CHAPTER 7

Once settled in his car, Michael made a call.

“Hello Sir. They plan went as agreed. I dangled the money in their face and then took it back. Withdrawal of all the bids was a stroke of genius. It helped turn the tide in our favor. I have asked them to retain their current positions but changes are bound to come soon once you take up your new role as the owner of the business. I have not revealed your identity though.”

“Good work Michael. You will receive adequate compensation for your work. You can now proceed to do your work. The next phase of my plan will be handled by me in my own time.”

Zach answered as he swiveled in his chair in his own office at the York Enterprise headquarters. This was bound to be very interesting.

He then received another call, “Good morning sir. I have been able to make enquiries on one of the best properties in the city. The Rose Villa is best home for you. It’s only worth two hundred and fifty million. I need your consent to proceed with the purchase. I have sent you photos to confirm if it is to your liking.”

It was his butler.

“Just buy it. I don’t care about the price. You know my taste so decorate it accordingly. I need it to be perfect.” Zack hang up immediately and continued with his work.

News of the purchase spread rapidly throughout the city. No one in the entire country was willing to purchase the mansion but an unknown party had purchased it entirely in cash.

Though the identity of the owner was unknown, speculation was rampant as people tried to guess who was the owner.

The best guess was that the owner of the mansion was the same person who bought over York Enterprises. The identity of the mysterious owner of York Enterprises was only known to the few who had seen him but no one had spilled the beans due to fear of repercussions.

These rumors did not concern Zach as all that was in his heart was revenge towards those who had caused him so much pain. They would all experience the same pain he had experienced.

He then decided to call Big Al to enquire on the progress of the case.

The call was answered in the first ring.

“Big Al, what is the progress on the order I gave you?”

A very nervous voice on the other end of the call answered. “Boss, I do not have good news. The drivers of the van that hit Miss Rachel were all found dead a few days after the accident. They had been shot point black in the head together as though they were together with the shooter.

Further investigation was hushed and the matter was closed without proceeding any further. Back then only underground forces or a very prominent family could do this. The only ones capable back then were the Kents. I can confirm that the matter was covered up by the Kents or someone operating in their name. I have not been able to identify which member of the Kent family was responsible but lack of information has made it impossible.

Many of the government officials who would have been involved in the cover-up have either died or left the country all together. The only person at the moment who could have been involved in the matter then is the current head of the Crawford family.

He has informants throughout in the city, even within my ranks. He is untouchable since he has a very powerful backer. If you can manage to pursue him, you can at least get more information on the matter.

There is also a matter that am not sure how to describe.”

“Get on with it Albert. I do not have all the time in the world.” He was anxious to hear what Big Al had found out.

“There was an issue I found with the body of the young miss. After the accident, the morgue did not receive the body and therefore there was no burial or cremation.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think there is a chance that miss Rachel is alive. After the accident, Zachary Garrett went missing therefore he did not handle his wife’s body after the body left in the ambulance to the morgue. The body was not received by any morgue in the city but the death certificate states that the death was confirmed at Creedmoor City Mortuary.”

Zach pondered on the news and answered after a short pause. “Thank you Big Al. Though most of what you have told me I already knew, some new info has shed light on the way forward. I might need some of your men in the future so await my call at any time. For this service you will definitely be rewarded greatly.” And he hung up.

He now knew where to direct his effort before he handled the Kent family. This head of the Crawford family would definitely have answers.

If she was not dead, then where was she? What really happened that day? The accident itself had become a blur for him. The only focus he had was to avenge her death.

This mysterious head of the Crawford family would definitely have the answers he needed.

Zach then made a call to his butler, “I want you to look into the head of the Crawford family. I want to know everything there is to know about them. And check the relationship between the Kents and the Crawfords. I need the information within the day so make use of all the resources you need to get it done. But in order not to alert them, I need you hide it as though you are trying to investigate all the prominent families in the city for investment purposes. The extra information might be important in the future.”

Soon, echoes of a vibration began moving throughout the city. A mysterious investor was planning to make a major investment in the most prominent families. Each family was busy trying to hide their secrets in order to make them attractive to the investor.

Within an hour, Zach’s butler, Pennyworth, called back, “I will be sending you an email with some preliminary information. We have constructed a basic profile on the head of the Crawford family, Peter Crawford. I have emphasized more on his relationship with the Kent family. Full information will be delivered to you before the end of the day.”

Zach turned to his computer and went through the email absorbing all the information. His butler was indeed clever enough to investigate the important parts first.

The information in the email was quite scarce regarding the identity of Peter Crawford since he was a recluse but details of his interaction with the Kents was available since he had to come out of seclusion.

Zach was in quite the shock after he finished reading the brief.