Chapter 10: The Wife Who Disappeared
For three seconds, Daniel couldn't move.
His phone glowed in his hand. Vanessa's message remained on the screen, and the photograph of the open company vault seemed to mock him.
I'm sorry. I had to make a choice.
Arthur stood behind him, staring at the broken access card on the floor.
“Call her,” Arthur said.
Daniel pressed Vanessa's number.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then a recorded voice announced that the subscriber was unavailable.
He tried again.
Nothing.
“She's turned off her phone,” Daniel said.
Arthur picked up the broken access card with a handkerchief.
“Or someone has taken it from her.””
Daniel spun toward him.
“You think Marcus forced her to do this?””
“I think we have enough evidence to stop guessing.””
Arthur looked at Nia.
“Check the building's access logs. Find out when Vanessa entered the vault and whether anyone accompanied her.””
Nia returned to her laptop.
Evelyn Shaw was already gathering the legal documents.
“I'll contact the bank's emergency legal team,” she said.
“We need to challenge the transfer before the next registration step is completed.””
Arthur nodded.
“Do it.””
Daniel paced across the conference room.
“She knew what those documents meant. She knew what Marcus was planning. And she still helped him.””
Arthur watched his son carefully.
“Perhaps.””
“Dad, you saw the message.””
“I did.””
“She stole the original guarantee.””
“Apparently.””
“What more do you need?””
Arthur's voice remained calm.
“The truth.””
Daniel stopped.
Arthur continued, “If Vanessa has betrayed us, we'll deal with it. But if Marcus has manipulated her into doing something she doesn't fully understand, we need to know that, too.””
Daniel looked away.
He wanted to hate Vanessa.
It would have been easier than remembering the woman who had sat beside him in hospital waiting rooms, who had cooked him dinner after difficult days, who had promised that their marriage would always be a place where he could tell the truth without fear.
But every memory now carried a question.
Had she loved him?
Or had she simply loved what his family could give her?
Nia's voice interrupted his thoughts.
“I found the entry.””
Everyone turned toward her.
“The vault was opened at 8:31 p.m. using Mr. Carter's digital credentials. The system records a second entry four minutes later.””
“Who?”” Arthur asked.
Nia enlarged the screen.
“Vanessa Carter.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Of course.””
“But there's something else,” Nia continued.
“The second entry wasn't made with her personal card. It used a temporary visitor credential.””
Arthur frowned.
“Who issued it?””
Nia checked the authorization record.
“The credential was created by the security administrator at 8:27 p.m.””
“Who is the administrator?”” Daniel asked.
“Marcus Reed.””
Silence fell across the room.
Arthur leaned over the desk.
“Marcus was here?””
“According to the system, yes. He entered the building at 8:19 p.m. and left at 8:52 p.m.””
Daniel looked at the clock.
The transfer had been processed at 8:43 p.m.
Marcus had been inside the building when it happened.
“Call the police,” Arthur said.
“Tell them we have evidence of unauthorized access, suspected forgery, and a transfer of company property.””
Nia nodded and began making the call.
Daniel looked at his father.
“Then Vanessa didn't do it alone.””
“No,” Arthur replied.
“She didn't.””
At 9:26 p.m., two officers arrived at Carter Holdings.
Arthur provided the bank records, the threatening message, and the access logs. Daniel gave them a copy of Vanessa's photograph of the vault.
The officers took statements and explained that the suspected fraud would require a formal investigation. They advised Arthur not to contact Marcus directly or attempt to recover the missing document himself.
Arthur agreed.
But when the officers left to speak with the building's security staff, Daniel walked into his father's office and shut the door.
“There's something I need to ask you.””
Arthur looked up from the papers.
“What is it?””
“Suppose Vanessa did this willingly. Suppose she knew exactly what Marcus was planning and helped him take the guarantee.””
Arthur waited.
“Would you forgive her?””
Arthur took off his glasses.
“That's not my decision.””
“She is my wife.””
“And I'm your father.””
Daniel's expression tightened.
“I'm not asking you to choose between us.””
“Then don't make it a choice.””
Arthur leaned back in his chair.
“Daniel, forgiveness isn't the same as trust. You can forgive someone for what they've done and still refuse to give them another opportunity to hurt you.””
Daniel absorbed the words.
“Did you forgive Richard?””
Arthur stared at the photograph of Margaret on his desk.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because Richard never admitted what he did. He spent twenty-five years telling himself he was the victim.””
Arthur paused.
“And because I let my anger become an excuse not to look for the truth.””
Daniel sat down.
“I don't want to make that mistake.””
“Then don't.””
For a moment, father and son sat in silence.
Then Daniel's phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
He opened the message.
If you want to know why Vanessa took the guarantee, come to the old Riverside Hotel at 10:30 p.m. Come alone.
Below it was a photograph of Vanessa sitting in a dimly lit room.
Her wrists were not tied, but her face was pale and her eyes were red.
Daniel sprang to his feet.
“She's alive.””
Arthur took the phone.
He examined the photograph, then the message.
“This could be a trap.””
“I don't care.””
“You should.””
“Dad, she's my wife.””
“And someone may be using that fact to lure you into danger.””
Daniel clenched his fists.
“Then what am I supposed to do? Sit here while they threaten her?””
Arthur stood.
“No. We're going to give this information to the police and let them determine the safest way to respond.””
Daniel looked at the photograph again.
Vanessa appeared to be staring directly into the camera.
Her lips were parted, as if she had been trying to say something when the picture was taken.
Daniel enlarged the image.
Behind her, on the wall, was a framed painting of a white sailing boat.
He recognized it.
The Riverside Hotel had closed its public restaurant years ago, but the private rooms on the upper floors were still used for corporate meetings.
Arthur looked over his shoulder.
“Do you know that room?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“I've been there.””
“When?””
“Marcus took me there once, before I married Vanessa. He said he wanted to discuss a business opportunity.””
“What happened?””
Daniel swallowed.
“He asked me to sign a document giving him access to some of our property records. I refused.””
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
“Why?””
“Because the document wasn't a normal confidentiality agreement. It gave him authority to negotiate on behalf of Carter Holdings.””
Arthur went still.
“Did you tell anyone?””
“No. I thought he was trying to use our friendship to get an advantage.””
Daniel looked at the photograph.
“Now I think he was testing me.””
Arthur reached for his phone.
“Then we tell the police everything.””
At 10:18 p.m., Daniel sat in an unmarked police vehicle two streets from the Riverside Hotel.
Arthur had insisted on accompanying him to the staging point, but the officers had made it clear that neither man would enter the building without their authorization.
A detective named Laura Bennett sat in the front passenger seat, reviewing the information.
“We have officers watching the main entrance and the rear service corridor,” she said.
“If the person who sent this message is inside, we'll establish that before anyone approaches.””
Daniel nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on the hotel.
“What if Vanessa is being held there?””
“Then we have to make sure we don't put her in greater danger by rushing in.””
Arthur sat beside his son.
He could feel Daniel's leg bouncing beneath the seat.
“Breathe,” Arthur said quietly.
Daniel looked at him.
“I can't lose her.””
Arthur didn't answer.
He had already lost Margaret.
He knew what it meant to love someone so deeply that the possibility of losing them made the world seem unreal.
But he also knew that love could not justify walking blindly into a trap.
At 10:31 p.m., Daniel's phone rang.
Vanessa's number.
He answered immediately.
“Vanessa?””
Her voice came through in a whisper.
“Daniel, listen to me. You have to stop the transfer.””
“We're trying. Where are you?””
“I can't tell you.””
“Are you hurt?””
“No.””
“Then tell me what's happening.””
A door slammed somewhere near her.
Vanessa gasped.
“Marcus doesn't want the money anymore,” she whispered.
Daniel looked at Arthur.
“What does he want?””
“The original guarantee. He says if he gets it, everything changes.””
“Why did you take it?””
Vanessa began crying.
“Because he told me the truth about your mother.””
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“What truth?””
Before she could answer, another voice came through the phone.
A man's voice.
Calm. Familiar.
“That's enough, Vanessa.””
The call disconnected.
Daniel stared at his phone.
Arthur's face had become pale.
He knew that voice.
It was the voice of the man he had once called his closest friend.
May you like
Richard Reed had finally returned.
And he was holding Daniel's wife.
