Chapter 6 – The Laptop Mark Tried to Destroy
Chapter 6 – The Laptop Mark Tried to Destroy
The courtroom erupted into whispers.
Mark stared at the deputy as though he had spoken another language.
"My office?" he asked.
"There has to be a mistake."
The deputy handed a copy of the notice to Mark's attorney.
"No mistake, sir."
"The warrant was executed at 1:17 p.m."
"Agents seized computers, financial records, and electronic storage devices."
Mark's attorney read the first page.
His shoulders sank.
"This is real."
Mark spun toward his sister.
"What did you tell them?"
She looked stunned.
"I didn't tell anyone anything!"
His mother grabbed his arm.
"Mark, just explain this to the judge."
Judge Rebecca Collins raised a hand.
"This courtroom is not the place to argue about a criminal investigation."
"My concern today is the property and the child."
She signed the final order.
The sound of her pen touching paper echoed through the silent courtroom.
"Mrs. Carter will regain possession of the residence at the conclusion of the forty-eight-hour period."
She looked directly at Mark.
"I strongly suggest you spend those forty-eight hours complying with this court's order."
Outside the courthouse, television cameras waited near the front steps.
Someone had tipped off the local media that an emergency hearing involving a prominent businessman was taking place.
The moment Mark walked outside, microphones were pushed toward him.
"Mr. Carter!"
"Is it true you're under investigation for financial fraud?"
"Did your wife own the house?"
"Are you being evicted?"
He lowered his head and rushed toward his SUV.
His mother covered her face.
His sister nearly tripped trying to avoid the cameras.
Meanwhile, Evelyn and I quietly left through a side entrance with my son sleeping peacefully in his stroller.
"No interviews," Evelyn whispered.
"Let the paperwork speak."
Across town, the headquarters of Carter Development Group was unusually quiet.
Employees stood in small groups, whispering.
Earlier that afternoon, federal agents and bank investigators had entered the building carrying sealed evidence boxes.
No one had expected to see their CEO escorted out of his own office while technicians copied every file from the company's servers.
Inside Mark's office, Daniel Brooks—the senior financial investigator—stood beside a large mahogany desk.
A younger investigator walked over holding a black laptop.
"We found this in the trash room."
Daniel frowned.
"The trash room?"
"It looks like someone tried to destroy it."
The laptop's screen was shattered.
One corner had been burned.
But the hard drive was still inside.
Daniel slipped on a pair of gloves.
"When was it dumped?"
"About an hour before we arrived."
He nodded slowly.
"So someone panicked."
At a hotel across town, Evelyn had reserved a quiet suite for me and the baby until the sheriff completed the court order.
My son finally finished a full bottle and fell asleep without crying.
It was the first peaceful nap he'd had in days.
I watched him breathe.
Tiny chest rising and falling.
Completely unaware that his entire future had changed in one morning.
A gentle knock came at the door.
It was Evelyn carrying two cups of coffee.
"How's our little guy?"
"Asleep."
She smiled.
"Good."
"You need some rest too."
I laughed softly.
"I don't even remember what rest feels like."
She placed another folder on the table.
"I've been reviewing the financial records again."
"Did you find something?"
"I found someone."
She turned one page toward me.
A payroll record.
One employee's name had been highlighted.
Lucas Turner
"Who's Lucas?" I asked.
"He was your company's internal accountant."
"I barely knew him."
Evelyn nodded.
"He resigned six months ago."
"Why?"
"No one knows."
She tapped the page.
"But according to these records..."
"...he downloaded thousands of financial files the day before he quit."
Back at Carter Development, Daniel Brooks sat with a forensic computer specialist.
The damaged laptop had been partially restored.
The technician smiled.
"We recovered something."
Daniel leaned forward.
"What?"
"A deleted folder."
The technician clicked twice.
Dozens of files appeared.
Emails.
Invoices.
Bank spreadsheets.
Scanned signatures.
Then...
One video.
Its title read:
Backup_If_Needed.mp4
Daniel frowned.
"Play it."
The screen flickered.
A man appeared.
Lucas Turner.
He looked nervous.
He kept glancing toward the office door before speaking.
"If anyone is watching this..."
"...something has gone very wrong."
Daniel immediately increased the volume.
Lucas continued.
"My name is Lucas Turner."
"I've worked as senior accountant at Carter Development for eight years."
"I've copied every document I could before leaving."
"If this video has been opened..."
"...it's because Mark Carter finally crossed the line I warned him not to cross."
Daniel exchanged a look with the technician.
"Keep recording."
Lucas pulled several folders onto his desk.
"The money wasn't just transferred."
"It was hidden."
"Some payments were disguised as consulting fees."
"Others were labeled renovation expenses."
"But every dollar came from accounts connected to Emily Carter's inheritance."
Daniel's expression hardened.
Lucas looked directly into the camera.
"I argued with Mark."
"I told him taking money from joint business accounts was one thing."
"But touching inherited assets could destroy him."
"He laughed."
Lucas swallowed.
"His exact words were..."
"'By the time Emily figures it out, she'll be too busy changing diapers to read a bank statement.'"
The room fell silent.
Daniel slowly paused the video.
"Get this copied."
"Immediately."
That evening, Mark sat alone in a hotel room.
His parents had stopped speaking to him.
His sister hadn't answered any of his calls.
His attorney had canceled dinner.
For the first time in years...
There was no one left telling him everything would be fine.
His phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
He answered cautiously.
"...Hello?"
A familiar voice replied.
"Mark."
His blood ran cold.
"Lucas?"
"I heard they finally found the laptop."
Mark stood so quickly the chair tipped over.
"Where are you?"
Lucas ignored the question.
"I tried to stop you."
"You should've listened."
The call disconnected.
Mark stared at the phone.
Then another message appeared.
A text from his attorney.
Don't contact Lucas. The investigators are looking for him too. Call me first thing tomorrow.
Mark slowly lowered the phone.
Outside his hotel window, rain began tapping against the glass.
For the first time since asking for a divorce...
He realized this was no longer about losing a house.
He might lose everything.
Just then, someone knocked three times on his hotel room door.
He opened it.
No one was there.
Only a large sealed envelope lying on the carpet.
May you like
Across the front, written in thick black ink, were six words that made his hands begin to shake.
You Forgot About The Second Folder.
