Chapter 3 - THE ACCOUNTANT WHO DISAPPEARED
Daniel Reeves had missed three calls by the time Emily learned he was gone.
One came from Elena.
One came from Raymond.
The third came from Emily herself.
All went directly to voicemail.
Emily called again.
Nothing.
She stared at Daniel’s contact information while the fetal monitor continued its steady rhythm behind her.
Only three days earlier, Daniel had sent her a message that seemed almost boring.
I found inconsistencies.
Need forty-eight hours.
Do not confront Preston yet.
Emily had followed the instruction.
She had not asked Preston about the unexplained transfers.
She had not asked why a company named Meridian Advisory had received nearly six million dollars from a Whitmore-controlled investment fund.
She had not asked why several payments had been approved on nights Preston claimed he was in Boston.
Now Daniel had vanished.
And his laptop had apparently been used to access her mother’s protected medical archive.
“You said Daniel contacted Elena.”
Emily looked at Raymond.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Three days ago.”
“Exactly what did he say?”
Elena answered.
“He asked whether Saint Claire Medical Holdings retained financial records going back twenty years.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“He would not tell me.”
“Did he mention my mother?”
“No.”
“Did he mention Preston?”
“No.”
Emily stood beside the observation room window.
Dr. Grant had cleared her to leave provided she rested and returned immediately if she developed contractions, bleeding, severe pain, or decreased fetal movement.
Emily planned to follow every medical instruction.
Except the one telling her to reduce stress.
That seemed impossible now.
Thomas stood near the door.
Her father had barely spoken since admitting that he once suspected the Whitmores in Claire’s death.
Emily had not forgiven Raymond.
She had not forgiven Thomas either.
But anger would have to wait.
There were too many moving pieces.
“What happened eighteen years ago?”
She looked from one man to the other.
“Both of you.”
Thomas exhaled.
“Your mother called me from the hospital the night before the crash.”
“What did she say?”
“That she had found proof.”
“Proof of what?”
“She wouldn’t say over the phone.”
Emily looked at Raymond.
“Did she call you?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She asked me to meet her the following morning.”
“The morning she died?”
“The morning after.”
Emily folded her arms.
“So neither of you saw this evidence.”
“No.”
Thomas’s mouth tightened.
“I wanted the car examined privately after the police ruled the crash weather-related.”
“And Raymond stopped you.”
Raymond turned.
“I told him to wait.”
“You threatened to have me removed from the investigation.”
Thomas’s voice rose for the first time.
“You told me I was grieving and irrational.”
“You were grieving.”
“I was her husband.”
“And Emily was fourteen.”
“That does not excuse what you did.”
Raymond looked at Emily.
“At the time, Whitmore Health Services controlled nearly forty percent of our hospital operations.”
“So?”
“So if I publicly accused Charles Whitmore of involvement in Claire’s death without evidence, I could have destabilized the entire medical network.”
Emily stared.
“You protected the hospital.”
“I protected thousands of employees and patients.”
“You protected a building.”
“I protected what your mother spent her life building.”
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Claire would have burned the damn building down herself before letting someone use it as an excuse to bury the truth.”
Raymond flinched.
The room fell silent.
Emily looked at her uncle.
That had landed.
Good.
He needed to feel something.
A security officer knocked.
“Mrs. Whitmore.”
Emily turned.
“Mr. Whitmore has requested to speak with you before you leave.”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
“He says it concerns your accountant.”
Emily went still.
Raymond stepped forward.
“Where is he?”
“Conference room six.”
Emily grabbed her coat.
Raymond blocked her.
“You are not going alone.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
Conference room six overlooked the hospital’s west courtyard.
Preston sat at the far end of the table with his attorney, Malcolm Price.
Vanessa was no longer with him.
Emily noticed immediately.
Preston stood when she entered.
His expression softened.
It was the expression he had used throughout their marriage whenever he wanted to pretend a conflict was smaller than it was.
“Em.”
“Don’t.”
He stopped.
Raymond and Elena entered behind her.
Thomas remained in the hall.
Preston glanced toward them.
“I asked to speak privately.”
Emily sat.
“You lost that privilege.”
Malcolm Price cleared his throat.
“My client would like to address several misunderstandings.”
“The kick was on video.”
Elena placed a folder on the table.
“I recommend choosing a different noun.”
Malcolm’s jaw tightened.
Preston ignored her.
“Emily, I did not know Vanessa was going to do that.”
“You watched her.”
“It happened quickly.”
“You told me not to make a scene.”
“I was shocked.”
“You looked annoyed.”
“I was trying to keep things from escalating.”
Emily almost smiled.
“You were standing with your arm around her.”
Preston looked down.
For a brief second, something resembling shame crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
“I made mistakes.”
“One of them has a name.”
“Vanessa and I have been seeing each other.”
Raymond leaned against the wall.
Emily remained expressionless.
“How long?”
“Six months.”
“You’re lying.”
Preston’s eyes flicked up.
“Emily.”
“How long?”
“A year.”
“Still lying.”
Malcolm looked toward Preston.
That interested Emily.
Even his lawyer did not seem to know.
Preston exhaled.
“Almost two years.”
Emily’s fingers curled beneath the table.
Two years.
Before the pregnancy.
Before the fertility treatments.
Before Preston had held her after the second failed embryo transfer and whispered that they would keep trying.
Before he cried when the pregnancy test finally showed two lines.
Emily felt something inside her fracture.
She refused to let it show.
“Why did you ask to see me?”
Preston studied her.
“Daniel Reeves.”
“What about him?”
“You hired him.”
“Yes.”
“To investigate me.”
“To investigate missing money.”
“He contacted me yesterday.”
Emily did not move.
That was new.
“What did he want?”
“He asked for two million dollars.”
Raymond straightened.
Emily stared at Preston.
“For what?”
“To disappear.”
“Disappear from what?”
“He said he had documents that could destroy my family.”
Emily looked at Elena.
Elena gave nothing away.
Preston continued.
“I refused.”
“And now he is missing.”
“I didn’t do anything to him.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to listen.”
Emily leaned back.
“Try.”
Preston’s voice dropped.
“Daniel wasn’t working for you.”
A cold sensation moved down Emily’s spine.
“What does that mean?”
“He had been investigating Saint Claire Medical Holdings before you ever hired him.”
Raymond’s expression changed.
“How do you know?”
“Because he approached my father last year.”
“For what?”
“The same thing.”
“Money?”
“No.”
Preston looked directly at Raymond.
“Information about Claire.”
The room became still.
Emily’s voice came slowly.
“Why was Daniel investigating my mother?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that too?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
“Then why did he contact you?”
“Because he found out you hired him.”
Emily stared.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if he used you.”
“For what?”
“Access.”
Preston leaned forward.
“You gave Daniel documents from our house.”
Emily said nothing.
“You gave him tax statements.”
“Investment records.”
“Foundation reports.”
“Yes.”
“And probably my executive credential printouts.”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Preston’s jaw tightened.
“Someone got my login information.”
“Your mistress had your badge.”
“That is different.”
“Not really.”
“I did not access your mother’s records.”
“Then why did your credentials?”
“I don’t know.”
Emily watched him.
She had become very good at recognizing Preston’s lies.
His nostrils widened slightly.
He overexplained.
His right hand moved toward his wedding ring.
Now he sat perfectly still.
That meant one of two things.
He was telling the truth.
Or he had become better at lying.
“Where is Vanessa?”
Emily asked.
Preston’s expression shifted.
“I don’t know.”
“You came here together.”
“She left.”
“Security locked the exits.”
“She was questioned and released to another part of the building.”
Elena looked toward the door.
“She is not supposed to leave hospital property until law enforcement finishes speaking with her.”
Preston looked surprised.
That seemed genuine.
Emily stood.
The baby moved again.
She put a hand beneath her stomach.
Preston noticed.
His expression softened automatically.
“Is he okay?”
Emily looked at him.
Something about the question infuriated her.
“You don’t get to ask like that.”
His face tightened.
“He is my son.”
“And I was your wife when you watched her kick me.”
Preston looked away.
Emily turned toward the door.
“Emily.”
She stopped.
“There is something you should know.”
She looked back.
Preston’s face had lost color.
“When Daniel called me, he said something about your mother.”
Raymond stepped away from the wall.
“What?”
Preston looked at Emily.
“He said Claire Saint Claire didn’t die because she found evidence against my father.”
Emily’s heartbeat accelerated.
“What did he say?”
Preston swallowed.
“He said she died because she discovered the wrong Saint Claire.”
Nobody moved.
Emily slowly turned toward Raymond.
Her uncle’s face became unreadable.
“Explain.”
Raymond’s voice was cold.
“Preston is trying to manipulate you.”
“Maybe.”
Emily did not take her eyes off Raymond.
“But I still want the explanation.”
“I have none.”
Preston stood.
“Daniel told me the person Claire was investigating shared her last name.”
Thomas appeared in the doorway.
His face went gray.
Emily saw it.
“Dad?”
Thomas stared at Raymond.
“What did you do?”
Raymond’s head snapped toward him.
“Thomas.”
“What did you do?”
“I did nothing to Claire.”
Thomas entered the room.
“You buried the investigation.”
“To protect Emily.”
“You kept her files sealed.”
“To protect patient information.”
“You stopped the private examination of the car.”
“I told you to wait.”
Thomas’s hands trembled.
Emily moved between them.
“Enough.”
Both men stopped.
She looked at Preston.
“Did Daniel give you a name?”
“No.”
“A document?”
“No.”
“Anything else?”
Preston hesitated.
Emily saw it.
“What?”
“He said there was a second copy of the ledger.”
Raymond’s face changed.
For the first time since arriving, genuine shock broke through his composure.
Emily caught it.
“You didn’t know.”
“No.”
“Where?”
Preston looked down.
“He didn’t tell me.”
Emily’s phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She stared at it.
Then opened the message.
A photograph appeared.
Daniel Reeves stood in what looked like a storage room.
He held that day’s newspaper beside his face.
He looked frightened but alive.
Below the photograph were six words.
DO NOT TRUST ANYONE NAMED SAINT CLAIRE.
Emily looked at Raymond.
Another message appeared.
This one contained an address.
Then a final line.
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH.
Emily locked her phone before anyone else could see.
Raymond studied her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
He knew she was lying.
For once, Emily did not care.
Because twenty minutes later, after leaving the hospital through a private exit with her father, Emily secretly forwarded the address to herself under a false contact name.
She had no intention of going alone.
But she also had no intention of telling Raymond.
May you like
Not until she knew why Daniel Reeves believed the most dangerous person in her life might not be Preston Whitmore.
It might be the man who had just saved her.
