Chapter 10- The Alliance

Mr. Harrison's office smells of expensive coffee and an old leather chair. Maria sat down in front of Mr. Harrison, dropping all the documents she had on his table.

"Marcus Chen," she said, pointing to the picture she saw in Walton's files. "Daniel's former legal advisor. He came to our wedding."

“Are you sure? Mr. Harrison said.

"Positive. He was behind us, looking. I was thinking he was a business partner. He looked at Walton in a way..." she paused, trying to remember the look in the man's eyes. "It was not good."

The lawyer opened a file on his system, typing. "Marcus Chen had left the office three months before the murder. Cited personal reasons." He turned the screen toward Maria. "Now look —two weeks after he left, he received money worth five hundred thousand dollars from an offshore account."

Maria's heart beat increased. "Will you be able to get the account?"

"I tried. The account is buried under multiple shell companies. But..." Harrison brings out another document, "I found something. One of those shell companies shares a registered address with a property owned by Robert Thornton."

The name hit Maria like a physical blow. Robert Thornton. Walton talked about him once, briefly, when signing the marriage contract. His father's business rival. The man who hadwantedt to destroy the James family decades ago.

"Robert," Maria said. "This goes back to Daniel’s dad."

Harrison nodded. "It appears so. But we need more evidence. We need Daniel's personal information—emails, notes, accounts, anything that tells he knew about Marcus's connection to Robert."

Maria stands up suddenly. "Then we get them. Who would have Daniel's personal effects?"

"His widow, Elena Kesser. But Maria..." Harrison's voice was passing a message. "She stood as a witness against Walton during the hearing. She believes her husband’s killer was Daniel."

"I will show her the truth."

The Kesser house was smaller than Walton's mansion but impressive. Maria was at the gates waiting for someone to respond to her.   

Then after a while, a wwoman'svoice came in, “Yes?”

"I’m Maria James. I need to tell you something about the death of your husband."

There was silence for a long time, Maria thought the connection was lost.

"I don’t want to hear anything from you."

"Wait," Maria said, before she disconnected. "I know you think Walton killed Daniel. Someone wanted you to think like that? And I want to tell you the real killer is still out there?"

Another pause.

"Five minutes," Elena said. "That is all you get."

The gate opened.

Elena Kesser was a woman of grief. She sat in her living room looking at the picture ofher late husband.

"Why are you here?" Elena said.

Maria sat in front of her. “I know you loved your husband. I know you want justice for him. So do I."

Elena's laugh was bitter. "Justice? Your husband took Daniel from me. From our children. And you defend him."

"Because he did not do it," Maria said, pulling out the documents she brought. " Marcus Chen—your husband's legal advisor. Did you know he collected money after he left Daniel's firm?"

"Marcus quit because he got a better offer. Daniel told me." She said.

"From who?"

"I...don’t know. Daniel did not tell me."

Maria pressed on. "Did you notice your husband was worried in the weeks he died? Anxious? Like he knew something he was supposed not to?"

Elena was confused. She reached for a tissue. "He was... different. Distracted. He was working at night for so long, going through all the old files.

Maria became uncomfortable. “He was afraid."

Elena went to the window. Her children were playing in the garden, not knowing their mother's pain. "Even if you are saying the truth, if Marcus was involved... how does that prove your husband is not connected?"

"Not yet. But there's more to this than what people believe. Mrs. Kesser, if Daniel saw something—something that might get him killedd,  —he would harecordedord it. He was careful, right?"

Elena nodded.

"Then you need to find it. The truth, not for Walton, but for your husband. If we don't, whoever killed your husband will still be out there."

There was silence.

Elena turned. "Follow me."

Daniel's office was exactly how he kept it, neat and arranged. Elena did not want to enter; she stood at the door.

"I could not clean the place,ce" she said. "The police searched everywhere after his death, but they found nothing against your husband. They were not interested in anything else."

Maria walked inside, feeling like a stranger. "What are we searching for?"

"Daniel was careful about his work; he keepshis personal documents separate from business files. He had a safe in here. Elena touched a painting on the wall."Behind that."

Maria  saw the safe and asked,   "Do you know the combination?"

"Our anniversary. 0-8-1-2-2-0-1-5."

The safe clicked open. Inside the safe were different files and documents. Maria asked Ele,na “May I ?”

Elena agr,eed “It’s okay..”

Maria was looking through all the files one by one, she noticed bank statements, property deeds, and insurance policies. These were all confidential documents.

She looked through them quickly; time was not on her side.

Subject: Re: No accuracy in the Book record of Thornton account

Daniel,

I’ve reviewed the account, and there is no accuracy. Someone is joking with the funds of the firm,m and I need answers. This has been going on for the past eight months.

If Robert Thornton finds out that,  his we are in big trouble, many have died for less.

Be careful.

—Marcus

Maria became scared after reading this. Elena and Maria ask, ed “Has Daniel ever mentioned  Robert Thorn?ton”

"The name sounds familiar. Daniel did business with a lot of people."

Maria looked through more files and noticed that someone like Robert was embezzling from a joint account.

The emails stopped. Three weeks before Daniel's death.

"Mrs. Kesser, I need to take these and the USB drive. They could be the key to everything."

Elen said with tears in her eyes,, If this process who killed my husband, nd take all you need”. Marcus had been helping Daniel investigate Robert. Then Marcus suddenly quit and received a massive payout. And Daniel ended up dead.

Its was not Walton who thought of killing his friend, it was Robert Thornton

Marai was already leaving through the doorway when Elena called her back

"Mrs. James!"

Maria turned.

“There is one more, the police never asked, so I did not bother to talk about it. There is a small book that my husband gave to me the night before he died. I believe it will also help you.”

Maria collected the book and looked through Daniel's hands, dates, time, and account numb, ers and had a note on the last page written three times:

Robert Thornton — Shell Company #7 — PROVE IT

“This will go a long way, thank you so much,” Maria said

Elena said,d crying again, in “ Whoever did this to Daniel, make them pay.”

Maria drove with speed to Harrison’s office, did not care to knock or follow protocol

"We have gotten him nowred-handedd," she said, breathing heavily. "we can now prove that RoWert Thorntoprove the one behind all this”. Daniel found out. Marcus helped him at first, then switched sides when Robert bought him off."

Harrison saw the USB and asked. "Tell me this is what we have searching for."

"Daniel's backup files. Everything he discovered about Robert's fraud."

Harrison immediately called his IT specialist. "Please, I need to check this out now, make it secure and safe, whoever we are dealing with has deep pocket”

Maria was just moving up and down in the office, waiting for the document to be analyzed, and everything started making sense. Robert had been stealing from his own companies, using the Thornton-James merger as cover. Daniel discovered it. Marcus was supposed to help expose it, but Robert got to him first—bought his loyalty with blood money.

And Walton? Walton was just the convenient scapegoat. The son of Robert's oldest enemywith a public argument with Daniel right before the murder. Perfect.

Harrison's phone buzzed. "Everything is done. The specialist was able to secure the document ."

They came close to Priy,, a the IT specialist,  while she put the USB inside a laptop.

She then said,aThisThis is military encrypted; whoever did this was trying to secure from people ”. Maria now asked her,, Can you crack it??”

"Eventually. But it could take weeks. Unless..." Priya paused. "Unless you know the password."

"We don't," Harrison said grimly.

Maria thought frantically. Daniel would have used something meaningful, something only he would know. Their anniversary? No, too obvious—he'd already used that for the safe. His children's birthdays?

Wait.

She pulled out her phone and called Elena.

"Mrs. Kesse , please, is there Something Daniel said often, or a motto he lived by?"

Elena was quiet for a moment. "He always said, 'Truth finds light.' It was on his father’s watch. Daniel wore it every day."

Maria repeated it to Priya. "Try 'Truth finds light.'"

Priya typed carefully. The screen flickered.

ACCESS GRANTED

The USB drive opened like a treasure chest spilling secrets.

Folders upon folders of documents. Financial records showing systematic theft spanning three years. Email chains between Robert and Marcusplang the frame job. And most damning of all—a video file.

Priya clicked it.

It was showing aa footageof Daniel's parking lot from the camera behind his house in the garage. The time was 10:47 P.M

Harrison leaned closer.Thiss happened 15 minutes before the time of death."

Priya played it fast. Marcus came out this time with no briefcase

"He planted evidence," Maria breathed. "Then came back after killing Daniel."

"Or someone else killed Daniel," Harrison corrected, "and Marcus planted evidence to frame Walton. Either way.” He looked at Maria with hope for the first time since they started this investigation, and ssaidiThishis will change everything.ng”

Maria left his office, having hope for the first titohe have proof, real tangible proof that will change the game,

If Robert Thorntoncano kills anyone he likes to protect his activities, what will he do to herwhen he didiscovershey are hunting him?

Immediatel,, her phone started ringing. Unknown number.

Maria was scared at first, then answered. "Hello?"

She took in a heavy breath.h, A man's voice in the background was heard, but he was using a voice modulator. “ You should have just walked away, Mrs. Jame. Your husband will still go to jail whether you like it or not.”

“Who are you?u” she asked

"Someone who is trying to save your life. Drop the investigation.

"I will never," Maria said.

The caller was laughing. "Brave. Stupid, but brave. You think finding a few files makes you safe. You don’t know how deep this is. How many people does Rodoes Bert own?Judges. Police. Prosecutors."

"If he is powerful, wwhy worryabout what I found?"

Silence. Then: "Last warning, Maria. Back off, or you'll end up like Daniel. And your husband will watch you die from his cell."

The line went dead.

Maria dropped the phone and looked around, andnoticede how alone she was at that point.

A car engine was turned on fr behind her.

She just rushed into her car, locked it,t and started driving. She did not have a direction; she was just going.

A message entered her phone.

Unknown: The USB drive. Give me, and I will make all this go. You and Walton can disappear. Live quietly. I'm abusinessmann.

Another text: Think it through.

Maria deleted both messages, her jaw set. She knew what to do next.

She called Harrison. "I need to see Walton. Tomorrow. First thing."

"Maria, you can not see him until visiting hou,r s” ,he said

"I ddon't wantto know, call in any favor you havedo not . I want to see my husband".

"May I know, is there any problem?"

Maria looked through her mirror, “Yes, they know we have evidence against them”.

When the night came, she could not sleep; she was lying down on her bed, but her eyes opened, and the USB drive in her bra.

The house was so quiet.

She was thinking of her husband in isolation. What if he has given up on her? This thought almost made her cry, but she refused to believe it.

A message just dropped on her phone, she thought it wwasgood news from Harrison on the case.

Instead, it was a picture of her car, which was taken by someonwhoom was watching he.r

I know where to find you

Maria was scared and called the security men in her compound

"Hello, Mrs. James?" The night guard answered immediately.

"I need you to check the house completely and do a review of all the cameras in the house."

"Are you safe, madam?Cann you please do it?"

She went and stood by the window and noticed the day, Robert was making his moves; she was not just fighting for Walton but both of their lives

Her phone lit up one more time. Another message from an unknown number:

Sleep well, Maria.

She switched off her light , he sat at one corner of her room in darkness and imagined meeting her husband tomorrow and letting him know. They had evidence.

But that night was easy for him,r she said to herself, “Robert has taken from Walton once,,e and I will not allow it the second time”. He had framed him for murder. Had tried to destroy him completely.

He wouldn't succeed.

Because she is no longer the scared salon girl, who was powerless, she has found strength in silence and will use it.

And she was done running.