Chapter 12 - MICHAEL’S LAPTOP
The laptop required forensic recovery.
Several files had been deleted.
Most were restored.
Michael had created a timeline.
Preston’s shell companies.
Margaret’s signatures.
Howard’s involvement.
Dr. Warren’s payment.
Richard’s trust.
And something labeled B-17.
At first, no one understood it.
Then Cole found B-17 on an old construction ledger.
Basement room 17.
Vale Grand Hotel.
The same hotel where Cassandra’s wedding had taken place.
The hotel had been renovated twice.
Basement room 17 no longer appeared on current maps.
An old blueprint showed it behind the wine storage area.
Police opened a sealed wall.
Behind it was a narrow utility room.
Inside were metal filing cabinets.
No one had entered in years.
Preston had used the room as an off-book document archive.
Invoices.
Contracts.
Cash-payment ledgers.
Private investigator reports.
One cabinet contained files on judges.
Inspectors.
City officials.
Competitors.
Employees.
Another was labeled FAMILY.
Richard.
Cassandra.
Michael Bennett.
Claire Bennett.
Sophie Bennett.
My daughter had a file.
The earliest photograph was from when she was two.
I could not breathe.
A handwritten note from Preston said:
Claire remains uninformed.
Child may become useful later if Bennett documents surface.
Cole looked at me.
I did not cry.
Not then.
The file also contained Michael’s final recorded meeting with Preston.
Audio only.
Preston’s voice.
“You’re going to give me every copy.”
Michael answered.
“No.”
“You have a wife.”
Silence.
“A little girl.”
Michael’s breathing changed.
Preston continued.
“People become cooperative when they remember what they can lose.”
My fists tightened.
Michael said, “If you go near them, I send everything.”
Preston laughed.
“Then you better stay healthy.”
The recording ended.
That line was not proof of murder.
But it was enough to change the nature of the investigation.
Preston’s attorney immediately attempted to suppress the recordings.
He failed.
Then investigators found one final item in the B-17 room.
A box of supplements.
Old.
Expired.
Some were identical to the product Richard had taken.
Others were unlabeled capsules.
Forensic labs began testing.
The results would take time.
Margaret learned about the discovery before police announced it.
That meant someone inside the investigation was still talking to her.
Cassandra realized it first.
May you like
“We have a leak.”
And suddenly everyone involved became a suspect again.
