Chapter 12 - A DEAD WOMAN'S ORDER
Gregory Shaw had not forged the Zurich proxy six years earlier.
He had created a reusable signature template at Eleanor’s request.
Eleanor had wanted emergency authority to act for Claire if Claire became incapacitated during a hostile takeover.
Illegal shortcut.
Good intention.
Terrible method.
After Eleanor died, the template remained.
Someone reused it.
Gregory claimed Martin knew it existed.
Martin admitted he did.
Claire stared at him.
“You protected my mother.”
“Yes.”
“From me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she asked me to.”
Claire stood.
“And when did you start working for me?”
Martin’s eyes filled.
“The day she died.”
“No. You kept working for her.”
He had no answer.
Claire dismissed him as trust administrator.
Not from her life.
From authority.
Martin accepted it.
“I deserve that.”
“You deserved to tell me.”
“Yes.”
The forensic team traced the recent forged proxy.
The file had been generated from a laptop assigned to Sabrina’s foundation office.
Sabrina went pale.
“I didn’t do it.”
Claire believed she might be telling the truth.
The laptop had been shared with one person during Sabrina’s travel.
Her deputy.
Nina Hale.
Quiet.
Efficient.
Almost invisible.
Nina had resigned that morning.
Her resignation email contained one sentence.
I’m sorry, but none of you were ever going to fix this voluntarily.
Attached was a list of internal files.
Payroll discrimination.
Suppressed harassment complaints.
Vendor kickbacks.
Foundation expenses used for executive travel.
The company Claire thought she controlled had rot in places she had never looked.
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And Nina had just sent the same files to the press.
