Chapter 7 - THE LAKE HOUSE
The lake house stood at the end of a narrow road surrounded by pine trees.
Snow had begun falling when Lena arrived.
She knew Detective Quinn had ordered her to remain at the hotel.
She also knew Helen’s scream had not been staged.
Lena parked behind a line of trees and approached on foot.
Lights burned inside the two-story house.
A dark sedan sat beside the garage.
Victor’s car.
Malcolm’s vehicle was parked behind it.
Lena used the green phone to send her location to Detective Quinn.
Then she activated the emergency recording.
The front door was unlocked.
She entered quietly.
Voices came from the study.
“You cannot destroy those books,” Richard said.
“They belong to the company.”
“They belong to whoever survives this,” Victor replied.
Lena moved closer.
Through the partially open door, she saw Helen seated near the fireplace.
Malcolm stood behind her.
Richard was beside the desk.
Victor held one of the black ledgers.
A metal waste bin burned near his feet.
Several torn pages were already curling into ash.
“You hit your father,” Helen said.
“You threatened your wife.”
“You stole from your company.”
“Stop listing my accomplishments like failures,” Victor snapped.
Richard stared at him.
“Listen to yourself.”
“I built Hale Meridian into a global company.”
“You inherited it.”
“I transformed it.”
“You emptied it.”
Victor stepped toward his father.
“You were weak.”
“You kept money sitting in safe accounts while competitors passed us.”
“I moved capital.”
“You stole pension funds.”
Helen looked at Richard.
“Pension funds?”
Victor’s eyes flicked toward her.
That was when Lena understood.
The money had not come only from wealthy investors.
Victor had stolen from the retirement accounts of thousands of employees.
He had hidden the losses through shell companies.
Lena’s name was intended to absorb the collapse.
A floorboard creaked beneath her foot.
Victor turned.
Their eyes met through the doorway.
For one second, no one moved.
Then Victor smiled.
“You came.”
Lena backed away.
Malcolm closed the study door behind her.
“You should have stayed at the hotel,” he said.
Lena looked at Helen.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
Victor tossed another page into the fire.
“You always cared more about them than they cared about you.”
“That ends tonight.”
Sirens sounded faintly in the distance.
Victor looked toward the window.
Malcolm’s face tightened.
“You said she would come alone.”
“She did,” Victor answered.
“She brought a phone.”
He crossed the room and grabbed Lena’s wrist.
The green phone fell onto the carpet.
Victor raised his shoe.
Lena stared at him.
“It already uploaded everything.”
His foot stopped above the screen.
The same fear from the dining room returned.
Richard moved toward him.
Victor pulled a gun from beneath his coat.
Helen gasped.
May you like
Victor aimed it at his father.
“No more witnesses.”
