Chapter 13 - Forty-Eight Hours
Sarah had proof.
Or she once did.
Alexander had secretly recorded board meetings because he suspected Richard Mercer and two partners were diverting company funds.
The night Alexander died, Sarah witnessed Richard confront him aboard the yacht.
There was a struggle.
Richard shoved Alexander.
Alexander struck the railing and went overboard.
Sarah ran.
Richard found her two days later.
He threatened Claire.
Sarah surrendered the only copy of Alexander’s recording.
Or so Richard believed.
Sarah had hidden the original master tape.
“Where?”
“In a storage locker in Connecticut.”
Claire stared.
“You left evidence of a killing sitting in storage for thirty years?”
“I was afraid.”
Claire wanted to be angry.
But Sarah’s fear looked real.
They flew back that night.
The locker was empty.
The padlock had recently been replaced.
Sarah collapsed against the wall.
“No.”
Claire checked the rental office.
Someone had accessed the unit forty-eight hours earlier.
The signature belonged to Sarah Bell.
But Sarah had been in Maine.
Julian had found the locker.
Claire’s phone rang.
It was him.
She answered.
“Where are you?”
Julian sounded calm.
“Thinking about our marriage.”
“Claire.”
“Tell me something.”
She stepped away from Sarah.
“Did your father kill Alexander Voss?”
Silence.
Then Julian exhaled.
“You’ve been busy.”
“Did he?”
“My father is dead.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Julian’s tone hardened.
“You need to come home.”
“I don’t have one.”
“You have forty-eight hours.”
Claire frowned.
“Until what?”
“Until the Voss board votes on the restructuring.”
She felt cold.
“What restructuring?”
“The dormant heir provision was triggered yesterday.”
“How?”
Julian laughed softly.
“Because your mother finally filed your birth records.”
Claire turned toward Sarah.
Evelyn had moved first.
Julian continued.
“In forty-eight hours, the board recognizes you or extinguishes the bloodline claim through litigation.”
“Can they do that?”
“With enough evidence that your identity documents were fraudulent.”
Claire understood.
He planned to argue that Evelyn had manufactured her identity.
Julian said, “Sign the marital agreement and I’ll protect your claim.”
“And give you control.”
“We can both win.”
“You kissed my sister on my birthday.”
A pause.
“That was a mistake.”
“Owen is twelve years old.”
Julian stopped speaking.
Claire ended the call.
Rebecca stared at her.
“What happened?”
Claire looked at the clock.
Forty-eight hours.
Her marriage was over.
Her family history was collapsing.
May you like
And now the company her biological father had died protecting was about to be taken by the son of the man who killed him.
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