Chapter 12 - The Ledger Behind the Wall
Security moved first.
Mariana stayed behind the protective team as they climbed the stairs.
A side window had been shattered.
The alarm screamed through the mansion.
Footsteps thundered above them.
“East hallway!”
A guard shouted.
Two men ran upstairs.
Another secured Mariana.
Andrew suddenly turned back toward the cellar.
“What are you doing?”
Mariana asked.
“The wall.”
He ran down.
Mariana followed with two guards.
Andrew pulled a wine rack away from the stone.
Behind it was a narrow metal latch.
“You said it was the sixth panel.”
“It is.”
He pulled the latch.
The stone panel opened.
Inside sat a black waterproof case.
Andrew reached for it.
Mariana stopped him.
“Don’t touch it.”
A security officer photographed the compartment.
Then carefully removed the case.
Footsteps sounded behind them.
Everyone turned.
Brenda stood at the bottom of the staircase.
Her hair was wet from the rain.
Her face was terrified.
“Don’t open that.”
Andrew stared at her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hale knows.”
Mariana stepped forward.
“Knows what?”
“Everything.”
Brenda looked toward the case.
“He knows I gave you the recordings.”
Andrew’s face hardened.
“You brought him here?”
“No.”
“I followed him.”
Mariana studied her.
“Where is he?”
Brenda looked upstairs.
“He left.”
A guard spoke into his radio.
“No suspect located.”
Mariana looked at Brenda.
“How did you enter?”
“The kitchen door.”
“It was locked.”
Brenda said nothing.
Andrew suddenly understood.
“You still have a key.”
Brenda looked at him.
Mariana almost laughed at the absurdity.
Of course she did.
Andrew had given his mistress a key to the mansion his wife secretly owned.
But there was no time for irony.
The security officer opened the black case.
Inside was a leather ledger.
Three encrypted drives.
And a stack of signed agreements.
Andrew stared.
“I never saw those.”
Mariana looked at him.
“You hid the case.”
“I hid the ledger.”
He pointed toward the drives.
“Those weren’t there.”
The room became silent.
Brenda stepped backward.
Mariana noticed.
“Brenda.”
She stopped.
“What’s on the drives?”
“I don’t know.”
“Brenda.”
Her eyes filled with fear.
“Hale’s insurance.”
“Against whom?”
Brenda looked at Andrew.
Then Mariana.
“Your grandfather.”
Mariana went still.
“What did you say?”
Brenda swallowed.
“Hale wasn’t trying to get into Escalante through Andrew.”
She looked directly at Mariana.
“Andrew was only the backup plan.”
Mariana’s voice became very quiet.
“Then what was the first plan?”
May you like
Brenda answered.
“Someone already inside your family.”
