Chapter 10 - The Final Signature
The heavy silence that followed the guard’s revelation felt heavier than the cold river fog. Detective Vance hauled the handcuffed guard to his feet, shoving him toward the waiting patrol cars, but his words hung in the air like poison smoke. Evelyn slowly pulled herself away from Maya’s embrace, her mind racing backward through a decade of board meetings, charity galas, and unanimous votes.
"Board of directors," Evelyn muttered, her voice hollow. "There are only three people on the executive committee. Julian, Richard... and..."
She stopped, the color draining entirely from her face as she remembered who had authorized the emergency transfer of funds while she and Julian were grieving in Europe twelve years ago.
"Arthur," Maya whispered, finishing the thought. "Our uncle Arthur."
Detective Vance turned back around, walking briskly toward them with a grim expression. "Mrs. Vance, we just received a dispatch from the precinct. While we were securing the boathouse, Arthur Sterling’s estate attorney attempted to shred the original master trust agreement in the back of a parked sedan outside the venue."
Evelyn felt the ground tilt beneath her feet. Arthur. The man who had raised them after their parents died, the benevolent uncle who had funded her education, consoled her at Julian’s side, and smiled warmly at her from the front row of every charity event.
"Where is he now?" Evelyn asked, her voice dangerously calm.
"We have units intercepting his vehicle on the highway," Vance replied. "But he’s sharp, Mrs. Vance. He’s had twelve years to build a fortress around his assets. If we don't have the physical signature from the original master document, his lawyers will claim it was a rogue employee and walk away scot-free."
Maya reached into the deep pocket of her trench coat and pulled out a heavy, water-resistant leather folder, sealing it tightly against her chest. "He won't need to walk away. Because I took the original master document out of his safe before I escaped the clinic this morning."
Evelyn stared at her sister, a mixture of awe and terror washing over her. "You broke into his safe?"
"I learned from the best," Maya said with a faint, grim smile. She opened the folder just enough to reveal a yellowed piece of parchment covered in signatures, stamped with a notary seal from twelve years ago. At the very bottom, bold and undeniable, was the signature of Arthur Sterling, authorizing the liquidation of Maya’s estate—and her disappearance.
Clara walked up quietly, holding out the artificial peach peony flower. "He’s coming," she said, pointing down the winding dirt road toward the highway.
May you like
Headlights cut through the mist. A sleek black limousine rounded the corner, barreling directly toward the boathouse with its high beams blindingly bright.
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