Chapter 14 - The First Arrest
Richard did not run.
He simply closed his eyes.
Two agents approached.
Nathan stepped away from him immediately.
That movement told Evelyn everything about Nathan’s loyalty.
Richard was suddenly alone.
The lead agent spoke quietly.
“Richard Hale, you are under arrest for conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction.”
Reporters shouted.
Richard looked toward Evelyn.
“I tried to fix it.”
She stared at him.
Nathan leaned toward his attorneys.
Clara’s testimony had triggered federal interest faster than anyone expected.
Daniel moved beside Evelyn.
“Do not speak.”
Richard was handcuffed.
Before agents led him away, he looked at Nathan.
“You promised me immunity.”
Nathan’s face went blank.
The microphones caught it.
Every camera caught it.
Reporters erupted.
Nathan snapped.
“He is lying.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You said Northstar would absorb everything.”
An agent pulled him toward the vehicle.
Richard shouted one final sentence.
“Ask Nathan about Singapore account seventy-three.”
Nathan’s face changed.
Evelyn saw it.
Daniel saw it.
So did the federal agents.
The press conference ended in chaos.
Within an hour, Grant Meridian’s stock had fallen thirty-two percent.
Arden suspended the acquisition.
Three lenders demanded information.
Two directors resigned.
Nathan blamed Evelyn.
He sent a message.
You wanted war. Enjoy the ruins.
Evelyn read it once.
Then forwarded it to Daniel.
That afternoon, federal investigators requested a meeting.
Clara agreed to cooperate.
Jonathan hired criminal counsel.
Nathan returned to the estate under supervision to collect personal belongings.
Evelyn refused to be present.
She watched through security cameras from Hartwell’s office.
Nathan entered their bedroom.
He looked at the empty spot where the hidden camera had been discovered.
Then he laughed.
Not nervously.
Almost admiringly.
He knew he had been caught.
But he still believed he could survive.
A security officer followed him into the study.
Nathan packed suits.
Documents.
Shoes.
Then he stopped before the wall where their anniversary photograph had hung.
He stared for several seconds.
After that, he reached into his pocket and removed something.
A small key.
Evelyn leaned closer to the monitor.
The same type of key found in the safe.
Nathan slipped it behind a bookcase.
Security did not notice.
Evelyn immediately called.
“Stop him.”
The officer approached Nathan.
“What did you put there?”
Nathan smiled.
“Nothing.”
They searched the bookcase.
A narrow hidden panel opened.
Behind it was a lockbox.
The key fit.
Inside were three flash drives.
A passport under another name.
And a handwritten note.
Evelyn recognized Nathan’s handwriting.
Daniel read it aloud.
If Evelyn finds this, phase two has already failed.
Below that was another line.
Use her father.
Evelyn felt the room tilt.
Her father had been dead fourteen months.
Yet Nathan had written instructions to use him.
Daniel looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn did not know.
Then one flash drive was opened.
The first file was a video.
Her father appeared on-screen.
Alive.
May you like
Speaking directly to the camera.
And the date stamp was three days after his official death.
