Chapter 11 - Richard's Signature
Richard knew the authorization code.
That was the problem.
The transfers on Julia's drive had been approved with a rotating digital key assigned only to him.
"I never signed these," he said.
Tom examined the metadata.
"The system thinks you did."
Vanessa folded her arms. "Nathan had access to everything legal, but not your corporate token."
Richard looked toward Anna.
"My mother did."
"Why?"
"Board emergencies."
Tom shook his head. "The approvals weren't sent from Margaret's office."
"Where?"
Tom pointed to the location data.
Richard's own home office.
Again, the house.
Anna walked to the window.
"Julia said not to trust it. Maybe she didn't mean the building. Maybe she meant every system inside it."
Tom stared at her.
Then he snapped his fingers.
"Biometric fallback."
Richard frowned.
"What?"
"Your corporate token can approve from the estate if the fingerprint reader validates you. But the old model also stored emergency fingerprint templates locally."
"Could someone copy mine?"
Tom hesitated.
"With the right access."
Richard's face turned cold.
"My mother had my estate medical file. Fingerprints from a security renewal."
They returned to the estate only after police secured it.
In Richard's office, Tom removed the biometric reader.
Behind it was an aftermarket circuit board.
Someone had modified the device to bypass live fingerprint verification.
"This was installed professionally," Tom said.
Anna looked at Richard.
"How long?"
"At least two years."
Before Julia died.
Richard sat down heavily.
His entire life had been used as a signature machine.
The company.
The trust.
Maybe even Julia's death.
A detective entered with news from the coast guard.
Nathan's boat had been found drifting twelve miles offshore.
Empty.
Margaret was not aboard.
Neither was Nathan.
But there was blood on the deck.
Richard stood.
"Whose?"
"We're testing it."
Then Anna noticed something on Richard's desk.
A framed photograph had been moved.
Behind it was a tiny square of white paper.
She picked it up.
A hotel room number.
212.
And one word in Margaret's handwriting.
PROOF.
The hotel was near the marina.
Police searched Room 212.
Inside, they found Margaret alive.
Her wrists were bruised.
Her clothes were wet.
Nathan was gone.
Margaret refused medical treatment until Richard arrived.
He stood in the doorway.
For once, she looked old.
"Did you help Nathan steal from Leo?" Richard asked.
Margaret closed her eyes.
"I helped hide losses."
"Did you help drug Julia?"
"No."
"Did you know Nathan was doing it?"
Silence.
"Mom."
Margaret looked at him.
"Not until after the crash."
Richard stepped back as if she had struck him.
"And you said nothing."
"I was trying to protect you."
"From what?"
Her answer came quietly.
"Prison."
---
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://metro.treeiq.biz
May you like
New stories are posted daily, so check back for updates.
