Chapter 6
The moment Detective Walker mentioned my locker, I felt sick.
Locker 214.
Second floor.
Housekeeping storage room.
I'd used it for three years.
Inside were spare shoes, a sweater, my lunch bag, and a small photograph of Lily.
I couldn't understand why Daniel would hide financial evidence there.
Unless he wanted someone to find it.
Or wanted someone else to take the blame.
I looked at the detective.
"Are you saying the records are in my locker?"
She nodded.
"That's what Daniel claims."
My hands began trembling.
"I didn't put them there."
"I understand."
I swallowed.
"Could someone have used my locker without me knowing?"
"Possibly. We're going to examine the area."
Marcus stepped forward.
"Then Nia shouldn't go back to the hotel."
Detective Walker nodded.
"Not until we understand what happened."
I felt relieved.
But also frightened.
My fingerprints would be on everything inside that locker.
My name was on the assignment sheet.
My personal belongings were there.
If someone wanted to make me look involved, it wouldn't be difficult.
I looked at Angela.
"Could they blame me?"
She spoke calmly.
"Evidence has to be evaluated in context. Possession alone wouldn't establish that you participated in a scheme."
I nodded.
But my stomach remained tight.
The next morning, investigators searched the locker with the hotel's cooperation.
I wasn't present.
Angela kept me informed.
Several hours later, Detective Walker called.
They found a sealed plastic folder beneath the bottom shelf.
Inside were financial records.
Bank statements.
Vendor contracts.
Copies of emails.
And a small flash drive.
I sat on the edge of my hospital bed, listening.
The doctor had kept me overnight because my blood pressure remained unusually high after the incident.
I felt exhausted.
But I couldn't rest.
"What was on the flash drive?" I asked.
The detective hesitated.
"Digital copies of internal financial records."
I swallowed.
"Did Daniel put them there?"
"We're verifying that."
I looked toward the window.
Then she added something unexpected.
"There's also a handwritten note."
My stomach tightened.
"What does it say?"
She read it.
"If anything happens to me, give this to Evelyn Whitmore. Daniel Price."
I closed my eyes.
Daniel had been trying to protect the evidence.
At least, that was what the note suggested.
But why had he helped Vanessa?
And why had he threatened me?
The answers came later that afternoon.
Daniel agreed to a recorded interview with investigators.
According to the information Detective Walker was authorized to share, Vanessa had paid him to provide access to certain internal records.
He initially believed she was trying to conceal financial misconduct.
Then he discovered plans that suggested Evelyn might be harmed.
He became frightened.
He sent the anonymous warning to the staff emergency channel hoping someone would alert security.
But he still delivered the envelope because Vanessa threatened to expose his own involvement.
I listened carefully.
It was a complicated story.
And Daniel was not innocent.
He had participated in concealing records.
He had accepted money.
He had pressured employees.
He had made choices that put people at risk.
But he had also preserved evidence.
I didn't know whether to feel angry or grateful.
Maybe both.
Marcus sat beside me.
He looked exhausted.
"How's your wrist?"
I smiled weakly.
"Still attached."
He laughed softly.
For a moment, the tension eased.
Then he looked serious.
"Nia, I owe you something."
I frowned.
"What?"
"An apology."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because my family created the situation that put you in danger."
I shook my head.
"You didn't push your mother."
He nodded.
"But we trusted Vanessa."
I looked down.
"So did a lot of people."
Marcus sighed.
"She'd been part of our family for years."
I waited.
He continued.
"After Dad died, she helped Mom manage investments."
I nodded.
"She was supposed to protect the family."
He looked toward the door.
"Instead, she was stealing from us."
I felt sad.
Not because the Whitmores were wealthy.
Because betrayal hurt regardless of money.
I knew that.
My own father abandoned us when I was little.
He promised he'd return.
He never did.
I spent years wondering what we'd done wrong.
Eventually, I learned his absence wasn't our fault.
But the wound remained.
Marcus looked at me.
"Are you okay?"
I took a breath.
"Not really."
He nodded.
"That's fair."
I smiled faintly.
He didn't try to fix everything with words.
He simply sat beside me.
And somehow, that helped.
The investigation continued.
Police located Camille several days later.
She was questioned about her involvement.
At first, she denied knowing anything.
Then investigators presented communications connecting her to Vanessa's financial plans.
Camille admitted she knew Vanessa wanted access to Evelyn's estate.
She also admitted that the wedding had been encouraged as part of a strategy to strengthen her position within the family.
Marcus was devastated.
I saw it in his face when Detective Walker informed him.
He sat silently for nearly ten minutes.
Then whispered, "She never loved me."
I didn't know how to answer.
I sat beside him.
He looked toward the floor.
"I was going to marry her."
I nodded.
"I know."
He swallowed.
"I thought we had a future."
My heart tightened.
I understood that kind of grief.
The loss of something you believed was real.
I reached for his hand.
He squeezed it.
Then looked at me.
"Thank you."
I smiled gently.
"For what?"
"For not treating me like an idiot."
I shook my head.
"Trusting someone doesn't make you stupid."
He looked away.
I continued.
"It means they had a responsibility not to betray you."
His eyes filled.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then his phone rang.
Angela.
He answered.
His expression changed.
"What?"
I sat upright.
He listened.
Then whispered, "Are you sure?"
When he ended the call, he looked at me.
"Mom's forensic accountants found another account."
My stomach tightened.
"Another?"
He nodded.
"Vanessa moved money into a trust."
I stared at him.
"What trust?"
He swallowed.
"A trust created under Camille's name."
My heart pounded.
"How much?"
He looked devastated.
"Almost eighteen million dollars."
I covered my mouth.
Marcus continued.
"And there's something else."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"The trust documents listed a future beneficiary."
I felt cold.
"Who?"
He hesitated.
Then whispered, "Me."
I stopped breathing.
Because suddenly, it looked as though Vanessa planned to make Marcus the legal connection that would give Camille access to stolen wealth.
The wedding wasn't just part of the deception.
May you like
It was one of the final steps.
And the push had been intended to remove the only person who could stop it.
