Chapter 8 - THE BLUE ROOM
Sebastian stabilized again.
Charlotte didn’t wait.
At 3:40 a.m., she returned to the Valle Grand with Daniel.
“Thirty-eight,” she said.
Daniel frowned.
“There is no guest floor thirty-eight.”
“Then what is there?”
“Executive offices.”
They rode upstairs.
The thirty-eighth floor was dark.
Charlotte followed Daniel past conference rooms and locked offices.
At the end of the hall stood a blue door.
She stopped.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Daniel stared.
“I’ve worked here eleven years.”
“You didn’t know about this?”
“I thought it was storage.”
The door had no handle.
Only a keypad.
Charlotte tried Sebastian’s birthday.
Wrong.
The company founding year.
Wrong.
Then she thought of her mother.
Olivia’s birthday.
Click.
The door opened.
Inside was a small archive room.
Blue walls.
Old files.
Photographs.
A desk.
A dusty cassette recorder.
Charlotte walked toward it.
On the desk sat a label.
OLIVIA — 2001.
Her hands started shaking.
Daniel stayed near the door.
“You want privacy?”
“No.”
Charlotte pressed play.
Static.
Then her mother’s voice filled the room.
Young.
Angry.
Alive.
“If Dad ever hears this, it means I was right.”
Charlotte stopped breathing.
Olivia continued.
“Money is leaving the foundation through St. Claire Consulting. Margaret says they’re legitimate payments, but they’re not.”
Daniel looked at Charlotte.
The tape continued.
“I confronted her tonight. She told me to stop digging.”
Olivia’s voice cracked.
“She said Dad would choose her over me.”
Charlotte covered her mouth.
Then another voice appeared on the recording.
Margaret.
You have no idea what you’re doing, Olivia.
Olivia answered.
I know exactly what you’re doing.
Margaret’s voice became colder.
Then walk away.
Or what?
A pause.
Then Margaret said:
Or you’ll lose more than your job.
The recording clicked off.
Charlotte stared at the machine.
Daniel whispered, “Jesus.”
A slow clap came from behind them.
Charlotte turned.
Margaret stood in the doorway.
“How touching.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“How did you get up here?”
Margaret held up a keycard.
“I work here.”
Charlotte grabbed the cassette.
Margaret smiled.
“You really think that proves anything?”
“It proves you threatened my mother.”
“It proves we argued.”
“Over stolen money.”
“Allegedly.”
Charlotte moved toward the door.
Margaret didn’t move.
“Get out of my way.”
Margaret looked at Daniel.
“You’ve made a terrible choice.”
Daniel stared back.
“So have you.”
Then the lights went out.
Daniel swore.
A second later, the blue door slammed.
Metal clicked.
Locked.
Charlotte rushed to it.
“Margaret!”
Smoke began crawling through the vent.
Daniel looked up.
“That’s not smoke from a fire.”
Charlotte coughed.
“What is it?”
Daniel’s face changed.
“Charlotte.”
He grabbed her arm.
May you like
“We need to get out now.”
Outside the room, footsteps slowly walked away.
