Chapter 5 - THE ROOM BEHIND THE LIBRARY
Martin Vale was seventy-one and terrifying in a quieter way than his son.
Preston enjoyed power.
Martin assumed it.
He touched my elbow lightly as he guided me through the crowd.
“Your father built excellent security.”
“He did.”
“Loyal man.”
“He is.”
Martin smiled.
“Loyalty is rare now.”
I understood the warning.
Preston approached with champagne.
“For Claire.”
“No, thank you.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Don’t trust me?”
“No.”
He laughed.
For twenty minutes, nothing happened.
Then Naomi entered the ballroom.
I nearly dropped my glass.
She was not supposed to be there.
She wore a silver dress and looked terrified.
I crossed the room.
“What are you doing here?”
“They sent me an invitation.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Leave.”
“I tried.”
Her voice shook.
“My car won’t start.”
I looked toward the windows.
Then Preston appeared behind her.
“Naomi.”
She flinched.
He smiled.
“What a surprise.”
It was not a surprise.
He had brought her there.
Why?
To scare her?
To expose me?
To make both of us disappear?
I touched my earpiece.
“Dad, Naomi is inside.”
“I see her.”
“Get a team near her.”
“Moving.”
Preston watched me.
“Talking to Daddy?”
I smiled.
“Always.”
He leaned closer.
“You really should stop digging.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes you find things you cannot survive knowing.”
Before I could answer, Martin took the stage.
He welcomed guests.
Praised courage.
Praised transparency.
Praised “the women who refuse to be silenced.”
The hypocrisy almost made me laugh.
Then Tessa’s voice came through my earpiece.
“Claire, I’m in.”
She was not physically inside Vale House.
She was working remotely with investigators.
Using credentials recovered from the old archive, she had reached the private server.
“There’s a live transfer happening,” she said.
“Of what?”
“Files. Someone is wiping the archive.”
“Can you stop it?”
“Maybe.”
“Who initiated it?”
A pause.
Then:
“Martin’s account.”
I looked at the stage.
Martin was still smiling.
Then Naomi disappeared from beside me.
I turned.
Gone.
My earpiece crackled.
Security whispered, “We lost visual.”
I scanned the room.
A library door near the west corridor was closing.
Preston stood beside it.
May you like
Smiling at me.
I ran.
