The Account That Did Not Exist
Chapter 06 - The Account That Did Not Exist
Daniel had never seen the account before, yet every document carried his employee number, electronic signature, and home address. The transfers were divided into small payments labeled consulting incentives. Together, they made him look like the architect of the entire scheme.
Victor spoke with the patience of a man explaining an obvious crime. “Security discovered the account after Mr. Mercer accessed restricted files last night. I recommend immediate suspension and referral to federal investigators.”
Vanessa finally looked at Daniel. There was no surprise in her face.
“You knew,” he whispered.
She lowered her eyes.
The security officers escorted Daniel through the lobby where, one day earlier, he had stood certain of his future. Employees stared as he passed. Some looked frightened. Others looked satisfied. By the time he reached the sidewalk, his access card had been disabled, his company phone erased, and a news alert had appeared online: MARLOWE MANAGER INVESTIGATED IN CUSTOMER-FEE SCANDAL.
His mother called within minutes. Reporters were outside her house.
Daniel went to her, but he could not stay. A black sedan followed him from the bank, and he feared leading whoever was inside directly to Ruth. Instead, he walked three blocks in the rain and entered a small diner where Emma waited in a back booth.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have warned you sooner.”
“Can we prove the account is fake?”
“Not through Marlowe’s system. Victor controls the audit servers.”
Daniel laughed bitterly. “So he steals from thousands of people, frames me, fires you, and wins before lunch.”
Emma pushed a napkin toward him. Written on it was a sequence of letters and numbers.
“Every Harbor decision was mirrored to an outside disaster-recovery server,” she said. “Victor thought it was deleted. It wasn’t.”
“Where is it?”
“At Northlight Storage, beneath the old waterfront branch.”
Daniel recognized the name. Northlight had been owned by Henry Calloway’s family before the bank existed.
“Why didn’t you tell Henry?”
“I tried. His office stopped answering after last night.”
Daniel looked through the diner window. The black sedan had parked across the street.
A man in a dark coat stepped out.
Emma slid a key across the table. “The server room uses two credentials. I have one. The second is tied to a Founders’ Circle card.”
Daniel understood.
“We need Henry.”
May you like
The man across the street began walking toward the diner.
Emma stood. “Then we’d better find him before Victor does.”
