MasukNathaniel's messages stayed on my mind long after I put my phone away.Martin Hale's transfer had been approved, but the department that supposedly received him had no record of his arrival.His salary had continued for weeks.There were no attendance records.It was as if someone had arranged for him to disappear without officially removing him from the company's records.Alexander read the messages again.“Tell Nathaniel to keep checking the Bellford address,” I said.“He's already doing that.”“And the person who approved Martin's transfer?”“He's looking into that too.”I sat across from him.“Do you think Martin was moved because of the missing attachment?”“It's possible.”“But we still don't know whether he kept it.”Alexander closed his phone.“That's why we need to find him.”I looked at the documents spread across the table.The missing authorization instrument was important, but it wasn't the only record we needed.The shell company had appeared in the agency paperwork Gene
Martin Hale had signed out the missing authorization attachment himself.I read Nathaniel's message again.The original custody entry confirms that Martin Hale signed out the attachment. There is no recorded return.I placed my phone on the dining table.“So he took it.”Alexander looked up from his laptop.“He signed it out. We don't know what happened after that.”“But nobody recorded it being returned.”“Which means we need to find him.”I walked towards the window.For years, that document had been missing from the archive. Martin had handled it shortly before leaving the department, and nobody could explain where it had gone.“Did Nathaniel find his address?” I asked.“Not yet. He's checking his employment history and the people Martin worked with.”“What if Martin left because of the attachment?”“Then he'll have to explain why.”I looked at the personnel note again.There was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about.The authorization instrument.It was the only document specif
I read Martin Hale's personnel note again.He had requested a transfer out of the archive department shortly after the Beaumont records were moved.That wasn't proof of anything.But it was enough to make me want to know what had happened.Alexander stood beside the dining table, speaking to Nathaniel on the phone.“Find out where Martin worked after leaving Rothwell,” he said. “I want his employment history and any contact details you can locate.”He listened for a moment.“Also, I need the original transfer register, not another summary.”He ended the call.“Do you think Martin left because of the documents?” I asked.“I think we need to ask him.”“And if we can't find him?”“Then we'll find someone who worked with him.”I looked at the personnel note.There was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about.The sealed envelope.Someone had received the supporting documents before they were placed in restricted storage. Martin had recorded their arrival, but the authorization field was em
Nathaniel called just after nine the following morning.Alexander answered before the second ring.“Tell me you found something.”“I found a connection,” Nathaniel replied. “But I haven't confirmed where it leads yet.”I moved closer.“What connection?” I asked.“The storage code from the audit report matches an old Rothwell Industries archive directory. It was used for documents transferred out of the company's main records system.”Alexander straightened.“Where were they transferred?”“An off-site records facility outside Ashmere. It was used for restricted corporate and trust documents.”“Is it still operating?”“The building is closed to the public, but the storage records are still active. Some of the older files were never moved.”I looked at Alexander.“So the original documents could still be there.”“Possibly,” Nathaniel said. “But there's something else.”Alexander waited.“The original transfer was processed through an authorization account belonging to the Beaumont truste
I kept staring at the message.Ask your helpful cousin why he waited three days to show you the report.Alexander took my phone and studied the photograph of the missing authorization page.“Someone wants us to doubt Sebastian,” he said.“Or someone knows he gave us only part of the truth.”He looked at me.“Those aren't the same thing.”“I know. That's why we need to find out what happened during those three days.”Alexander returned my phone.“We'll start with the archive records.”He called Nathaniel and explained what we had found. Then he sent him the photograph.“I need you to establish when Sebastian first accessed the audit file,” Alexander said. “Not when he brought it to us. When the file was first opened.”Nathaniel asked a question.“Check the access history, the document creation date and any transfer records. I want the original timestamps.”Alexander ended the call.I looked at him.“Do you think Sebastian knew about the missing page?”“I don't know.”“But he knew someo
I barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph of Theodore outside his office. The man beside him belonged to Vincent's security team. That meant Vincent's reach extended further than the Beaumont estate.And now someone was warning us about records they claimed should have been destroyed.I sat at the kitchen counter, staring at the messages on my phone.Alexander stood near the windows, speaking quietly to Nathaniel.“Check whether the man had access to Theodore's office,” Alexander said. “I want to know who assigned him there and why.”He listened for a moment.“No. Don't approach him yet.”He ended the call and turned towards me.“Any more messages?”I shook my head.“That's almost worse.”“Silence doesn't mean they've stopped watching.”I looked down at the phone.How much do they know?Before I could ask, Alexander's phone rang.He checked the screen.“Sebastian.”I remembered the name. Alexander's cousin. A board member at Rothwell Industries.He a







