Chapter 9 - The Empty Office
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Peter's departure was not immediately treated as proof of guilt.
He had business interests in several states, and his attorney claimed he was attending a previously scheduled meeting. Investigators confirmed that his travel arrangements had been made before Raphael suspended his access.
Still, the timing was suspicious.
More troubling was the fact that someone had attempted to access the company's financial archive from Peter's credentials less than an hour after he left the building.
Samuel caught the attempt and preserved the logs.
Raphael instructed his legal team to notify the appropriate authorities. He did not send men after Peter, though every instinct in him demanded immediate action.
He had learned something from watching Nora refuse to surrender the flash drive.
Speed could save a life.
But haste could destroy the truth.
At the hospital, Nora received a visitor she had not expected.
An older woman entered Room 914 carrying a paper bag of oranges and a small bouquet of white carnations.
"Miss Pell?"
Nora looked up.
"Yes?"
"My name is Evelyn Sloane. I'm Peter's mother."
Nora's hand tightened around the blanket.
"How did you find me?"
"I asked at the hospital desk. I told them I was a family friend."
"They shouldn't have given you my room number."
Evelyn looked embarrassed.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't think."
Nora studied her.
Evelyn was in her late sixties, with silver hair tucked behind her ears and a face that looked exhausted rather than threatening.
"Why are you here?"
"Because my son called me last night, and he sounded frightened."
Nora said nothing.
Evelyn placed the bag on the table.
"Peter told me Raphael believes he's stealing from the company. He says the accusation is false."
"Then he should cooperate with the investigation."
"He says he will."
"Good."
Evelyn hesitated.
"There's something else. Peter has been asking me questions about an old account my late husband maintained. He said it was connected to a property dispute."
Nora felt her attention sharpen.
"What kind of account?"
"I don't know. My husband died five years ago. Peter handled most of the paperwork afterward."
"Do you have the documents?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"He keeps them in a safe at his house. But I remember a company name. It was something like Northbridge Holdings."
Nora's heart began to pound.
Northbridge was one of the companies listed in the suspicious transactions.
She reached for the phone.
"Raphael needs to know this."
Evelyn looked alarmed.
"Please don't tell him I came here. Peter might lose his job, but I don't want him hurt."
Nora paused.
"I won't promise to hide evidence. But I can make sure you aren't put in danger unnecessarily."
Evelyn nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.
Before she left, she touched Nora's hand.
"My son wasn't always like this. He used to help people without expecting anything in return."
Nora thought of the men who had attacked her.
"People can change."
Evelyn lowered her eyes.
"Yes. Sometimes so slowly that their families don't notice until it's too late."
After she left, Nora told Raphael everything.
He arranged for an attorney to contact Evelyn and ensure she could provide any relevant records safely. No one would confront Peter's family or pressure them to make statements.
That evening, Samuel received a copy of an old property agreement.
Northbridge Holdings had been created by Peter's late father.
But the account receiving the suspicious transfers was not the company's original account.
It had been opened eleven months earlier.
The person who authorized it had used a digital certificate belonging to Raphael Corsetti.
Raphael stared at the document.
Someone had not merely stolen his money.
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Someone had been building a false record of his guilt.
And if the scheme succeeded, Raphael could lose his businesses, his freedom, and every person who still trusted him.
