Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO NEVER ENTERED THE ROOM|
Daniel Voss arrived at the Kang estate that afternoon carrying a leather briefcase and the confident smile of a man who believed every problem could be solved with the right conversation.
He was in his early fifties, silver-haired, polished, and famous for turning troubled businesses into profitable investments. He had advised James through several acquisitions and had been a guest at the estate so often that the security guards rarely asked him to identify himself.
Today, Cross personally escorted him to the study.
James stood behind his desk.
"Daniel."
"James. I heard you had an incident last night."
"Who told you?"
Voss's smile remained in place.
"People talk."
"Apparently."
He gestured toward a chair.
Voss sat and placed his briefcase beside him.
"Your household director has been accused of misconduct. A temporary employee claims she discovered some kind of surveillance device. I assume you've handled it."
"Fenn is suspended."
"Unfortunate. He's been loyal to the family for years."
"Has he been loyal to you?"
Voss's smile faded slightly.
"What does that mean?"
James placed a document on the desk.
"Northstar Strategic Holdings. Two million dollars transferred from my company four days ago."
Voss glanced at the page.
"Consulting fees. I'll have my team provide the paperwork."
"The company was dissolved eighteen months ago."
"Then the payment may have been processed incorrectly."
"The approval bears my signature."
"Your delegated account, perhaps."
James leaned forward.
"Only three people had access to the terminal that generated the signature. Me, you, and Fenn."
Voss closed the folder.
"Are you accusing me of stealing from you?"
"I'm asking you to explain the transaction."
"Then ask your finance department. Don't let a disgruntled cleaner turn a routine administrative issue into a conspiracy."
James's expression hardened.
"You know about Maya Reeves?"
Voss's eyes flickered.
Only once.
But James saw it.
"I've heard the name."
"From whom?"
"I don't remember."
"Interesting. She's only been employed here for three weeks."
Voss stood.
"James, I've known you since you were a boy. I helped your father stabilize this business after his partners abandoned him. I protected your interests when people thought you were too young to lead. And now you're questioning me because an employee with a criminal history tells you a story?"
"Her criminal history was fabricated."
"Is that what she told you?"
"It's what the records show."
Voss shook his head.
"You're allowing your judgment to be clouded by someone who knows how to play the victim."
James walked around the desk.
"Then the records should clear you."
Voss's expression grew cold.
"Be careful. You don't want to destroy a valuable partnership over a misunderstanding."
"Then give me the original invoices and the bank confirmations."
"I'll have them sent."
"Today."
Voss picked up his briefcase.
"You're making a mistake."
"Maybe. But the records will tell us."
Voss left without another word.
Cross watched him disappear down the corridor.
"Do you think he knows we're investigating him?"
"He knows enough to be nervous."
"What now?"
"Preserve every communication. Restrict his access to financial systems, but don't make accusations we can't support."
Cross nodded.
Later that evening, Maya reviewed the visitor log.
Voss had entered the estate at 2:14 p.m. and left at 2:37.
The security footage showed him walking directly from the entrance to James's study.
But at 2:26, the hallway camera recorded a second figure entering the west corridor.
The person wore a maintenance uniform and carried a toolbox.
Maya enlarged the image.
The face was obscured by a cap.
The person entered a service room connected to the estate's internal network cabinet and left six minutes later.
Maya checked the maintenance schedule.
No repair had been authorized.
She called Cross.
"Someone accessed the network cabinet during Voss's visit."
Cross arrived within minutes.
"Can you identify them?"
"Not from this angle. But look at the toolbox."
Cross leaned closer.
A small white label was attached to the side.
HALLORAN WHITMORE FACILITIES.
Maya felt the blood drain from her face.
May you like
Someone had brought a piece of her old employer into the Kang estate.
And whoever it was had known exactly where to go.
