Chapter 4 - THE MANAGER'S SECRET
Denise Harper arrived at 8:57 a.m. She wore a navy suit and carried a folder.
I placed the forged note on my desk.
“Do you recognize this?”
“Yes.”
“Who wrote it?”
“Blythe Cross.”
“Why did you process it?”
“She said Mr. Ellis had approved the request.”
“Did you verify that?”
“I called his office. No one answered.”
“And you processed it anyway?”
“She was very insistent.”
I showed her Rosa's notebook.
“Why did you tell Rosa to forget the incident?”
Denise's face reddened. “I was afraid of losing my job. Blythe said Mr. Ellis had promised her accommodations.”
“Did he say she could use the hotel without paying?”
“No.”
“Did he authorize her to introduce vendors?”
“No.”
Denise handed me a printed email that appeared to come from Conrad. It instructed guest services to honor Blythe's requests and route expenses through an executive account.
The sender address was real, but the message had been forwarded and altered.
“Who gave you this?”
“Blythe.”
“Did you check with Conrad?”
“I thought it was legitimate.”
I placed Denise on leave while we reviewed her role. Before she left, she said, “I think Mr. Ellis is in trouble too.”
“Why?”
“He has been meeting Blythe after hours. Sometimes they use the private conference room. Sometimes they leave with envelopes.”
“Did you see anyone else?”
“Once. A man near the service elevator. Blythe called him Patrick.”
Patrick Vale was the registered owner of Northline Security.
I called Conrad. He answered from an unfamiliar number.
“I need you to explain your relationship with Patrick Vale.”
There was a long silence.
“Did you find the vendor records?”
“Yes.”
“Then you need to be careful.”
“About what?”
“Blythe has been using my credentials. I discovered it two weeks ago.”
“Why didn't you report it?”
“She threatened to show you private messages between us.”
I sat still.
“What messages?”
“We were involved before the engagement. I ended it, but she kept the messages. She said she'd make it look as if I had used my position to benefit her.”
“Were you involved in the payments?”
“I approved the original event package and one early vendor payment. I did not approve the later invoices.”
“Why did you approve the first one?”
“She called it a charity auction. I didn't verify the charity.”
I rubbed my forehead. “You were careless.”
“Yes.”
He promised to bring the messages to the investigator. I told him not to contact Blythe.
After the call, I reviewed the wedding calendar. The event was scheduled for Saturday, two days away.
I had no intention of allowing a fraudulent event to proceed under my company's name. But canceling too quickly might destroy evidence.
I called our lawyer and asked for an emergency board meeting.
Then I looked at the coat again.
May you like
The stain was still there.
I would not let someone else's arrogance decide what happened to my mother's last gift—or to the people who worked in my hotel.
