Chapter 16 - THE SECOND LEDGER|
The photograph was sent to the investigator, who immediately advised Sarah not to respond or attempt a rescue herself.
Evelyn agreed.
"We have to let the authorities handle this," she said. "A confrontation could put Chloe in greater danger."
Sarah understood the logic.
She also understood the desperation behind the message.
Whoever had taken Chloe believed the second ledger was still accessible.
And the only clue they had was Richard Hale's final message.
Sarah returned to the records from the original Madison Street office. She examined the inventory, the transfer dates, and the list of boxes that had been moved to the archive.
Box 17 had been described as containing founding documents and private correspondence.
It had never been officially received.
But one of the archived photographs showed a younger Charles Bennett standing beside his first business partner in front of a brick building.
Sarah recognized the location.
It was not the Madison Street office.
It was a small warehouse on the outskirts of the city, where the original Bennett company had stored property records before it became a major investment firm.
She gave the photograph to the investigator.
Within hours, officers obtained the necessary authorization to search the warehouse.
Sarah waited with Evelyn at the command center.
Daniel arrived and sat several feet away from them.
Neither spoke.
Finally, he said, "I know you don't trust me."
"That's correct."
"I want to earn it."
"Then start by accepting that you don't get to decide when I trust you again."
He nodded.
"I deserve that."
A message arrived from the investigators.
The warehouse had been searched.
They found an empty safe, several old filing cabinets, and a hidden compartment containing a sealed envelope.
The second ledger was not there.
But the envelope contained a note written by Richard Hale.
The ledger was divided into two parts. The first records the transactions. The second identifies the beneficiaries. Charles has the first. The original beneficiary list was entrusted to someone he believed would never betray him.
Below the message was a date.
The date of Sarah's father's funeral.
Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.
"My father had the ledger."
Evelyn looked at her.
"Possibly. We need to establish what he received and whether it was the original document."
They returned to Robert's archived records and examined the digital drive from the metal box.
A hidden folder contained scanned pages listing dozens of companies, executives, and bank accounts.
At the bottom of the final page was a note.
Beneficiary list secured under independent trust. Access requires the original key and the living trustee's authorization.
Sarah's name appeared beside the trust designation.
Her father had made her the trustee.
She had never known.
The investigator explained that the document might allow authorities to establish the chain of ownership and identify the people who had benefited from the transfers.
But the original key was missing.
Sarah thought about the brass key from the storage locker.
It had opened the box containing the digital drive.
It could not possibly be the key to the trust.
Then she remembered the pearl brooch she had worn to the gala.
Her father had given it to her on her twenty-first birthday.
Inside its clasp, beneath the metal backing, was a tiny engraved number.
May you like
Sarah took it from her handbag.
For the first time, she wondered whether her father had hidden something inside the brooch itself.
