Chapter 10 - Richard Voss
Richard arrived at my father's office Monday morning.
He came voluntarily.
That told Arthur everything.
Powerful men rarely arrive voluntarily unless they believe they can control the room.
Richard was sixty-one.
Gray-haired.
Expensive suit.
Perfect smile.
He shook my father's hand.
“Arthur.”
“Richard.”
Then he looked at me.
“Claire.”
He lowered his voice.
“I’m sorry about your marriage.”
I stared at him.
“Which part?”
His smile faded slightly.
Rachel placed a recorder on the table.
Richard noticed.
“I thought this was informal.”
“It is.”
Rachel smiled.
“You're free to leave.”
He stayed.
Arthur showed him nothing.
No spreadsheet.
No emails.
No witness statements.
He simply asked questions.
“Did you know about Bellweather Consulting?”
“No.”
“Martin Hale?”
“Professionally.”
“Project Northstar?”
Richard's eyes changed.
Barely.
But they changed.
That was enough.
Arthur leaned back.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“I didn't tell you Northstar was a project.”
Richard smiled again.
“Lucky guess.”
The meeting ended seventeen minutes later.
Richard walked out believing he had survived it.
He had not.
Daniel entered with surveillance photographs taken outside the building.
Richard went directly from my father's office to a parking garage.
Grant was waiting.
So was Martin Hale.
All three men had now connected themselves physically within thirty minutes of Richard being questioned about Northstar.
Rachel forwarded the photographs to investigators.
At noon, federal agents requested copies of the financial records.
Grant's crisis was no longer a family matter.
It was no longer merely a corporate matter.
It had crossed a line.
At 2:00 p.m., Whitmore Development shares in a privately traded secondary market plunged.
At 2:30, two lenders issued default notices.
At 3:10, the board voted to remove Grant as CEO pending investigation.
The vote was nine to one.
Grant's own uncle voted against him.
At 4:03, Vanessa received a text from Grant.
You did this.
At 4:04, another arrived.
I know where Claire is.
Daniel immediately moved us.
My father refused to treat the threat casually.
By sunset, Vanessa and I were staying at a secured Vance estate outside the city.
That night, someone drove slowly past the gates three times.
The license plate was registered to a company owned by Richard Voss.
Grant's empire was collapsing.
May you like
But a collapsing man could still be dangerous.
Sometimes he was most dangerous when he finally understood there was nothing left to lose.
