Chapter 8 - The Dead Woman's Signature|
Evelyn Hale had been the kind of woman who remembered birthdays, corrected waiters gently, and kept every letter her children had ever written her.
She had also been the person who taught Paige to read a balance sheet.
When Paige married Marcus, Evelyn had taken her aside at the reception and given her a small leather notebook.
“Never let anyone convince you that numbers are beyond you,” she had said. “Money is just a story people tell about what they value.”
After Evelyn died, Paige kept the notebook in a desk drawer.
Now, staring at her mother-in-law's name on a corporate filing dated two years after her death, Paige felt as though the past had opened beneath her feet.
She called Daniel.
“Could someone have used a digital signature?”
“Yes. Or the company could have been registered with documents prepared before her death and filed later. But there's another possibility.”
“What?”
“Someone has been using an identity that no longer belongs to a living person. That can be useful when the real owners want to stay hidden.”
“Can we prove who did it?”
“Not yet.”
Paige opened Evelyn's old notebook.
Most pages contained handwritten calculations, grocery lists, and notes about charitable donations. Near the back, she found a page she had never noticed before.
Three company names were written in a column.
Lantern Strategic Holdings.
Northbridge Advisory.
A third name: Crown Harbor Services.
Beside it was a date and a short phrase.
If anything happens, check the blue room.
Paige read the words aloud.
Daniel went silent.
“What's the blue room?” he asked.
“I don't know.”
“Was it in the house?”
“Yes. A small sitting room Evelyn used when she wanted privacy. Marcus had it converted into a storage room after she died.”
“Does anyone still have access?”
“Marcus does. The house manager might.”
Daniel asked her to photograph the page.
He then contacted Rachel, who advised them not to enter the house or retrieve anything without proper authorization. If evidence existed there, it needed to be preserved lawfully.
Paige understood. She had no intention of turning a financial investigation into an argument about trespassing.
But the discovery changed everything.
Evelyn had known about the companies.
And she had left a clue.
That evening, Marcus arrived at the temporary apartment with Natalie standing in the doorway to ensure he did not enter without permission.
He looked exhausted.
His suit was wrinkled. His eyes were red, and for the first time since Paige had known him, he seemed uncertain about where to put his hands.
“Can I speak with you?” he asked.
“Here.”
“Privately.”
“No.”
He glanced at Natalie.
“I deserve at least five minutes.”
Paige stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
“You have five.”
Marcus took a breath.
“I didn't send those men to the school.”
“I believe you didn't personally send them. That doesn't mean they weren't acting on your behalf.”
“I've suspended the security contractor.”
“Which contractor?”
He looked away.
“Marcus.”
“Crown Harbor Services.”
Paige's heart began to pound.
“Who owns it?”
“I don't know. It was contracted through the foundation.”
“Your mother knew about Crown Harbor.”
He looked up sharply.
“What did you say?”
Paige showed him the photograph of the notebook page.
Marcus read it twice.
“Where did you find this?”
“In her notebook.”
“I thought I'd gone through everything after she died.”
“Apparently you didn't.”
His expression changed.
“There's something I need to tell you about my mother.”
“Then tell me.”
“Three months before she died, she asked me to review the foundation's accounts. She thought someone was moving money through the charity. I promised I'd investigate.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing. The records had been cleaned. Every suspicious transfer had an explanation.”
Paige stared at him.
“And you stopped looking?”
“I believed the problem had been resolved.”
“Because someone gave you documents that looked legitimate.”
He nodded slowly.
For the first time, he seemed to understand the scale of his mistake.
“I should have listened to her.”
“Yes,” Paige said. “You should have.”
He looked at the apartment door.
“Can I see the children?”
“Not tonight.”
He swallowed.
“Paige, I know I hurt you.”
“You hurt me before you closed that door. The door was just when the children understood it, too.”
His eyes filled, but she refused to rescue him from the discomfort.
“I don't expect you to forgive me,” he said.
“Good.”
She stepped back toward the door.
“Find out who owns Crown Harbor. Find out who used your mother's name. And if you discover anything that puts our children at risk, tell Rachel before you tell me.”
Marcus nodded.
As he walked toward the elevator, Paige noticed a small envelope tucked beneath the door.
It had been pushed inside while they were speaking.
Her name was written across the front in Evelyn's unmistakable handwriting.
May you like
Inside was a single sentence.
If Marcus has finally begun asking questions, don't let him ask them alone.
