Chapter 98 - The Office They Reopened
Nora asked the foundation’s records custodian to confirm who had requested access to the old office.
The request came from Adrian’s firm, not Charles. It listed a purpose: “inspection of remaining company materials.” The meeting with my father had not been included on the request.
Charles’s attorney said Charles intended to retrieve personal documents. Adrian’s attorney said his client was only attending to advise on the records.
Neither explanation answered why the appointment had been scheduled after the board suspended Adrian’s authority.
The custodian refused to open the office without a written instruction from the board. The board reviewed the request and approved a supervised inspection, limited to an inventory. No one could remove a document.
Madison asked to attend as a family representative. The board chair reminded her that she was not representing the family. She agreed to attend as a board member.
I joined her. Dominic stayed outside with his security adviser, not because we expected trouble, but because the old office was near the port and his team knew the building’s access system.
Charles arrived first. He looked older than he had at the dinner, though his suit was still immaculate.
“Claire,” he said.
“Dad.”
He glanced at the folder in my hands. “You brought the letter?”
“No.”
He nodded as if that answer disappointed him.
Adrian arrived ten minutes later with two associates. The custodian recorded their names and checked their identification. One of the associates carried an empty document box.
“Are you here to collect files?” Nora asked.
“Only if the board approves them,” Adrian said.
The inspection began in the old conference room. Dust covered the shelves. The room still smelled faintly of paper and cold coffee. The custodian photographed every cabinet before opening it.
In the second cabinet, she found a narrow drawer that did not appear on the office inventory. It was locked.
Charles looked at the drawer. “I didn’t know that was there.”
Adrian said nothing.
The custodian asked whether anyone had a key. Adrian’s associate reached into his jacket, then stopped when Nora looked at him.
“Do you have a key?” she asked.
“It may be for another cabinet.”
“Please place it on the table.”
He did.
The key fit.
Inside the drawer were three folders, a ledger, and a small recording device. The labels had been removed. The custodian photographed each item before taking it out.
My father stared at the recording device.
“Anne used one of those,” he said.
“Did you know this drawer existed?” Nora asked.
“I don’t remember it.”
Adrian looked at the device. “That may be company property.”
The board chair replied that nothing would leave the room until the inventory was complete.
The first folder contained invoices. The second held bank notices. The third was empty except for a card written in Anne’s hand.
Claire—give this to her yourself.
I stared at my name.
“Who wrote the note beneath it?” Madison asked.
The card had a second line in darker ink:
Wait until she understands the accounts.
The handwriting was unfamiliar. The ink appeared newer than Anne’s.
Charles leaned toward the table. “That isn’t mine.”
Adrian’s attorney asked for the card to be set aside for examination.
The ledger contained payments from the reserve to the dock seller, followed by a repayment entry. The numbers did not match the schedule we had seen. A separate column had been covered with correction fluid.
The accountant asked the custodian not to disturb it. The original page would need imaging under controlled conditions.
Then the recording device lit up.
A red indicator blinked once.
The battery display showed it still had power.
No one touched it.
The custodian called the specialist, who arrived with a protective case. He asked that the device remain sealed until the board approved a forensic extraction.
Charles looked at me. “I never heard that recording.”
“Neither have I.”
Adrian’s expression tightened. “It may contain confidential business discussions.”
“It may contain my mother’s voice,” I said.
The device was sealed.
As we left, my father stopped me by the door.
“Claire, there are things you don’t know.”
“I know that.”
He glanced toward Adrian.
“Not just about the money.”
May you like
Before I could ask what he meant, Adrian’s associate stepped between us.
The inspection was over.
