Chapter 13 - THE SECRET MARCUS KEPT|
I found Marcus at the Whitmore estate that evening.
He was alone in the library, standing beside the shelves where Hugh kept decades of company records.
When I entered, he looked at me as though he had been expecting me.
“Eva came to see you,” he said.
“She came to my apartment.”
He closed his eyes.
“What did she tell you?”
“That I should ask you what happened to the money.”
Marcus sank into a chair.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he opened a drawer and removed a small black notebook.
“I found this in my office last week.”
I took it from him.
The notebook contained handwritten notes about several property transactions. Some entries referred to Northstar. Others listed meetings with Richard Bell and a series of payments that did not appear in the official reports.
“Why didn't you give this to Miriam?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
He looked at me.
“Of discovering that I had been more involved than I remembered.”
I stared at him.
“Explain.”
Marcus rubbed his hands together.
“Eva persuaded me to authorize a preliminary investment assessment. She said the family was missing opportunities because Hugh refused to modernize the portfolio. I agreed to review several properties.”
“That isn't the same as transferring money.”
“I know. But I signed an authorization for a small advance to cover due diligence.”
“How small?”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“From which account?”
“A subsidiary account. I believed it was a standard business expense.”
“And when did you discover the money had gone elsewhere?”
“Last week. The invoice didn't match the work performed.”
I placed the notebook on the desk.
“Did you tell Hugh?”
“Not immediately.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I could fix it before anyone noticed.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You were willing to hide a financial discrepancy to protect your reputation?”
“I thought it was a mistake.”
“You thought it was a mistake because that was easier than admitting you might have trusted the wrong person.”
His face crumpled slightly.
“I was ashamed.”
I sat across from him.
“Marcus, shame is not a plan.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“Give the notebook to Miriam. Tell her everything you remember, even if it makes you look foolish. Especially if it makes you look foolish.”
He pushed the notebook toward me.
“Will you come with me?”
“No.”
His expression fell.
“I need you to understand something,” I continued. “I can help protect the truth. I cannot keep protecting you from it.”
He looked down at the notebook.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he said, “I never thought I would become someone you couldn't trust.”
I stood.
“Neither did I.”
As I left the library, I heard him turn the pages of the notebook.
For the first time, he had something more important to do than persuade me to forgive him.
May you like
He had to tell the truth about himself.
And whatever that truth revealed, it would have consequences neither of us could control.
