CHAPTER 116: Who Knew

POV: Selene Castellano

"Someone who was aware of her access to Catherine's account," Selene repeated, her voice slower and more deliberate. "That narrows it down to a very small group of people."

Avalon was quiet, working through it.

"Margaret," he said, mentioning a few names, "Catherine, Diana herself, and whoever was responsible for preparing the power of attorney documents."

"Whoever Diana had confided in," Selene wondered, "if indeed she had shared it with anyone at all."

Avalon called Diana directly.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice husky from sleep.

“It’s two thirty in the morning,” she said.

Avalon's voice was direct, no time for small talk. "Did you make any calls to the federal facility where Whitmore was being held?" he asked, his words cutting straight to the point. "Specifically, in the two weeks leading up to his death?"

Silence.

“Diana.”

"No," she said, her voice suddenly sharp and alert, a complete departure from its previous tone. "I haven't called that facility, not even once. So, why are you asking me this?"

“Someone used your number,” Selene said, leaning toward the phone. “ From burner locations near payphones. Seven calls.”

“That’s not possible,” Diana said. “ My number isn’t even—” She stopped.

“What?” Avalon asked.

Diana spoke slowly, "I only gave my number to one person in the past month, and that was for something totally unrelated to anything personal - just some foundation business. At the time, I didn't think much of it."

“Who?” Selene asked

Diana was quiet for a long moment.

"James Okonkwo," she mentioned. “He had called her about three weeks prior, asking for some information on Henderson Capital's financial past, before the board was set to vote. Apparently, he was looking for someone with a good understanding of how companies are structured, and he thought I might be the right person for the job, given my background. So, I had given him her direct phone number.”

The car was silent.

"Avalon spoke slowly, his words measured. 'James already had his hands on corporate intelligence,' she said. 'So, he didn't actually need you to get that information.'"

"I thought it was weird when it happened," Diana said. "But he's on the board, so I didn't think much of it at the time."

Selene looked at Avalon.

"He told us that he had already quit his job on Henderson's board that morning, before we had even had a chance to talk to him."

“Conveniently,” Avalon said.

He had found out about it three weeks ago and was trying to put a stop to it from the inside.

“What if he wasn’t trying to stop it,” Avalon said slowly. “ What if he was trying to control the timing.”

Diana's voice was back on the line, filled with urgency. "What's going on?" she asked, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Tell me, what's happening?"

Avalon cut her off, saying "We'll call you back" and then hung up the phone, not giving her a chance to say another word.

He was sitting there, hands resting on the steering wheel, but the car wasn't moving.

"James was fully aware of Catherine's account," he explained. "After all, he'd been present at every single meeting and conversation about the foundation's finances over the past two months. It would have been easy for him to find out about the power of attorney arrangement - he had ample opportunity to learn all about it."

“He’s also the one who told us about the Henderson threat,” Selene said. “ He’s the one who caught the legal loophole that freed us from the marriage clause.”

"Avalon's words hung in the air, 'Or maybe he just waited until the perfect moment to gain our trust, when he knew he'd need it most.'"

Selene felt something cold settle in her stomach.

"She spoke slowly, her words measured. 'He failed two companies,' she said. 'He was upfront about it, told us himself on the first day. There was total honesty about his failures.'"

“What if that honesty was the strategy,” Avalon said. “ What if telling us the worst thing about himself first meant we’d never suspect him of anything else.”

His phone buzzed.

Margaret again.

"I've got something more," she said, cutting him off before he could get a word in. "It's about James's second company, the one that went bust - you know, the one Henderson put money into. I managed to get my hands on the full list of investors, the very same list Henderson was threatening to make public."

“And?”

Margaret mentioned that Gerald Whitmore was involved in it, as a silent investor, using a shell company to keep his identity hidden, but she was certain it was him. Apparently, James had a long-standing relationship with Whitmore, knowing him for over ten years.

Avalon closed his eyes.

“He never mentioned that,” he said.

“Why would he,” Selene said quietly. “ If he was protecting it.”