Chapter 13 - THE FIRE IN THE ARCHIVE
Harrison Avery remained free while investigators built the fraud case.
He entered the Cardenas corporate archive using an old executive code.
A night guard saw smoke shortly after two in the morning.
Firefighters arrived before the flames reached the main office.
Several boxes were destroyed.
The original pension-transfer contracts were missing.
Harrison claimed he had been at home.
His gate camera supported the story.
Then Lucy noticed something inside footage from the archive parking lot.
The driver leaving the building wore Harrison’s coat.
The man walked differently.
Rafael recognized him.
It was Harrison’s younger brother, Stephen.
Police found Stephen preparing to leave the state.
He admitted setting the fire.
Harrison ordered him to destroy contracts connecting the Avery companies to Veronica.
The documents were not entirely lost.
Manuel had copied them onto the memory card hidden inside the recipe book’s wooden cover.
Teresa had never noticed the narrow compartment.
Arthur found it after examining the book for damage.
Manuel had created backups in places Veronica considered unimportant.
The kitchen.
The recipe.
The apron drawer.
The spaces powerful people rarely searched.
Harrison was arrested for conspiracy, fraud, and destruction of evidence.
At the courthouse, he called Teresa an opportunist.
She stopped walking.
“You entered my uncle’s company to steal from workers.”
“You planned to marry Veronica and purchase family property below market value.”
“You sent your brother to burn evidence.”
“And you still think carrying an apron is the most embarrassing thing in this story?”
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Reporters captured the exchange.
Harrison did not answer.
