Chapter 7 - The Man Who Knew the Will
Samuel Voss was seventy-three years old.
He was not in Arizona.
He had not been in Arizona for eight years.
Detective Briggs discovered he owned a lake house under a trust in Connecticut.
More troubling, Samuel had never truly retired.
He had continued advising select clients privately.
One of those clients was Elliot Hale.
Richard sat in the farmhouse kitchen while Nathan explained.
“Your half brother has been paying him for years.”
“For what?”
“Estate planning, corporate strategy, private trusts.”
Richard looked at Sophie’s drawing taped to the refrigerator.
Three stick figures.
Daddy.
Sophie.
Maria.
No Camille.
He looked away.
“What did my father’s original will say?”
Nathan hesitated.
Richard noticed.
“What?”
“Your father signed several versions.”
“I know that.”
“No. I mean very late versions.”
Richard frowned.
“How late?”
“Three weeks before he died.”
Richard stared.
His father had died suddenly after a stroke.
Richard had been thirty-two.
Elliot thirty-nine.
The will presented after his death gave Richard controlling ownership.
“What changed?”
Nathan placed a document on the table.
“This was discovered in archived correspondence.”
Richard read.
The draft divided Hale Group equally.
Forty-five percent each.
Ten percent to charity.
Richard looked up.
“So why did I get seventy?”
“That’s the question.”
“Samuel handled the estate.”
“Yes.”
“Are you suggesting Samuel changed the will?”
“I’m suggesting we don’t know which version your father intended to be final.”
Richard leaned back.
The implications were enormous.
If Elliot believed the will had been manipulated, then his resentment suddenly had a different shape.
Maybe he did not merely believe their father favored Richard.
Maybe he believed Richard stole from him.
“I didn’t know.”
“I know.”
“Does Elliot?”
Nathan nodded.
“He probably does.”
Richard closed his eyes.
For years, Elliot had accused him of taking everything.
Richard dismissed it as bitterness.
What if Elliot had been trying, badly, to say something else?
“What does that have to do with Camille?”
Nathan pointed to another document.
“Samuel Voss witnessed one of the fake incapacity documents.”
Richard stood.
“Then arrest him.”
“They need more.”
“He helped forge documents.”
“They need to prove his signature wasn’t copied.”
Richard grabbed his phone.
“I’m done waiting.”
“Richard.”
“I’m calling Elliot.”
Nathan stepped in front of him.
“That may be exactly what they want.”
“I need answers.”
“You need Sophie safe.”
Richard stopped.
Nathan lowered his voice.
“Those are not always the same thing.”
That afternoon, the police located Samuel’s lake property.
It was empty.
Inside they found computers missing, filing cabinets cleared, fireplace ashes still fresh.
But one thing remained.
A photograph pinned behind a desk.
Richard.
At his wedding.
Camille beside him.
Samuel had drawn a red circle around Sophie.
That image ended any remaining doubt.
This was never merely about corporate ownership.
Sophie had always been part of the plan.
At five that evening, Elliot finally called.
Richard answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
Elliot laughed bitterly.
“Nice to hear your voice too.”
“Did you pay Camille?”
Silence.
Richard gripped the phone.
“Elliot.”
“Yes.”
Nathan looked up sharply.
Richard’s stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Because I needed information.”
“About what?”
“The company.”
“You hired my wife to spy on me?”
“I didn’t hire your wife.”
“You sent four million dollars to her company.”
“I sent money to Samuel.”
Richard froze.
“Samuel?”
“He told me Bright Shore was an investigative firm.”
Richard exchanged a look with Nathan.
“What was he investigating?”
“Our father’s estate.”
“Why?”
Elliot’s voice hardened.
“You really don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Our father didn’t leave you seventy percent.”
Richard said nothing.
“He left us equal shares.”
“I saw the draft.”
“It wasn’t a draft.”
Elliot’s bitterness deepened.
“It was the will.”
Richard sat slowly.
“Then why didn’t you contest it?”
“I tried.”
“No, you complained. You never filed.”
“Because Samuel told me Dad changed his mind again.”
Richard frowned.
“What?”
“He showed me another document. He said Dad decided you were the only one responsible enough to lead.”
Richard looked at Nathan.
“So we were both shown different things.”
“Yes.”
A chill spread through Richard.
Samuel had divided them.
Why?
“What did Samuel gain?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
Silence.
Then Elliot said, “Control.”
Richard frowned.
“What control?”
“Our father’s charitable trust.”
Richard looked at Nathan.
The ten percent voting block.
“Samuel managed it.”
“For years.”
That meant if Richard and Elliot were divided, Samuel’s ten percent could become decisive in close votes.
“He kept us fighting.”
“Yes.”
Richard stood.
“And Camille?”
“I met her twice.”
Richard’s blood ran cold.
“When?”
“Before your wedding.”
“You knew?”
“I knew Samuel had someone close to you.”
“You knew she was spying?”
“I suspected.”
Richard’s voice shook.
“And you said nothing?”
Elliot answered quietly.
“You wouldn’t have believed me.”
“You didn’t try.”
“You hated me.”
“I didn’t hate you.”
“You treated me like a jealous failure.”
Richard had no answer.
Because some of that was true.
Elliot continued.
“When I realized Camille was more than an informant, I confronted Samuel.”
“When?”
“Eight months ago.”
“The drugging started six months ago.”
Silence.
Richard understood.
“You triggered Phase Two.”
“I think so.”
“Where are you now?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because Samuel has people everywhere.”
Richard looked at Sophie’s drawing.
“Someone photographed my daughter through her bedroom window.”
Elliot went silent.
“Elliot.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Someone threatened her.”
“I swear to you, Richard, I didn’t know.”
Richard wanted to believe him.
He hated that he wanted to believe him.
“Then help me.”
Another silence.
“I have something.”
“What?”
“A ledger.”
Richard straightened.
“Samuel kept records of every private payment.”
“Where?”
“I took copies.”
“Bring them to the police.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because one of the names in that ledger is inside your company.”
Richard closed his eyes.
“Who?”
Elliot’s voice dropped.
“Someone sitting on your board.”
Richard pictured twelve faces.
Men and women he had trusted for years.
“Give me the name.”
“I’ll give you everything.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“The old train station in Millbrook. Noon.”
Richard looked at Nathan.
Nathan shook his head immediately.
Richard ignored him.
“I’ll be there.”
“No police.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Then you’ll never see the ledger.”
The call ended.
Nathan stared.
“You are not going.”
“Yes, I am.”
“This is obviously a trap.”
“Probably.”
“Then why?”
Richard looked toward Sophie’s room.
“Because someone inside my company helped them get close to my daughter.”
The next morning, Richard prepared to leave.
Before he did, Sophie ran toward him.
“Daddy airplane?”
“No airplane.”
“You come back?”
Richard crouched.
“Always.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
As Richard hugged her, something outside caught his eye.
A flash.
Far beyond the farmhouse fence.
Sunlight reflecting from glass.
Or a camera lens.
Richard stood sharply.
“Maria, take Sophie inside.”
A second later—
May you like
A gunshot cracked across the field.
The kitchen window exploded.
