Chapter 3 - Before They Met
"Explain it," Emily said.
Daniel's mouth opened, but nothing came out.
"You signed as my representative before we met. Explain it."
Gloria stepped in. "You are injured and emotional. We should discuss this tomorrow."
Emily turned on her. "You hit me and now you're worried about my emotions?"
Tyler stopped smiling.
Henry pushed the envelope farther toward Emily. "Take everything."
Daniel snatched for it.
Emily moved first.
"Give me that," Daniel said.
"No."
"Those are family records."
"Apparently I'm family when you need my signature."
Daniel's face hardened. It was a look Emily had seen only once before, when a contractor refused to lower an invoice. Cold. Calculating.
"You don't understand what you're looking at."
"Then explain."
Henry answered instead. "Robert Carter was one of my earliest investors."
Emily stared at him.
Her father had never mentioned the Mercers.
"He put money into my first apartment project twenty-eight years ago," Henry continued. "We had a private agreement. He received thirty percent of the development company until his investment was repaid. It never was."
"Why wasn't that in his estate?"
Henry looked toward Gloria.
"Because the agreement disappeared after Robert died."
Gloria's expression did not move.
Emily felt sick.
Her father had died in a boating accident when she was twenty-two. He had left careful records of everything. Almost everything, apparently.
"You think Gloria stole it?"
"I know someone did."
Daniel slammed his palm on the table. "This is insane."
Henry ignored him. "Last month an accountant found a scanned copy in an archive from our old law firm. Once I knew it existed, I started tracing what happened to Robert's interest."
Emily's hand throbbed.
"And?"
"And your father's thirty percent never disappeared. It was quietly diluted, transferred, and hidden through three shell entities."
"Owned by who?"
Henry looked directly at Daniel.
Daniel's chair scraped backward.
"I'm done with this."
Emily blocked his path.
"Owned by who?"
Henry said, "Gloria first. Then Daniel."
Gloria's face became perfectly calm.
Too calm.
"You have no proof," she said.
Henry reached into his coat.
For the first time, fear flashed across her face.
But before Henry could remove what was inside, the lights went out.
The entire house dropped into darkness.
A chair crashed.
May you like
Someone screamed.
And Emily felt a hand rip the envelope from beneath her arm.
