Chapter 18 - THE PERSON WHO SIGNED
Marco found Derek Shaw in a small town outside Milwaukee.
The former ground supervisor had retired after the accident and had been living quietly under his own name. When Vincent's attorney contacted him, he initially refused to speak.
Then Marco mentioned Rachel Cole.
Derek agreed to meet.
He arrived at the attorney's office carrying a worn envelope.
“I should have come forward sooner,” he said.
Vincent sat across from him.
“Tell me what happened.”
Derek opened the envelope.
Inside was a photocopy of the original evacuation manifest, a handwritten note, and a list of hospital destinations.
Anna Bennett Moretti appeared on the list.
“She was taken to St. Catherine's,” Derek said. “I saw the ambulance leave. I was the one who recorded her name.”
“Who changed the manifest?”
“I don't know. But the next morning, a man from the airline's outside security contractor came to the operations office. He said the list had to be corrected because the passenger count didn't match.”
“Who was the man?”
Derek handed over the note.
“His name was Alan Pierce. He worked for a company called Northgate Risk.”
Vincent recognized the name.
Northgate had handled security for several private events hosted by Sophia.
“Did you tell the investigator?”
“I did. He said the airline had already completed its review.”
“Did anyone pay you?”
Derek looked down.
“A week later, I received a consulting payment. I hadn't done any consulting.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars.”
Vincent's face hardened.
“Who sent it?”
“Northgate Risk.”
The attorney made a note.
Derek pushed the envelope forward.
“I kept the original because I knew something was wrong. I was afraid. I had a family.”
Vincent stared at the document showing Anna had been alive.
“Did you know what happened to her afterward?”
“No. I thought her husband would find her.”
Vincent closed his eyes.
He had been in the same city. He had been arranging a funeral while his wife was recovering in a hospital.
The attorney looked up.
“We have enough to request a formal reopening of the investigation. But we need to be careful. The payment alone doesn't prove Sophia directed the cover-up.”
Vincent nodded.
“Then we find who did.”
His phone vibrated.
A message from Anna.
Noah asked if you can come to his preschool art show next Thursday. You may attend as his father, not as a public figure. Please arrive quietly and leave when it ends.
Vincent read it twice.
Then he typed:
I'll be there. Thank you.
He placed the phone down.
May you like
For the first time, the future held something beyond the investigation.
A chance to show up.
