Chapter 3 - The Signature That Wasn't His
The guests protested until his security chief, Mason Reed, stepped forward and said the event was over. Nobody argued with Mason twice. Within minutes, the musicians had packed their instruments, the donors had been escorted toward the lobby, and the ballroom had emptied except for Adrian, Theo, Elena, Celeste, and two guards.
Celeste folded her arms. "You're humiliating yourself over a story from a frightened child."
"Then you won't mind answering a few questions," Adrian said.
"Why did you have Elena removed from the property before the police finished questioning her?"
"She was a risk to the family."
"Why was the nursery alarm offline?"
Elena pulled a folded envelope from the pocket beneath her apron. The paper was creased and soft from being handled too often.
"I didn't come here to beg for my old job," she said. "A month ago, someone sent this to the room I rent. No return address. Inside was a copy of the fire inspection report. The signature at the bottom is yours."
His name appeared beside a statement confirming that all alarms had been inspected and approved forty-eight hours before the fire.
"I never saw this," he said.
"I know," Elena replied. "You were in Chicago. Your assistant booked your flight home after the fire. The report was filed while you were still at the hospital."
Celeste gave a short laugh. "Signatures can be copied. That proves nothing."
"It proves someone wanted the report to look final," Elena said. "The original inspection sheet was missing from the police file. This copy came with a note: 'Look at the service corridor camera.'"
Mason took the envelope. "That camera feed was wiped the night of the fire."
"Not all of it," Elena said. "I saw a technician pull a storage unit from the security office. He told me the system backed up to a local server. The server was in the old library."
Adrian looked at Mason. "Do we still have that server?"
Mason hesitated. "The library was sealed after the fire. The equipment should still be there."
Celeste's voice sharpened. "You cannot break into a sealed crime scene because a former employee has a piece of paper."
"Then call the police," Adrian said. "Tell them we're reopening the investigation."
Theo slipped his hand into Elena's. "Dad, she told the truth then. She is telling it now."
Adrian crouched beside him. "I should have listened."
"You should have," Theo said, and the quiet disappointment in his voice hurt more than anger.
Adrian stood. "Mason, get the report authenticated. And nobody leaves until I know who had access to that server."
May you like
Mason's phone buzzed. He read the screen and went pale.
"Sir," he said, "someone just remotely activated the old library's security system."
