Chapter 14 - THE RING
Vanessa's wedding ring had been taken during booking.
The police retrieved it.
Daniel recognized the antique diamond.
Vanessa had told him it belonged to her grandmother.
Another lie.
A forensic technician examined the setting.
Nothing looked unusual.
Then he noticed the inner band was slightly thicker than normal.
A concealed compartment opened beneath pressure.
Inside sat a tiny memory device.
Sarah stared through the evidence-room glass.
“Michael did that?”
Richard nodded.
“He knew Vanessa would take valuables after his death.”
“He wanted the evidence attached to something she would never throw away.”
Daniel looked sick.
“She wore Michael's evidence when she married me.”
Richard almost laughed.
“Vanessa loves trophies.”
The device was encrypted.
But Michael had left clues.
Sarah knew how he thought.
His passwords were never random.
They came from books.
Dates.
Private jokes.
Memories.
After several attempts, Sarah remembered the last book Michael had given her.
The Count of Monte Cristo.
Inside the cover, he had written:
THE TRUTH ALWAYS RETURNS.
The password worked.
Folders appeared.
Payments.
Photographs.
Audio files.
Lists of names.
Thomas Avery.
Michael Crane.
Charles Bennett.
Daniel Bennett.
Twenty-three targets.
Sarah's father was listed as TARGET 04.
Michael as TARGET 11.
Charles as TARGET 17.
Daniel as TARGET 24.
Sarah stared at the screen.
She had spent half her life believing each death existed separately.
Now they were lines in the same ledger.
Arthur Vale's authorization code appeared beside dozens of transactions.
Richard had told the truth.
Federal investigators were called.
Arthur Vale's homes and offices were placed under surveillance.
But before warrants could be served, Arthur appeared on television.
He stood outside his foundation headquarters surrounded by reporters.
He looked calm.
Concerned.
Almost fatherly.
“I have learned that my name has been associated with the criminal activities of former business associates.”
He paused dramatically.
“These allegations are false.”
Sarah watched from the station.
Arthur continued.
“I have spent my life serving communities.”
“I will cooperate fully with law enforcement.”
Daniel muttered, “He's ready.”
Richard nodded.
“He's always ready.”
Arthur then looked directly into the cameras.
“One of the people spreading these accusations is a former employee named Sarah Mitchell.”
Sarah went still.
Arthur continued.
“Ms. Mitchell has pursued a deeply personal vendetta for years after the tragic deaths of members of her family and former employer.”
Daniel stood.
“He's attacking her before investigators even arrive.”
Richard's face remained grim.
“That's how Arthur survives.”
“He turns witnesses into suspects.”
On television, a reporter asked whether Arthur knew Vanessa.
Arthur shook his head.
“I have never met that woman.”
Richard laughed.
Then Sarah noticed something in the ledger.
A photograph.
Arthur Vale.
Vanessa Cole.
Richard Hales.
And another person.
Sarah enlarged it.
Daniel came closer.
The fourth person stood partly turned away.
Older.
Gray hair.
Daniel's expression changed.
“No.”
Sarah looked at him.
“You know him?”
Daniel stared at the photograph.
The fourth person was Daniel's uncle.
May you like
Robert Bennett.
The current chairman of Bennett Development.
