Chương 4 - The Sinking Evidence
The duffel bag sank with terrifying speed, swallowed by the dark, icy water of the harbor.
I didn’t think.
I didn’t weigh the risks or consider the freezing temperature.
I simply ripped off my suit jacket, kicked off my shoes, and dove into the harbor.
The cold hit me like a physical assault, instantly driving the breath from my lungs.
The water was a murky, freezing void.
I forced my eyes open, ignoring the stinging salt, and kicked downward.
Through the gloom, I saw the dark shape of the duffel bag drifting toward the muddy bottom.
My lungs were already burning, demanding oxygen, but I pushed harder, my fingers stretching desperately.
I grabbed the heavy nylon strap just as the bag settled into the silt.
The weight was immense, dragging me down further.
I wrapped the strap around my wrist, planted my feet against the soft bottom, and pushed upward with every ounce of strength I had left.
The ascent felt agonizingly slow.
Black spots danced at the edges of my vision.
Just as I thought my lungs would rupture, I broke the surface, gasping violently for air.
"Here!" Charlotte shouted, leaning dangerously far over the edge of the wooden dock.
I paddled toward her, the heavy bag dragging me down, and managed to heave it onto the wooden planks.
Charlotte grabbed my arm and helped haul me out of the freezing water.
I collapsed onto the dock, shivering uncontrollably, coughing up seawater.
Charlotte didn't offer comfort; she was already tearing the duffel bag open.
It was packed with clothes, a passport, and thick stacks of banded hundred-dollar bills.
"Vale paid him well," she muttered, tossing the cash aside.
She kept digging until she pulled out a sleek, silver external hard drive.
"Is this it?" she asked, holding it up.
I nodded weakly, my teeth chattering.
"If David... if he stole the files, he would have kept a copy as insurance against Vale."
Charlotte quickly wrapped the drive in my discarded suit jacket to dry it.
"We need to get this back to Julian immediately."
We rushed back to the sedan, the driver turning the heat on full blast as I shivered in the back seat.
When we arrived at the Beacon Hill basement, Julian was waiting, looking annoyed.
"You're tracking seawater onto my servers," he complained, though he quickly snatched the hard drive from Charlotte's hands.
"Can you recover the data?" she demanded.
Julian plugged the drive into a specialized decryption terminal.
"It's water-damaged, but the internal platters should be intact."
He began running a diagnostic program, lines of green code scrolling rapidly across the screen.
"Give me ten minutes."
I sat in a corner, wrapped in a blanket Charlotte had found, trying to stop shaking.
"If that drive contains the proof that Vale paid David to steal the files, we win," I said, my voice hoarse.
Charlotte paced the room, her arms crossed tight.
"It proves David stole the files," she corrected.
"It doesn't necessarily prove Vale orchestrated it."
"Vale is smart; he would have used a middleman to pay David."
"We need a direct connection."
"Got it," Julian suddenly announced, spinning around in his chair.
"The drive was encrypted, but David used a shockingly basic password."
He brought up a series of folders on the main monitor.
"He kept a meticulous record of the entire transaction."
Julian opened a folder labeled 'Communications.'
"Here are encrypted emails between David and an anonymous account, negotiating the price for the Hawthorne blueprints."
"Can you trace the anonymous account to Vale?" Charlotte asked, stepping closer to the screen.
Julian shook his head.
"It's bounced through three different proxy servers in Eastern Europe."
"It would take weeks to untangle."
My heart sank.
We had the proof of the theft, but we still couldn't connect it to the man trying to destroy us.
"Wait," Julian said, his eyes narrowing as he opened another file.
"This is an audio recording."
"David must have recorded one of their phone calls."
He clicked play.
The audio was slightly distorted, but the voices were clear.
"The transfer is complete," David's voice said, sounding nervous.
"I need the rest of the money."
"You will receive it when the board votes tomorrow," a second voice replied.
The second voice was smooth, cold, and instantly recognizable.
It was Richard Vale.
"He recorded Vale directly," Charlotte breathed, a fierce, triumphant smile breaking across her face.
"This is it."
"This is the direct connection."
We had him.
We had the evidence to destroy Richard Vale and save the firm.
"Julian, copy that audio file to a secure flash drive," Charlotte ordered.
"We are going back to the office right now."
Julian quickly transferred the file and handed the small drive to his sister.
"Be careful, Char," he warned, his usual sarcasm replaced by genuine concern.
"Vale isn't going to go down quietly."
"He won't have a choice," she replied, her eyes burning with determination.
We left the basement and drove back to the Mercer & Rowe building.
It was past 6:00 p.m., and the office was mostly empty, the remaining employees casting curious glances as we walked purposefully toward the executive suite.
Charlotte marched directly to Richard Vale's temporary office and threw the door open without knocking.
Vale was sitting at the desk, reviewing documents.
He looked up, surprised, but quickly recovered his arrogant smile.
"Ah, the happy couple," he mocked.
"Have you come to offer your resignations early?"
Charlotte walked to the desk, slammed the flash drive down in front of him, and leaned in close.
"I have come to offer you a choice, Richard."
"Resign from the board immediately, or I play the audio recording of you paying my junior architect to steal company property for the FBI."
Vale stared at the small drive, his smile finally vanishing completely.
For a long moment, the room was terrifyingly silent.
Then, Vale slowly reached out, picked up the flash drive, and calmly dropped it into his coffee cup.
"You really think you're the first person who tried to blackmail me, Charlotte?" he asked softly.
May you like
He pressed a button under his desk.
The office door opened, and two heavily armed private security contractors stepped inside, aiming suppressed weapons directly at us.
