The Compass Marked N.C.
Chapter 02 - The Compass Marked N.C.
Victor laughed too quickly. “A grieving woman filled this child’s head with stories.”
Henry rose and faced him. “Then you should have no reason to fear what we find.”
The portrait hung above an antique table. Anna removed the lamp while Henry examined the frame. At the bottom was a tiny circular indentation hidden beneath years of polish.
Emma placed the compass inside it.
A soft click echoed through the entrance hall.
The portrait shifted forward, revealing a hidden compartment in the wall. Inside lay a weathered envelope, a flash drive, and a photograph of Nicholas standing beside Claire Reed. They were smiling beneath an old courthouse sign, their hands joined, simple wedding bands visible on their fingers.
Henry stared at the photograph. “They were married.”
Anna nodded. “Nicholas asked me to be their witness. He wanted to tell you after he proved Victor was stealing from the company.”
Victor’s voice sharpened. “Be careful, Anna.”
Anna had buried the truth for years. Nicholas had discovered that Victor was moving money from the family foundation into private accounts. He copied the records for Henry. On the night he disappeared, Nicholas called Anna and said someone was following him.
Pregnant with Emma, Claire hid because Nicholas warned that Victor would use the child to control the inheritance.
Henry inserted the flash drive into a nearby laptop. A video of Nicholas appeared. He looked exhausted, with a bruise near his temple.
“Dad, I did not steal from you,” he said. “Victor has been altering the accounts. If I do not come home, protect Claire and our child. The evidence is in the north archive, beneath the first foundation ledger.”
The recording ended.
Henry turned toward Victor, but the attorney remained strangely calm.
“A frightened man can say anything,” Victor replied. “The company records cleared me years ago.”
Emma’s voice trembled. “My mother believed my father would come back.”
Victor looked at her with cold impatience. “Your father abandoned you.”
Henry stepped between them. “You will never speak to her that way again.”
Victor opened his briefcase and produced a court order. It declared Henry mentally unfit after several recent medical incidents. Control of Caldwell Manor and the company would transfer temporarily to Victor at midnight.
Henry read the judge’s signature in disbelief.
Victor smiled. “You have four hours left in this house.”
Then every light in the manor went dark.
May you like
In the confusion, someone grabbed Emma’s necklace.
By the time the emergency lights came on, Victor was gone—and the compass was missing.
