Chapter 7 - The Ledger of Sins
Frank placed the steel lockbox on the rough-hewn pine table. The metal was scratched, bearing the remnants of an old wax seal that had long since dried and cracked.
""When Julian realized Arthur was building a legal case to strip your parental rights,"" Frank explained, turning a small brass key in the lock, ""he spent three weeks copying the offshore registry files from the Vance headquarters.""
Elena watched as Frank lifted the lid. Inside lay not documents, but a series of encrypted military-grade flash drives and a handwritten journal bound in brown leather.
""Arthur didn't just bend the law to get custody,"" Frank continued, pulling up a chair opposite Elena. ""He bribed Judge Callahan with two million dollars channeled through a shell corporation in the Cayman Islands. It's all here. Every wire transfer, every date, every phone transcript.""
Leo finished nursing, his heavy eyelids fluttering shut as he rested his cheek against Elena's collarbone. She gently burped him, her eyes fixed on the ledger. ""If we give this to the authorities, Julian will be caught in the crossfire. Arthur’s lawyers will tie Julian to the corporate fraud.""
""Not if we don't give it to the authorities,"" Frank said darkly. ""We give it to the board.""
""The board won't care about a private custody dispute, Frank. They care about profits.""
""They care about their own prison sentences,"" Frank countered. ""Arthur used the board's pension reserves to fund those offshore accounts. If they find out Arthur put their retirements on the line just to steal his grandson, they'll strip him of the chairmanship before dawn.""
Elena looked at her phone. The battery was down to twelve percent. A new text message arrived, this time from an unknown number:
May you like
They are moving Julian to the holding facility in Weston. It's a private transport, not city police. Arthur hired private contractors. They are bypassing the precinct.
Elena stood up, holding Leo tight. ""They're not booking him, Frank. They're taking him somewhere else.""
