Chapter 11 - The Notary Who Wasn’t There
Jenna found the problem first.
The declaration was dated Thursday.
Claire’s signature appeared above a notarial certificate stating she had personally appeared before Evan’s senior legal assistant, Beth Morgan.
But Beth Morgan was in Canada.
Her public conference schedule showed her speaking at a legal-administration seminar in Toronto from Wednesday through Saturday.
“She couldn’t have notarized this in person,” I said.
“Correct.”
“Then Claire didn’t sign it.”
“Not necessarily. She could have signed remotely if permitted and properly documented.”
“But this says personally appeared.”
Jenna nodded.
“So the certificate is false.”
I called Claire from Jenna’s car.
This time she answered.
“I didn’t sign anything.”
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s the only one I’m giving you.”
“Did you send me the text about the notary?”
“No.”
Jenna and I exchanged a look.
“Then someone else knows the declaration is forged.”
Claire went silent.
“Who else had access?”
“To what?”
“Your signature. Your token. Caroline’s calls. The trust reimbursements.”
“Too many people.”
“Give me one.”
“I can’t.”
“Claire.”
Her voice broke.
“You still think this began with your mother.”
“What am I supposed to think?”
“That Marlene likes control. She likes money. She likes being obeyed. But she doesn’t know enough about corporate systems to build this.”
“So Evan built it.”
“No.”
The answer came too fast.
“Then who?”
“I told Caroline I would give her one name if she stopped digging.”
My chest tightened.
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she died the next morning.”
The words sat between us.
I gripped the phone.
“Are you saying her crash wasn’t an accident?”
“I’m saying I have spent eleven months refusing to ask that question.”
Jenna wrote something on her legal pad.
I forced my voice steady.
“What name were you going to give Caroline?”
Claire breathed out.
“Thomas Hale.”
I knew it immediately.
My father’s former controller.
Thomas had worked at Carter Group for twenty-two years before abruptly retiring eighteen months earlier.
My father had claimed it was health-related.
“Why Thomas?”
“Because he kept the original ledger.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you contact him?”
“I’ve tried.”
“So have I,” Jenna said quietly.
I looked at her.
“When?”
“This morning. His old number is disconnected.”
Claire whispered, “Then they know.”
“Who is they?”
Before she answered, another voice came through faintly on her end.
A man.
I couldn’t make out the words.
Claire said, “I have to go.”
“Who’s with you?”
“No one.”
“I heard someone.”
“You heard a television.”
“Claire—”
She disconnected.
Jenna stared at my phone.
“You trust her?”
“I don’t know.”
That answer frightened me more than a yes or no.
Back at home, Lily sat at the dining table drawing beside me while I searched archived corporate emails for Thomas Hale.
I found one message from Caroline to Thomas.
Sent nine days before she died.
Subject: Schedule C.
Only one sentence remained in the archived preview.
If Richard won’t tell Daniel the truth, I will.
There was no attachment.
But beneath the thread was a server note.
Attachment removed by administrator.
Administrator ID:
CHART.
May you like
Claire Hart.
📖 Find out why Claire deleted Caroline’s Schedule C attachment—and what she finally admitted when I showed her the administrator record in CHAPTER 12. 👇
