Chapter 9 - The Man With the Key
Cassidy did not return to the executive residence.
She went directly to Meridian Tower.
Owen Price was in his office when she arrived.
He smiled when she entered.
“How did the hearing go?”
“Delayed.”
“Good.”
He looked relieved.
Too relieved.
Cassidy sat across from him.
“I need your help.”
“Anything.”
She slid a financial report onto his desk.
“Marcus found another eighteen million.”
Owen’s expression did not change.
“That’s worse than I thought.”
“It may reach forty.”
He shook his head.
“Brendan was always reckless.”
Cassidy watched him.
“I’m moving money from the continuity reserve tonight.”
That got his attention.
“Why?”
“To protect it.”
“Where?”
“New custodial accounts.”
Owen frowned.
“That requires CFO approval.”
“Exactly.”
Cassidy smiled faintly.
“I need your signature.”
Owen signed.
No hesitation.
Cassidy took the paper back.
“Thank you.”
She left.
Margaret was waiting two floors below.
“You think it’s him.”
“I think Brendan wanted me to think it was him.”
“What was the transfer?”
“There is no transfer.”
Cassidy handed Margaret the signed form.
“The document contains a fake reserve account number.”
Margaret understood.
“If someone tries to access it—”
“We’ll know which credentials they use.”
At 7:42 p.m., the system triggered an alert.
Someone attempted to access the nonexistent reserve.
Credential used.
M-4.
Margaret stared at the screen.
Cassidy remained silent.
Security traced the login.
It came from Meridian Tower.
Twenty-fourth floor.
Executive finance.
Owen’s department.
Daniel Voss and two investigators entered Owen’s office.
It was empty.
His computer was gone.
His phone lay inside a drawer.
And his access badge had been cut in half.
“He ran.”
Margaret whispered.
Cassidy shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed toward the desk.
Owen’s jacket was still on the chair.
His reading glasses were beside the keyboard dock.
A half-finished coffee remained warm.
People fleeing a billion-dollar fraud did not leave without their phone, coat, or glasses.
“He didn’t run.”
Security checked the elevators.
Then stairwells.
Then garage cameras.
At 8:03, they found Owen.
He was sitting inside a conference room on the nineteenth floor.
Alive.
Uninjured.
Terrified.
The door had been locked from the outside.
When Daniel opened it, Owen immediately stood.
“Cassidy.”
She entered carefully.
“What happened?”
“Julian asked me to meet him here.”
“Julian Cross?”
“Yes.”
“He said you wanted a private finance review.”
“What happened next?”
“I came in.”
Owen pointed at the door.
“Then someone locked me inside.”
Cassidy looked at Margaret.
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
That meant the M-4 login had happened while Owen was trapped.
Someone was using his credential.
Cassidy’s trap had worked.
But not the way she expected.
Daniel checked the access reader.
The last person to enter before Owen was Julian Cross.
Margaret’s expression hardened.
Then security called from the lobby.
Julian had just arrived.
He looked confused when officers surrounded him.
Cassidy confronted him personally.
“Why did you lock Owen in that room?”
Julian stared at her.
“I didn’t.”
“Your badge opened the door.”
“My badge was stolen this afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you report it?”
“I did.”
“To whom?”
Julian looked toward Daniel Voss.
The security chief.
The man responsible for every badge investigation.
Daniel’s face did not move.
Julian continued.
“I reported it to Daniel at 3:10.”
Cassidy slowly turned toward the man responsible for protecting her.
May you like
Daniel’s hand moved toward his radio.
Then every light on the twenty-fourth floor went dark.
