Chapter 10 - The Day They Made Him Guilty.
By six the next morning Daniel's face was on every business channel in the city.
The headlines were efficient and brutal.
BILLIONAIRE DEVELOPER LINKED TO MISSING HOUSING FUNDS.
CHILDREN FOUND IN MERCER PROPERTY FIRE.
SECRET ACCOUNT TIED TO DISPLACEMENT PAYMENTS.
Daniel watched the coverage from Priya's apartment because going to his own home would have led reporters directly to his mother.
The wound on his head had required six stitches.
He had slept for eleven minutes.
Priya placed coffee on the table.
"Your board is going to suspend you."
"I know."
"Your lawyers will tell you not to speak."
"I know."
"You will want to speak anyway."
"I know."
She sat across from him.
"Then at least don't improvise."
Daniel looked at the copy of Henry's letter.
"Where are the children?"
"Temporary placement center on West Monroe."
"Together?"
"For now."
"And Rachel?"
"No trace."
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
"The fire was arson."
Priya nodded.
"Preliminary report says accelerant in the second-floor stairwell."
"Curtis."
"Probably."
"Probably isn't enough."
"You sound like me now."
At eight, Daniel entered the boardroom through a private elevator.
Twelve directors sat around the table.
Julian Cross stood near the windows.
Company counsel, Miranda Cole, occupied the seat beside Daniel's empty chair.
No one offered coffee.
Daniel sat.
The chairman, Thomas Bell, began without ceremony.
"Daniel, we have received documents indicating Mercer Community Reserve II holds funds diverted from tenant relocation programs."
"That account was created by my father."
"You are the current controlling beneficiary."
"I didn't know it existed."
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
"That will be difficult to explain."
"Truth doesn't become false because it sounds inconvenient."
Julian spoke from the window.
"No one is calling you a liar."
Daniel turned toward him.
"You used my credentials on Bell Street."
The room went silent.
Miranda placed one hand flat on the table.
"Daniel, stop."
"No."
He looked at the directors.
"Julian processed documents under my name while tenants were still living in the property."
Julian remained calm.
"Under delegated authority you granted me."
"Based on false relocation records."
"Records supplied by Bright Steps."
"A charity paying Curtis Hale through Northstar Compliance."
For the first time several directors exchanged glances.
Thomas frowned.
"Who's Curtis Hale?"
Daniel answered.
"A site contractor who extorted cash from displaced tenants, abducted three children last night, and disappeared before the building caught fire."
Miranda closed her eyes.
"You cannot say that without evidence."
"Priya recorded part of the encounter."
Julian looked at Daniel sharply.
Daniel noticed.
"We also have footage showing my sister entering this building with Julian Tuesday night."
Thomas stared at him.
"Your sister is dead."
"No."
The single word changed the room.
Daniel continued.
"Anna Mercer is alive and has been using the name Rachel Ward."
Julian's face went pale.
It was subtle, but this time everyone saw it.
"She has a six-year-old daughter."
Daniel said it slowly.
"That child was one of the children found at Bell Street."
Thomas looked toward Julian.
"Did you know this?"
Julian did not answer immediately.
"I knew Rachel claimed a connection to the Mercer family."
"That's not what I asked."
Thomas's voice was harder now.
Julian looked at Daniel.
"Your father told me Anna was dead."
"Yet you met with her Tuesday."
"Because she threatened the company with fabricated allegations."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"You keep calling everything fabricated except the things forged in my name."
Miranda interrupted.
"Enough."
She slid a document across the table.
"Federal investigators served this request at six-thirty this morning."
Daniel read the first page.
Records preservation order.
Mercer Community Reserve II.
Bell Street redevelopment.
Bright Steps Community Services.
Daniel Mercer personally.
"How did they move this fast?"
Priya had asked the same question about CPS.
Julian folded his hands.
"Maybe because the evidence is clear."
Daniel looked at him.
"Or because someone prepared it before last night."
Thomas leaned forward.
"Daniel, until this is resolved, the board is voting on temporary suspension of your executive authority."
Daniel did not protest.
He knew the vote before hands went up.
Eleven in favor.
One abstention.
Daniel was suspended effective immediately.
He was ordered to surrender his building credentials and company devices.
Priya was placed on administrative leave for interfering with an internal investigation.
As Daniel left the boardroom, Julian followed him into the corridor.
"This doesn't have to destroy you."
Daniel stopped.
"Interesting choice of words."
"Cooperate. Let counsel handle the regulators. Stay away from the children."
"Why do you care about the children?"
Julian's expression hardened.
"Because every time you go near them, the situation gets worse."
"For whom?"
Julian walked away.
Daniel handed over his badge at security.
Then he and Priya went directly to the West Monroe placement center.
They were not allowed inside.
Denise Carver met them in the lobby.
"Mr. Mercer, you are not an approved guardian."
"I'm Lily's biological uncle."
"That has not been verified."
"My mother can verify it."
"Your mother is not a legal document."
Daniel controlled his temper.
"Can I at least speak to Lily?"
Denise hesitated.
"Five minutes. Supervised."
Lily entered the visitation room carrying the white styrofoam container.
The lid was now held closed with two rubber bands.
Daniel sat across from her.
"Are Noah and Ruby still here?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"They said Ruby might go somewhere else tomorrow."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"I'm working on it."
Lily looked tired.
"You got in trouble."
"A little."
"Because of us?"
"No."
"That's another adult answer."
Daniel almost smiled.
"Because people were doing bad things and didn't want me asking questions."
Lily looked at the box in her lap.
"Mom said you would know about the key."
"I did."
"Did you find her?"
"Not yet."
Her face fell.
Daniel lowered his voice.
"But she left evidence."
"What kind?"
"The kind that can help me find out who hurt your family."
Lily was silent for several seconds.
Then she removed one rubber band from the container.
"There was something else."
Daniel leaned forward.
Lily peeled back a section of the cracked lid.
Between two thin layers of foam was a strip of paper no wider than his finger.
Daniel stared at it.
"When did you put that there?"
"Mom did."
"When?"
"Before she went to your office."
Lily pulled the strip free.
On it were six handwritten numbers and one word.
4-1-7-0-6-2.
May you like
MARGARET.
Daniel felt the room go cold.
