Chapter 5 - THE SAFE BEHIND THE PAINTING
By sunset, Grant Bell was officially missing.
Alexander returned to the mansion with two detectives, Marcus, and a search warrant for Grant’s office computer. The house no longer felt like home. Yellow evidence markers sat beside the staircase. A dark smear on the marble had been cleaned, but Alexander could still see it.
His mother’s blood.
Marcus led him into Alexander’s private study.
“There’s something else.”
The painting behind the desk had been moved half an inch.
Alexander frowned. “That safe hasn’t been opened in months.”
Marcus removed the painting.
The electronic safe stood open.
Inside should have been original stock certificates, an emergency passport, and two sealed estate documents.
The shelf was empty.
Alexander turned slowly. “Who has the code?”
“You. Me. Your mother.”
“And Victoria knew it.”
Marcus looked surprised.
Alexander hated admitting it.
“She saw me enter it once.”
Marcus said nothing.
That silence hurt more than criticism.
One detective photographed the safe. The other asked what documents were missing.
Alexander pulled up a secure inventory on his computer.
Then his face went still.
“What?” Marcus asked.
“My voting shares.”
“How many?”
“Enough to control Reed Global.”
Marcus leaned closer.
Alexander scrolled.
“And a medical power of attorney draft.”
“A draft?”
“It was never signed.”
They searched the office for nearly an hour.
At 8:06 p.m., Marcus found a tiny black device taped beneath the edge of Alexander’s desk.
A microphone.
Someone had been listening to every private meeting held in that room.
Alexander sat down hard.
For the first time, the pattern appeared clearly.
Money stolen through shell companies.
Forged signatures.
Missing control documents.
A hidden microphone.
Victoria attacking Evelyn after being confronted.
Grant disappearing.
“This wasn’t theft,” Alexander said.
Marcus looked at him. “What was it?”
“A takeover.”
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
Alexander answered.
No one spoke.
Then he heard breathing.
“Grant?”
A whisper came through the line.
“Don’t trust Pierce.”
Alexander stood.
“Grant, where are you?”
A sharp sound cracked in the background.
Grant gasped.
The call went dead.
Marcus was already tracing it.
Alexander stared at the phone.
Nolan Pierce had been the Reed family attorney for nineteen years.
He had written Alexander’s first employment contract.
May you like
He had attended his father’s funeral.
And he was currently at the hospital with Evelyn.
