Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Police searched the warehouse until sunrise.
Lydia was not inside.
Her blood type matched the stain on the floor.
The amount suggested an injury, not necessarily death.
Detective Ruiz found a broken fingernail near a loading door.
Beneath it was blue fabric.
Malcolm Vale’s private drivers wore navy uniforms.
The evidence suggested Lydia had been taken by her employer’s people.
Emily remembered seeing Lydia during the mansion party.
She stood behind Vanessa while the necklace accusation unfolded.
She looked nervous.
When Daniel ordered the footage played, Lydia left the foyer before the video ended.
She knew the frame would fail.
The police traced the warehouse cameras.
A navy sedan arrived at 2:14 a.m.
Two men carried Lydia inside.
An hour later, only the men left.
There was no visible second exit.
Daniel’s security team discovered an underground freight tunnel.
It connected the warehouse to an old shipping pier.
Lydia may have been moved by boat.
Federal agents began searching Vale Maritime vessels.
Meanwhile, the Hawthorne board meeting proceeded without Daniel.
The directors voted to suspend him temporarily.
They claimed the family scandal impaired his judgment.
Malcolm was appointed independent merger adviser.
The man under investigation now had more influence over Hawthorne Industries than before.
Daniel entered the boardroom after the vote.
“You appointed a suspected criminal.”
One director adjusted his glasses.
“No charges have been filed against Mr. Vale.”
“He ordered a man to steal evidence from a bank.”
“An unverified text message does not prove that.”
Emily stood in the hallway listening through the open doors.
These men did not care whether she was Adrian’s daughter.
They cared about the value of their shares.
Malcolm joined the meeting by video.
His face appeared on the wall screen.
“The merger must continue.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Where is Lydia Shaw?”
Malcolm smiled.
“I do not manage my daughter’s assistants.”
“She disappeared from your warehouse.”
“I own hundreds of warehouses.”
“You destroyed Adrian’s plane.”
The room became silent.
Malcolm’s smile remained.
“That is a serious accusation.”
“I have his recording.”
“You have the emotional words of a frightened young man.”
Daniel stepped toward the screen.
“You framed his daughter.”
“My daughter made a mistake.”
“Vanessa committed a crime.”
Malcolm’s expression hardened.
“Be careful.”
Emily entered the boardroom.
Every director turned.
She wore a simple navy dress Margaret had provided.
The bruise from Vanessa’s slap remained visible.
“I spent eight months cleaning the rooms where you made decisions about thousands of employees.”
“No one ever asked whether I understood what I heard.”
“I understood enough.”
She placed copied invoices on the table.
During her work at the mansion, Emily often cleaned Daniel’s home office.
She noticed Vale Maritime bills inside Hawthorne project files.
The same invoice numbers appeared repeatedly.
At the time, she assumed duplication was normal.
Now investigators confirmed the bills concealed illegal transfers.
Malcolm looked at her through the screen.
“You are a housekeeper.”
Emily met his eyes.
“And you believed that made me invisible.”
The board postponed the merger vote.
It was not a victory.
But it stopped Malcolm from gaining immediate control.
After the meeting, Daniel received a call from Detective Ruiz.
A Vale cargo ship had been intercepted on Lake Michigan.
Lydia was found alive inside a refrigerated container.
She was suffering from hypothermia.
Before losing consciousness, she told the rescuers one thing.
May you like
Vanessa did not plan the necklace frame.
Margaret did.
