Chapter 3 - THE DEAD MAN’S WARNING
Elena stumbled backward.
Valentina looked from the screen to her mother.
“Mom?”
Elena could barely breathe.
The man in the video was Daniel Ramirez.
Valentina’s father.
He had died when she was only three years old.
At least, that was what Elena had been told.
Daniel sat inside what appeared to be a warehouse office.
His shirt was torn near the collar.
A bruise darkened the side of his face.
Behind him stood shelves filled with jewelry boxes.
“I worked for L’Or du Temps for eleven years,” Daniel said.
“I inspected imported stones before they entered the showroom.”
“I believed this company sold luxury.”
“I was wrong.”
Noah increased the volume.
Daniel continued.
“Some of the diamonds are real.”
“Some are stolen.”
“Some belonged to families who never agreed to sell them.”
Mrs. De Los Santos stepped toward the reader.
“Turn that off.”
Noah blocked her path.
Daniel held up a document.
“The De Los Santos Foundation uses charity shipments to move stolen jewels across international borders.”
“The store manager helps replace the tracking numbers.”
“The police officer protecting them is Captain Raymond Cross.”
Several customers gasped.
Mrs. De Los Santos lunged toward the screen.
Elena grabbed her wrist.
“Do not touch it.”
Mrs. De Los Santos stared at her.
“You have no idea what your husband did.”
“I know he died after meeting you.”
“He was a thief,” Mrs. De Los Santos snapped.
“He stole from all of us.”
Elena’s voice dropped.
“No.”
“He tried to expose you.”
Daniel’s video continued.
“If anything happens to me, find the blue ledger.”
“It contains every shipment, every payment, and every name.”
“The ledger is hidden where the mirror reflects what no one wants to see.”
The recording ended.
The screen went dark.
Valentina stared at the memory card.
“Why was that inside my backpack?”
Noah looked toward the locked office.
“Someone wanted us to find it.”
Vincent’s face had become gray.
Mrs. De Los Santos turned on him.
“You said everything was destroyed.”
Vincent hissed,
“Not here.”
“You told me Ramirez died with the evidence.”
Elena heard every word.
Her grief turned into something colder.
“You knew.”
Vincent stepped back.
“I never said that.”
“You just did.”
A pounding sound suddenly came from behind the manager’s office door.
Valentina pointed.
“That’s the person I saw.”
Noah grabbed a heavy display stand.
Vincent moved to stop him.
“No one opens that door.”
Noah shoved him aside.
He pushed the office door open.
A man fell forward onto the marble floor.
His hands were tied.
Tape covered his mouth.
He wore an expensive dark suit.
The customers recognized him immediately.
His face appeared in business magazines.
His name was Alexander Laurent.
He was the owner of L’Or du Temps.
Noah tore away the tape.
Alexander looked directly at Vincent.
“He locked me in there.”
Vincent backed away.
Alexander struggled to stand.
Then he looked at Elena.
“Your husband saved my life six years ago.”
Elena stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
Alexander swallowed hard.
“The night Daniel died…”
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“He was not the person they were trying to kill.”
“I was.”
