Chapter 6 - The Second Accusation
By noon, Mercer Ridge Construction had placed Evan’s internship account under legal hold.
The buyer’s investigators wanted device logs.
Adrian demanded an emergency board meeting.
He told the directors Daniel’s son had improperly copied confidential records and might have altered files.
This time, Daniel did not explode.
He called Linda.
Then Marisol.
Then the company’s IT manager.
The logs showed Evan had downloaded files.
That part was true.
They also showed he had never edited them.
Someone else had accessed the same vendor folder forty minutes after Evan’s permissions were removed.
Adrian’s executive credentials.
“That proves he looked at it,” Daniel said.
Linda shook her head.
“It proves his credentials did.”
Daniel exhaled sharply.
“Right.”
Evan noticed the correction.
His father was finally learning to separate what he believed from what he could prove.
Grace returned from Aunt Rebecca’s house that afternoon.
She had barely stepped inside before she started crying.
“I’m sorry.”
Evan remained on the couch.
“For what?”
“I thought you took my phone.”
“You weren’t the only one.”
Grace flinched.
“Claire told me you hated that Dad bought it for me.”
Evan frowned.
“What?”
“She said you complained because you didn’t get one.”
“I have a phone.”
“I know.”
“Did that not seem weird?”
Grace wiped her face angrily.
“She kept saying you were jealous.”
“When?”
“For weeks.”
Evan stared at her.
The phone had not been a spontaneous plan.
Claire had prepared Grace to believe the accusation before the birthday.
Grace sat beside him.
“She told me you wanted to ruin my party.”
“I bought you those stupid silver headphones.”
“I know.”
“They cost me six weeks of lawn money.”
“I know.”
Despite everything, Grace almost smiled.
Then she started crying harder.
“I’m sorry.”
Evan did not hug her immediately.
Part of him wanted to.
Another part was tired of being asked to repair what adults had broken.
Finally he said, “I’m mad.”
Grace nodded.
“You can be.”
That answer made it easier.
He put an arm around her shoulders.
Daniel watched from the doorway.
Later that evening, Claire called.
Daniel nearly ignored it.
Evan said, “Answer.”
Claire sounded exhausted.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Then talk.”
“Not over the phone.”
Linda had already advised Daniel not to meet Claire alone.
They arranged to meet the next morning at her attorney’s office.
Claire arrived without makeup, wearing the same gray coat she had worn when leaving the house.
Her attorney sat beside her.
Claire looked at Evan.
“I’m sorry.”
He said nothing.
Daniel folded his arms.
“Why did you frame him?”
Claire took a long breath.
“Adrian needed Evan discredited.”
“We know that.”
“Not just because of the invoices.”
Daniel stiffened.
Claire continued.
“He said if Evan started asking questions, you might reopen things Julia had found years ago.”
“You knew about Julia?”
“Adrian told me.”
“When?”
“Months ago.”
“Why?”
Claire stared at the table.
“Because I owed him money.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“How much?”
“Ninety-two thousand dollars.”
Grace was not present, but Evan suddenly felt grateful.
“For what?” Daniel asked.
“My mother’s care. Credit cards. Things I hid from you.”
Daniel looked as though she had slapped him.
“You borrowed ninety-two thousand dollars from my brother?”
“It started as twenty.”
“And he used it against you.”
Claire looked at Evan.
“At first.”
Evan caught the wording.
“At first?”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Later, I stopped needing to be forced.”
Nobody moved.
She continued.
“Adrian said Daniel had cheated him for years. That the company should have been divided equally after their father died. He said all he was doing was taking back money Daniel controlled.”
Daniel laughed once.
“You believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
“Because he was paying you.”
“Yes.”
The room went quiet.
Evan asked, “What was supposed to happen after I got thrown out?”
Claire looked at him.
“Adrian was going to come back to the house.”
“For what?”
“The red binder.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“He already took it.”
Claire shook her head.
“No.”
“He has it?”
“No.”
“Then who does?”
Claire’s face became confused.
“I thought it was still in the safe.”
Daniel and Evan looked at each other.
If Claire was telling the truth, somebody else had removed the binder.
Her attorney spoke.
“My client has one additional piece of information.”
Claire reached into her coat pocket.
She placed a storage receipt on the table.
Daniel recognized the address.
It belonged to a storage facility twenty minutes from Mercer Ridge Construction.
Claire touched the brass key in the evidence photograph on Linda’s phone.
“The key really does open a storage unit.”
“What’s inside?” Evan asked.
May you like
Claire whispered, “Everything Adrian was afraid your mother kept.”
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