PART 14 — The Man Behind the Ashfords
Marcus claimed he wanted immunity.
He offered the deletion password in exchange for protection from prosecution connected to Henry’s death.
The district attorney refused.
Marcus laughed.
“Then in six minutes, you lose everything.”
Garrick tightened his grip on Sienna.
“Give them the password!”
Marcus’s voice came through the speaker.
“You were always impatient, Garrick. Just like your mother.”
Garrick’s face twisted.
“You promised the company would be mine.”
“I promised you an opportunity. You failed.”
That single exchange confirmed what the evidence had begun to reveal.
Marcus had not merely assisted the Ashfords.
He had controlled them.
Twenty-two years earlier, he manipulated the company’s financial crisis so Henry would invest through the Bennett trust.
He planned to gain access to both organizations.
When Henry discovered the scheme, Marcus arranged the crash with Miriam’s help.
Years later, he introduced Garrick to Sienna and encouraged the marriage.
He wanted the voting shares, the trust accounts, and the insurance money.
Everyone else had been expendable.
Including Garrick.
Including Miriam.
Including Sienna.
“Marcus,” I said, “Henry knew you would betray everyone eventually.”
Silence followed.
“He left more than a letter.”
I was bluffing.
But Marcus did not know that.
“What did he leave?”
“A list of the accounts you opened overseas.”
Marcus’s breathing changed.
That was all Evelyn’s forensic team needed.
They monitored the detention-center connection and identified the remote server responding to his voice authentication.
“Keep him talking,” Evelyn whispered through my earpiece.
I looked at Garrick.
“Marcus never intended to give you the company.”
Garrick’s grip loosened slightly.
“He needed your signature and your marriage. After the transfer, you were going to take the blame.”
“No.”
“Look at the insurance policy. Look at the forged emails. Every document points to you.”
Garrick stared at the terminal.
Marcus shouted through the phone.
“Do not listen to her.”
The distraction lasted one second.
Sienna drove her heel down onto Garrick’s foot and twisted away.
Fletcher’s officers rushed forward.
Garrick was forced to the ground.
The broken glass slid across the wet hangar floor.
“Server located,” Evelyn said.
The forensic team isolated the deletion program with eleven seconds remaining.
Every account, payment, and message survived.
But Marcus had one final surprise.
As investigators opened the server, they found a live video feed from my house.
A masked man had entered my study and was pouring gasoline across Henry’s remaining files.
Marcus had hired someone to destroy the original trust records.
Then I saw the intruder remove his mask.
May you like
It was Julian Ashford.
Garrick’s younger brother.
