Samuel leaned toward the laptop.
"What is it?"
"My mother wrote about a meeting she had with Richard."
Marcus looked up.
"When?"
"Two weeks before she died."
Olivia opened the notebook.
"She said Richard offered her money in exchange for the original financial records."
Samuel closed his eyes.
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand dollars."
Marcus frowned.
"Why would she refuse?"
Olivia looked directly at him.
"Because your mother told her not to."
Marcus felt a chill.
"Mom spoke to her?"
"Yes. Eleanor told my mother that the documents were important because they could prevent other employees from losing their jobs. She said she didn't want anyone else to suffer because of what Richard had done."
Samuel looked away.
Olivia continued.
"My mother also wrote that Richard threatened to expose a secret about Eleanor if she refused."
Marcus's expression changed.
"What secret?"
Olivia hesitated.
"I don't know. She never explained it."
Samuel looked toward the laptop.
"Did she write anything else?"
Olivia turned another page.
There was a sentence written in red ink.
If anything happens to me, the original key must go to Samuel. The recording belongs to Marcus. The truth must reach him when he is old enough to understand.
Samuel stared at the notebook.
Then he looked at the silver key Marcus had found in Eleanor's envelope.
"That key," he said slowly.
Marcus took it from his pocket.
"What about it?"
Samuel examined it.
"I've seen this before."
"Where?"
"At the old property."
The old property.
It was a small building outside the city that had once served as the company's first office.
Samuel had kept it for sentimental reasons.
Marcus had not visited in years.
"What is there?" he asked.
Samuel stood.
"I think we should find out."
The old building stood at the end of a quiet street.
Its paint had faded, and weeds had grown around the entrance. A rusted sign still displayed the original Carter Construction name.
Marcus stepped out of the car and looked at it.
"This place hasn't changed."
Samuel locked the vehicle.
"Some things don't."
They entered through the front door.
The air smelled of dust, old paper, and damp wood.
Samuel led Marcus down a narrow hallway toward a storage room.
At the far end was a metal cabinet.
Samuel examined the lock.
Then he looked at the silver key.
"Try it."
Marcus inserted the key.
It turned smoothly.
Inside the cabinet was a small black box.
Marcus lifted it carefully.
There was no label.
No writing.
Only a small combination lock.
Samuel frowned.
"I don't know the code."
Marcus examined the box.
Then he noticed a handwritten note taped underneath.
A date.
October 14.
The date of Eleanor's wedding anniversary.
He entered the numbers.
The lock opened.
Inside were three objects.
A USB drive.
A sealed letter.
And a photograph.
Marcus picked up the photograph first.
It showed Eleanor, Samuel, Grace, and a younger Richard standing outside the old office.
Everyone was smiling.
But on the back, Eleanor had written:
The people we trust are not always the people who deserve it.
Marcus turned the photograph over again.
He looked at Richard's face.
Something about the image unsettled him.
"Play the recording," Samuel said.
They found an old computer in the office and connected the USB drive.
A video file appeared.
The recording showed a meeting room.
Richard was sitting across from Grace.
His voice was clear.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
Grace looked frightened but determined.
"I understand perfectly."
"You have no idea how much money is involved."
"I know enough."
Richard leaned forward.
"Samuel will lose everything if this becomes public."
"Then perhaps he should know what you've been doing."
Richard laughed.
"Samuel doesn't know anything. He's too busy playing the devoted husband."
Grace stood.
"Don't speak about Eleanor."
Richard's expression hardened.
"Your friend should have stayed out of my business."
Grace picked up a folder.
"She already knows."
Richard's face changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
"How much did she tell you?"
"Enough."
The recording ended abruptly.
Marcus stepped backward.
"That's it?"
Samuel shook his head.
"There must be another file."
They opened the second recording.
This time, Richard was speaking to someone on the telephone.
"I don't care what it costs. I want those documents gone before the audit."
He paused.
Then he said something that made Marcus's blood run cold.
"If Samuel finds out, I'll make sure he loses the one thing he has left."
Marcus looked at his father.
"What did he mean?"
Samuel's face had become pale.
"Your mother."
They returned home just before sunset.
Vanessa was waiting in the living room.
She had prepared dinner, but nobody felt hungry.
Marcus placed the black box on the table.
"We found something."
Vanessa looked at the objects.
"What is it?"
"Evidence."
Samuel sat down.
Marcus explained everything.
When he finished, Vanessa covered her mouth.
"Your uncle threatened your mother?"
"Apparently."
"Why would he do that?"
Samuel looked toward the window.
"Because Richard believed the company should have belonged to him."
Marcus frowned.
"But you were brothers."
Samuel gave a sad smile.
"That never stopped him from competing with me."
He explained that their father had originally intended to divide the business equally between his two sons.
But Richard had been unwilling to work through the difficult early years.
He preferred the appearance of success without the responsibility that came with it.
When the company began growing, he returned and demanded a senior position.
Samuel gave him one.
He believed family deserved another chance.
That decision had nearly destroyed everything.
Richard began using company accounts to pay personal expenses.
Then he created false invoices.
When Samuel discovered the irregularities, Richard insisted that it was a temporary arrangement.
He promised to repay the money.