Chapter 14 - THE NAME INSIDE THE PASSPORT
The passport was a convincing forgery, according to the preliminary examination.
My photograph had been attached to the identity of the woman who had fled years earlier.
I stared at the evidence photograph as if it might explain itself.
“Why would they want me to be Natalie?” I asked.
Rebecca did not speculate.
Daniel traced travel reservations, canceled tickets, and invoices from a document services provider.
Several documents suggested someone had explored moving funds through foreign accounts while using false identities.
The discovery expanded the inquiry beyond a bitter divorce and disputed property.
Federal investigators became involved in evaluating the suspected identity and financial offenses.
Gloria claimed the passports belonged to former clients of a legitimate travel assistance service.
She produced invoices that looked recently manufactured.
Walter stopped appearing in public.
Trent called me after midnight.
For the first time, he sounded exhausted.
“Harper, I need to talk without lawyers.”
“No.”
“Gloria is lying to everyone.”
“Then tell your lawyer what you know.”
“You don't understand what she can do.”
“I'm learning.”
His breathing shook.
“She's going to make me the one who takes the fall.”
I heard a car engine in the background.
“Where are you?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He laughed bitterly.
“Still worrying about me?”
“No,” I said.
“I'm wondering if you're recording this call.”
He hung up.
The next morning the forensic team recovered a partial message thread showing Gloria and Martin Vale discussing a person they called the replacement principal.
The phrase appeared repeatedly beside lists of my company's clients.
Their aim seemed to be putting a friendly executive in charge if I lost control.
And I knew who had been positioned to fill that role.
Marcus.
I called Rebecca.
“If they'd destroyed my reputation, Marcus could have been persuaded to take over.”
“That is one hypothesis,” she replied.
“We need evidence.”
She got it by evening.
A draft employment agreement offered Marcus a substantial bonus for facilitating an ownership transition to an investor group tied to North Star.
Marcus had not signed it.
But his emails revealed that he had considered the offer.
I invited him to a final meeting with counsel.
His voice broke as he explained how Gloria had flattered him, then threatened to expose his unauthorized disclosures unless he cooperated.
“I thought I could get out before it hurt anyone,” he said.
“You already hurt people,” I answered.
He nodded.
When he left, I approved his termination.
An hour later the investigator called with an urgent update.
Martin Vale had been located.
He was asking for protective arrangements.
May you like
And he claimed that Walter Lawson was the real person in charge.
