Chapter 4 - The Signature.
Vivian did not accuse Marcus immediately.
That surprised him.
She could see it in the way he waited for her to raise her voice.
Instead, she folded the document once and handed it to Grant.
"Please keep this where nobody can alter it."
Marcus stepped forward.
"That document belongs to the restaurant."
Grant held it away from him.
"Then you can explain that to the investigator."
Marcus's face tightened.
"You are exceeding your role."
"My role includes preserving an incident scene."
"There is no incident."
Vivian looked down at Olivia's bare feet.
"Then you should have nothing to worry about."
The labor investigator arrived twelve minutes later.
Her name was Renee Cole, and she entered the hallway carrying a leather folder and wearing an expression that revealed nothing.
She was joined by a uniformed city officer who remained near the door while Renee spoke privately with Olivia.
Vivian waited outside the locker room.
It was the hardest thing she had done since entering the restaurant.
Every instinct told her to stay beside her daughter.
Renee had explained gently that Olivia needed space to answer without pressure from anyone, including family.
Vivian agreed.
Marcus did not.
He spent those minutes calling someone repeatedly from his office.
On his fourth call, Vivian heard him say one name.
"Mr. Bell."
Grant heard it too.
"That's the owner," he said.
Vivian turned.
"Theodore Bell?"
Grant nodded.
"You know him?"
"We've met."
Grant waited for more.
Vivian gave him nothing.
Renee emerged from the locker room after twenty minutes.
Olivia followed slowly.
She was now wearing the black kitchen shoes from her locker and Vivian's navy coat over her shoulders.
The coat nearly swallowed her.
Vivian moved toward her.
"Can I take her home?"
Renee looked at Olivia.
"If she wants to leave, she can leave."
Marcus appeared in the hallway.
"Not with company property."
Olivia froze.
Vivian turned.
"What property?"
Marcus pointed toward the blue notebook.
"That."
Renee held out her hand.
"I'll take custody of it for review."
Marcus stopped.
"You need a warrant."
Renee's expression remained neutral.
"I'm not taking it from you."
She looked at Olivia.
"Who owns the notebook?"
"I do."
"Do you voluntarily provide it for review?"
Olivia nodded.
"Yes."
Renee placed it inside an evidence envelope.
Marcus looked as though he had swallowed something bitter.
"This is ridiculous."
The officer finally spoke.
"Sir, lower your voice."
Marcus turned away.
Vivian guided Olivia toward the kitchen exit.
They were three steps from the door when Marcus called after them.
"Olivia."
Olivia stopped despite herself.
Vivian felt the reaction in her daughter's shoulders.
Marcus leaned against the office doorway.
"You walk out now, and the full ninety thousand becomes due immediately."
Renee turned back.
"Do not make financial threats during an active interview."
Marcus lifted both hands.
"I'm stating the contract terms."
Olivia looked at Vivian.
"He sent letters to my apartment."
"What letters?"
"Invoices."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Olivia looked down.
"Because the first one was for six thousand."
Vivian's throat tightened.
"And then?"
"It became fifteen."
Olivia's voice trembled.
"Then thirty-four."
She looked at Marcus.
"Every time I asked to quit, it got bigger."
Renee wrote something in her folder.
"Do you still have the letters?"
Olivia shook her head.
"I thought I did."
"What does that mean?"
Olivia looked toward the staff hallway.
"I kept them in my apartment."
"And?"
"Someone came in last week."
Vivian stared at her.
"Someone broke into your apartment?"
"Nothing valuable was taken."
Olivia's eyes filled again.
"Only the letters."
Marcus gave a short laugh.
"Now I'm responsible for a burglary too?"
Renee closed her folder.
"Nobody said that."
The front door of the restaurant opened somewhere beyond the dining room.
Fast footsteps crossed the polished floor.
A moment later, a man in an expensive charcoal suit entered the kitchen corridor with two assistants behind him.
He was in his late fifties, silver-haired, composed, and visibly furious.
Theodore Bell looked first at Marcus.
Then at Olivia.
Then at Vivian.
His anger disappeared.
"Vivian Mercer?"
Vivian's face became unreadable.
"Hello, Theodore."
Theodore stared at her as if she were the last person in the city he expected to find there.
"Why are you in my kitchen?"
Vivian looked at Olivia.
"I was about to ask why my daughter was on your kitchen floor."
Theodore Bell went completely still.
"Your daughter?"
May you like
Marcus's eyes moved from Theodore to Vivian.
And for the first time that evening, the head chef looked genuinely worried.
