Chapter 5 - The Shadow Partner Emerges
While Detective Ramos dispatched state troopers toward the Westport marina, Thomas Sterling and I retreated to my private office overlooking the weaving floor. Through the double-paned soundproof glass, I watched the rows of automated looms moving back and forth in rhythmic harmony, producing rolls of fine navy wool for our heritage winter collection.
""The annulment documents are ready for his signature,"" Thomas said, setting a three-page legal document on my desk. ""Under state law, marriage under fraudulent pretenses—specifically financial conspiracy and undisclosed criminal liability prior to the ceremony—qualifies for immediate nullification. As far as the law is concerned, you were never married to Daniel Mercer.""
""Good,"" I said, leaning back in my leather swivel chair. ""What about the money?""
Thomas adjusted his reading glasses, his expression turning grave. ""That’s where the water gets deep, Claire. Daniel gave Ramos the public key for the Delaware shell account, but the secondary master key for the Bahamas transfer requires a physical hardware token. A physical USB security key that Lydia Shaw carries on her person.""
""Meaning?""
""Meaning if Lydia boards that charter boat and clears international waters before the Coast Guard intercepts her, that two point one million dollars disappears into encrypted accounts in Nassau. We might recover our seventy-four thousand through corporate insurance, but the rest of the capital Marcus embezzled will be gone forever. And the insurance claim will trigger a comprehensive risk audit that could downgrade our commercial credit rating for the next three years.""
My fingers drummed against the mahogany desk. A downgrade in our commercial credit would freeze our line of credit right as we prepared to purchase the raw wool harvest for our spring production run. It would force us to lay off fifty workers in the dye house.
""Where is the marina located?"" I asked.
""Black Rock Harbor in Westport,"" Thomas replied. ""Pier 4. Ramos sent two cruisers, but traffic on Interstate 95 is completely gridlocked due to an overturned tanker near Bridgeport. It could take them forty-five minutes to reach the docks.""
I looked at my watch. It was 11:12 a.m.
The charter boat was scheduled to depart at noon.
""I can be there in twenty-five minutes,"" I said, grabbing my car keys from the desk.
""Claire, absolutely not!"" Thomas stood up, his face pale with alarm. ""Lydia Shaw is desperate. She knows Marcus has rolled on her, and she knows Daniel was picked up. You cannot confront a cornered criminal on a private dock!""
""Lydia Shaw doesn't know Daniel was picked up,"" I countered, pulling up my phone's message log. ""Daniel's phone is currently sitting on my desk, fully unlocked. Look at this.""
A message had arrived on Daniel's screen at 11:08: Daniel, where are you? The charter captain is loading the luggage. If you aren't at Pier 4 by 11:45, I’m authorizing the transfer and leaving without you.
I looked up at Thomas. ""She thinks Daniel is bringing the final authorization paperwork. She thinks he’s still her partner.""
""Claire—""
""Thomas, my grandmother worked fourteen hours a day for forty years so that I would have an independent future,"" I said, my voice brooking no argument. ""I am not going to sit in this office and let some socialite sociopath sail away with our workers' payroll while state troopers sit in traffic on the turnpike. Call Ramos. Tell him to coordinate with the local Westport harbor patrol. But I am going to Pier 4.""
May you like
Without waiting for his answer, I walked out of the office, descended the metal stairs to the employee parking lot, and climbed into my station wagon.
As I accelerated onto the coastal highway, the autumn wind whipped through the cracked window. For four years, I had lived in a comfortable, placid bubble, believing that peace was the absence of confrontation. But as the speedometer climbed past seventy, I realized that true peace wasn't something you waited for like rain—it was something you fought for, defended with steel, and refused to let anyone steal under the cover of night.
