Chapter 4 - THE EMERALD HEIGHTS TRAP
At 7:45 a.m.,
the three primary investors arrived at the Ellis Construction headquarters.
They were powerful men,
men who valued transparency and profit.
Derek met them in the lobby,
his suit tailored perfectly,
his smile a masterpiece of deception.
"Gentlemen,"
he said,
shaking their hands.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"The Emerald Heights project is the future of this city."
Marlene stood behind him,
nodding like a queen mother.
"My son has worked tirelessly to honor his father-in-law's legacy,"
she added,
her voice dripping with fake emotion.
I watched it all through the security feed on Elena's laptop.
I was sitting in the back of a police SUV,
parked just a block away.
The paramedics had cleared me to leave the hospital,
provided I stayed seated.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the clarity of the moment.
"They're going into the boardroom,"
I told the officer beside me.
Detective Vance nodded,
his hand resting on the radio.
"Wait for my signal,
Cassie,"
he said.
"We need him to commit to the fraud on record."
I watched the screen as they sat down.
Derek opened the leather-bound folder.
"Before we sign,"
one of the investors,
Mr. Sterling,
said.
"I received a notification this morning about a secure portal."
Derek froze.
"A portal?"
he asked,
his voice rising an octave.
"I’m not aware of any new portal."
"It must be a system glitch."
"We've had some IT issues since my wife...
went away for her health."
Marlene stepped in quickly.
"The stress of her father's passing was too much,"
she said,
wiping a non-existent tear.
"She’s in a private facility in Arizona."
I felt the bile rise in my throat.
"Liar,"
I whispered.
Mr. Sterling looked at his phone.
"Actually,"
he said,
"the link works."
"It contains some...
disturbing information,
Derek."
"It contains a series of wire transfers to an account held by a Marlene Ellis."
"And it contains some very recent hospital records."
Derek’s face went from tanned to translucent.
He looked at the folder on the table.
"That’s...
that’s nonsense,"
he stammered.
"A disgruntled employee must have hacked the system."
"The Emerald Heights project is solid."
"Look at the projected returns!"
He pushed the contract toward Sterling.
"If you sign now,"
"the first phase begins on Monday."
He handed Sterling a pen.
His hand was shaking so badly the pen rattled against the table.
"Sign it,"
Marlene hissed under her breath.
I leaned forward,
my breath fogging the laptop screen.
"Sign it,
Derek,"
I whispered.
"Sign your life away."
Sterling looked at Derek,
then at the pen.
"Is it true,
Derek?"
"Is Cassie in Arizona?"
Derek swallowed hard.
"Yes,"
he lied.
"I spoke to her this morning."
"She’s doing much better."
I signaled to Detective Vance.
"Now,"
I said.
Vance hit the radio.
"Go!
Go!
May you like
Go!"
The boardroom doors burst open.
