Chapter 7: The Woman in the Photograph
For several seconds, Danielle couldn't take her eyes off the photograph.
The elderly woman standing beside her grandfather looked familiar, although Danielle couldn't explain why.
She had short silver hair, a warm smile, and a small crescent-shaped birthmark beneath her left eye.
Her grandfather had written seven words on the back.
*If they come for you, find Evelyn.*
Danielle looked at Charles Whitmore.
“Who is Evelyn?””
Charles smiled.
“Someone your grandfather should never have trusted.””
James immediately stepped forward.
“Then why would he leave her name for Danielle?””
Charles shrugged.
“Perhaps because he knew his sons would eventually disappoint him.””
Daniel Brooks laughed quietly.
“Father, let's not get sentimental.””
James turned toward his brother.
“Stop calling that man Father as if you haven't spent the last three years helping him steal from our family.””
Daniel adjusted his cufflinks.
“You're making emotional accusations.””
“Your signature is on the ownership transfer.””
“And yours is on the authorization.””
“Because someone forged it!””
Charles tapped his wheelchair arm.
“Gentlemen, please. We have more important things to discuss.””
Richard Whitmore was still staring at his father.
“You told me you were dying.””
Charles looked at him.
“I was sick.””
“You let me bury you.””
“I allowed you to conduct a memorial service.””
Richard's voice broke.
“You let me stand in front of hundreds of people and say goodbye to you.””
Charles looked away.
“Business required difficult decisions.””
Richard stepped backward.
“Business?””
He laughed bitterly.
“You disappeared, let me believe you were dead, and secretly took control of the company I spent twenty years building.””
Charles remained expressionless.
“You were too emotional to manage the restructuring.””
Richard stared at him.
“And Daniel wasn't?””
Charles glanced toward his younger son.
“Daniel understood the arrangement.””
James looked at his brother.
“What arrangement?””
Daniel smiled.
“The one that keeps the company profitable.””
Danielle finally spoke.
“Where is Evelyn?””
Charles turned toward her.
“That's not something you need to worry about.””
“It's my inheritance.””
“Your inheritance is a complicated matter.””
“Then explain it.””
Charles leaned back.
“Young lady, your grandfather made several promises. Unfortunately, he made promises to people who didn't deserve them.””
Danielle held Amara closer.
“Did you take my money?””
Charles smiled.
“I protected the assets.””
“Did you take my money?””
His smile faded.
“Your grandfather's estate was used to prevent a major financial collapse.””
“Then why did your company pay Victoria Hale?””
Daniel interrupted.
“Because she provided consulting services.””
“Forty-three customer complaints disappeared under her management,” Danielle replied.
“She assaulted me in front of my baby. And your brother's credentials were used to disable a security camera.””
Daniel's expression hardened.
“You're confusing several unrelated matters.””
“No. I'm starting to understand that they're connected.””
Charles looked at her for a long moment.
Then he spoke softly.
“You have your grandfather's stubbornness.””
“And apparently his enemies.””
For the first time, Charles didn't respond.
James stepped toward the table.
“Give us the original trust documents.””
Charles shook his head.
“I don't have them.””
“Then who does?””
He looked at the photograph.
“Evelyn.””
Richard moved closer.
“Where is she?””
Charles looked at him.
“Somewhere your father should have left her alone.””
Richard's face tightened.
“Why?””
Charles didn't answer.
Daniel closed his portfolio.
“We're finished here.””
James blocked the doorway.
“Not until we know who authorized the transfer.””
Daniel looked at him.
“Move.””
“No.””
Two men in dark suits appeared behind Daniel.
James immediately noticed their earpieces.
Private security.
Not Westbridge security.
Charles gave a small nod.
“Gentlemen, please escort Mr. Brooks and his daughter to the exit.””
Daniel Price stepped between them.
“That's not happening.””
Charles looked irritated.
“Who are you?””
“Head of executive protection for Westbridge Holdings.””
Charles laughed.
“Not for much longer.””
One of the men reached inside his jacket.
Daniel Price immediately raised his hand.
“Keep your hands visible.””
The conference room became tense.
Richard looked toward his father.
“You're bringing armed security into my building?””
Charles smiled.
“Your building?””
He tapped the transfer certificate.
“Read the document again.””
Richard picked it up.
His eyes moved down the page.
Then he stopped.
A clause appeared beneath the ownership transfer.
It granted Daniel Brooks immediate authority over the company's security, facilities, and executive personnel.
Richard lowered the paper.
“You transferred my authority?””
Daniel smiled.
“Yesterday.””
James looked toward Richard.
“Is this legally valid?””
Richard swallowed.
“Not if the underlying transfer is fraudulent.””
Charles chuckled.
“Then I suppose you'll have to prove that.””
Danielle looked at the photograph again.
Something about the woman's face bothered her.
She remembered seeing that birthmark somewhere.
Not in an old family album.
Not in a newspaper.
Somewhere much closer.
She turned the photograph over again.
Beneath her grandfather's handwriting, nearly invisible at the bottom, was a handwritten address.
A street.
A city.
And a phone number.
Danielle quietly photographed it.
Charles noticed.
“Put the photograph down.””
She looked up.
“Why?””
“Because it's mine.””
“My grandfather left it for me.””
Charles leaned forward.
“Your grandfather left many things behind.””
Danielle placed the photograph into her coat pocket.
“Then you should have kept better track of them.””
Charles's eyes narrowed.
James almost smiled.
Daniel Price opened the conference room door.
“Mr. Brooks, we have a clear route to the main entrance.””
James nodded.
He looked at Richard.
“Come with us.””
Richard hesitated.
Charles spoke.
“Richard, if you leave with them, don't expect to return.””
Richard stared at his father.
“Maybe that's the first good decision I've made in years.””
He walked out.
The group headed toward the elevators.
Behind them, Charles watched silently.
But as the elevator doors closed, Daniel Brooks took out his phone.
He sent a message.
*THEY HAVE THE PHOTOGRAPH. FIND EVELYN BEFORE THEY DO.*
Then he added another line.
*AND MAKE SURE SHE NEVER TALKS.*
Two hours later, Danielle sat in a private hospital room.
Amara had been examined thoroughly.
The pediatrician found no signs of injury, and Danielle's hip was badly bruised but not seriously damaged.
James stood near the window, speaking with an attorney.
Richard sat in a chair beside the bed.
For the first time in years, he looked like a man who had lost everything he thought he understood.
Danielle studied the photograph on her phone.
“Dad?””
James ended his call.
“Yes?””
“Do you recognize this woman?””
He took the phone.
His expression changed immediately.
“Where did you get this?””
“Grandpa's envelope.””
James zoomed in.
Then he looked at Richard.
Richard slowly stood.
“That's Evelyn Carter.””
Danielle nodded.
“Who is she?””
Richard stared at the screen.
“She was my father's first business partner.””
James frowned.
“First?””
Richard nodded.
“Before Westbridge became a luxury retail empire, Charles and Evelyn started a small property development company together.””
“What happened?””
Richard looked toward the window.
“My father claimed Evelyn had stolen money from their business. She disappeared after a lawsuit.””
James shook his head.
“I remember that story.””
Danielle looked between them.
“Was she guilty?””
Richard hesitated.
“No one ever proved it.””
“Then why did she disappear?””
Richard lowered his voice.
“Because my father had her arrested.””
Danielle looked down at Amara.
“Grandpa knew her?””
James nodded slowly.
“He must have.””
Richard took a breath.
“Actually, I remember something else. Your grandfather visited Evelyn shortly before he died.””
James turned.
“What?””
“I saw him leave a restaurant with her. I asked him about it, but he told me never to mention her name again.””
Danielle looked at the photograph.
“Then we need to find her.””
James nodded.
But before he could respond, his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A woman's voice came through.
“Is this James Brooks?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Evelyn Carter.””
Danielle sat upright.
James put the call on speaker.
Evelyn continued.
“I understand your daughter has a photograph of me.””
James looked at Danielle.
“Yes.””
There was a long pause.
Then Evelyn said something that made Richard grip the edge of the chair.
“Your father-in-law didn't leave Danielle an inheritance, James.””
James frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“He left her the evidence.””
“What evidence?””
Evelyn's voice dropped.
“The evidence that Charles Whitmore murdered her grandfather's business partner, stole the company, and has been using your family trust to hide the money ever since.””
The call suddenly crackled.
Then Evelyn whispered:
May you like
“Come alone tomorrow. And don't trust anyone wearing a Westbridge badge.””
The line went dead.