Chapter 3 - The Secret Ledgers
Richard’s face morphed from arrogant smugness to sheer terror. He stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. “Watch your mouth, Sienna! I helped Arthur keep that company solvent for fifteen years!”
“You drained his operating reserves to cover your failed real estate speculations in Jersey City,” I replied, my voice calm, clinical, and completely devoid of emotion.
I tapped the tablet screen again, opening a series of scanned, handwritten ledgers. The familiar, meticulous handwriting of Arthur Sterling filled the display.
“My father wasn't blind, Richard. For the last two years of his life, he didn't trust the digital accounting software your firm installed. Every evening after you left the office, he sat down with the physical bank receipts and reconstructed the true books.”
Victoria stared at the screen, horrified. “Where did you get those? Those books were in his study safe!”
“And who do you think had the secondary combination?” I asked. “Two days before Dad went into the hospital, he called me. Not Julian. Not Richard. He called me to Fort Meade. We sat in a diner off Route 32, and he handed me the key to his personal safe-deposit box at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.”
Julian stepped toward the table, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “You stole them. You took what belongs to all of us!”
“Your father never belonged to you, Julian,” I said, turning my gaze fully onto my half-brother. “He spent twenty years bailing you out of DUI charges, paying off your failed business ventures, and pretending you were a son who respected him. And how did you repay him? By forging his signature on a second mortgage against his grandmother’s Boston home while he was lying in a hospital bed.”
The dining room went completely still. Even the ticking grandfather clock in the corner seemed to echo like thunder.
Vance Keller slowly pushed his chair back and stood up. “Mrs. Sterling, Mr. Vance... our firm represents clients under the strict premise that all supplied affidavits are truthful. If fraudulent financial instruments and forged signatures are involved, Keller & Sterling Associates must immediately withdraw representation.”
“Vance, you coward! You can't leave us!” Victoria shrieked, grasping Keller’s arm. “We paid your retainer!”
“And that retainer will be refunded in the morning, minus consultation fees,” Keller said coldly, pulling his sleeve free. He turned to the other four attorneys. “Pack your things. We are leaving. Now.”
“None of you are leaving just yet,” I said softly.
The authority in my voice wasn't loud, but it froze every man in the room.
“Colonel Sterling,” Keller said, his voice trembling slightly. “We were unaware of these allegations.”
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“I know you were, Mr. Keller. That is why you are still standing here instead of being escorted out in handcuffs,” I told him. “However, there is an official delegation waiting outside this gate. And I believe they would like a word with everyone present.”
***
