Chapter 12 - The Missing CFO

Police reached Marcus's apartment at 6:37 a.m.

He was gone.

Julian was still there.

Vanessa was gone too.

Officers separated Julian from the apartment while detectives searched every room.

Julian demanded an attorney.

For the first time, Peter Sloan did not answer his calls.

Elena watched the developing situation from the resort's security office.

Daniel stood beside her.

“We tracked Marcus's access card.”

“Where?”

“He used a maintenance entrance at our private aviation hangar forty minutes ago.”

Elena turned.

“The hangar?”

“Yes.”

Richard was already calling airport security.

“Is the aircraft there?”

“The Gulfstream is.”

“Can it depart?”

Daniel almost smiled.

“No.”

“Why?”

“The owner authorization was revoked at midnight.”

Elena stared at the map.

Marcus had spent years moving through their systems.

He knew the aircraft.

He knew the hangars.

He knew the private entrances.

But once again, he had confused access with ownership.

Police reached the hangar before seven.

Marcus was found inside the aircraft.

He was alone.

Claire was not with him.

Detectives detained him for questioning.

Then they found something in his luggage.

A laptop.

Three passports.

Nearly eighty thousand dollars in cash.

And Claire Benton's phone.

When Elena heard, she closed her eyes.

Richard placed a hand on her shoulder.

“They'll find her.”

Elena wanted to believe him.

At 7:18, Marcus finally talked.

He claimed Claire had contacted him first.

He said she was demanding money.

He admitted meeting her at the gas station.

He claimed she entered his SUV voluntarily.

According to Marcus, he drove her to a motel.

Then she left.

Detectives checked.

The motel existed.

Claire had been captured on camera entering a room.

She was alone.

At 7:32, officers knocked on that door.

Claire answered.

Alive.

Terrified.

But alive.

Elena's knees almost gave way when Miriam delivered the news.

“Is she hurt?”

“No.”

“Why didn't she call?”

“Marcus took her phone.”

Elena sat down.

Claire had apparently agreed to meet him because he threatened to expose personal information about her family.

Once inside the SUV, he demanded every copy of the emails.

Claire lied and said there was only one drive.

Marcus took it.

She had another.

Hidden elsewhere.

At 8:05, Claire arrived at Miriam's office under police protection.

Elena met her personally.

Claire looked older than Elena remembered.

Fear had a way of aging people.

“I am sorry,” Elena said.

Claire shook her head.

“You didn't do this.”

“Neither did you.”

Claire studied her.

“Julian told everyone you were weak.”

Elena almost laughed.

“He told me the same thing.”

Claire opened her handbag.

She removed a small flash drive.

“Then you should see what he said when he thought you would never hear it.”

They inserted the drive.

Hundreds of emails appeared.

Elena scanned the subject lines.

TRUST STRUCTURE.

SUCCESSION.

CONTROL OPTIONS.

HOSPITAL TIMING.

Then she saw one more.

SUBJECT: ELENA REMOVAL STRATEGY.

The date was eight months earlier.

Long before Julian claimed he had fallen in love with Vanessa.

Elena opened the email.

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And finally learned that throwing her out of the resort had never been an impulsive decision.

It had been rehearsed.