seven years earlier, Martin had helped Robert Mercer arrange the secret payment to Caleb. He knew the transaction was designed to conceal information from Daniel.
It was not illegal by itself.
But Martin had later discovered Simon was using copies of those records to blackmail Olivia.
“And you stayed quiet,” Daniel said.
“I told myself I was protecting attorney-client privilege.”
“You were protecting yourself.”
Martin closed his eyes. “Yes.”
On the day of the fall, Margaret had called him and asked him to come to the house. He arrived moments after Daniel ran toward the foyer but entered through the side door, saw Olivia beside Margaret, and heard the sirens.
“I panicked,” Martin said. “I thought the police would uncover the old payment and accuse me of helping hide fraud.”
“So you left?”
“Yes.”
“You saw my mother on the floor and left?”
Martin’s face crumpled.
“Yes.”
Daniel wanted to hit him.
Instead, he stood so still his hands hurt.
Reed asked, “Did you take Margaret’s phone?”
“No.”
“Did you know Rosa did?”
“No.”
“Do you know where Simon keeps Vault Nine?”
Martin’s eyes opened.
“Vault Nine?”
Daniel watched recognition flash across his face.
“You do.”
Martin exhaled slowly.
“Simon once asked me to draft a lease for a private records room under a subsidiary name. I refused because the ownership chain made no sense.”
“Where?”
“A storage facility near the old rail yard.”
Reed was already on his phone requesting a warrant.
Three hours later, officers opened Unit 9 at Harrow Storage.
Inside were filing cabinets, encrypted drives, burner phones, and boxes of documents.
One shelf was labeled MERCER.
Another was labeled ROSS.
A third was labeled INSURANCE.
Daniel’s stomach turned.
Reed opened the nearest file.
Inside was a life insurance policy on Daniel Mercer for ten million dollars.
The beneficiary had been changed six months earlier.
Daniel stared at the signature.
May you like
It was another forgery.
And the new beneficiary was Olivia.
