Chapter 5 - THE SIGNATURE IN THE DARK
I stared at the date on the forged document.
October 12th. Three years ago.
That was the week Graham and Paige got married.
Paige hadn't waited until tonight to steal the hotel. She had been planning this since the moment she said her vows. She forged Margaret's signature years ago, transferring the deed to Graham.
Tonight wasn't a corporate takeover. It was an execution.
If they had Margaret declared legally incompetent tonight, the three-year-old forged document would be accepted by the board without question, because Margaret would have no legal standing to contest it.
I grabbed the papers, shoving them into my apron pocket.
I left Lawson groaning on the floor and sprinted back into the corridor.
Margaret was waiting exactly where I left her, hiding in the shadows of the supply cage.
“Did you find her?” she asked, her voice tight with worry.
“She’s locked in Lawson’s office on the first floor,” I said, showing her the brass key. “I’m getting her now.”
“And Lawson?”
“He dropped these,” I said, pulling out the folded documents.
Margaret took them. She adjusted her glasses in the dim basement light.
I watched the realization wash over her. She saw the date. She saw the flawless forgery of her own handwriting.
“She didn't just forge my name,” Margaret whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of rage and profound heartbreak. “She forged Richard’s notary stamp. The one he kept in his desk.”
“They've been planning this since the wedding.”
Margaret looked up at me. “If the board sees this document tonight, while I am declared incompetent, they will vote to ratify the sale immediately. Paige gets everything. Graham takes the fall if it ever goes to court.”
“Then we stop them,” I said.
We took the service stairs up to the first floor.
The hallway behind the reception desk was clear. We hurried to the General Manager’s office. I slid the brass key into the lock and turned.
The door clicked open.
Chloe was sitting in a large leather chair, watching a movie on Lawson’s iPad. She looked up and smiled.
“Dad!” she said, completely oblivious to the danger. “Mr. Lawson said you were busy so I had to wait here.”
I dropped to my knees and pulled her into a hug so tight she squeaked.
“I’m right here, sweetie,” I whispered into her hair. “You’re safe.”
Margaret stepped into the room and closed the door behind us. She looked at Chloe with a gentle, grandmotherly smile.
“Hello, Chloe,” Margaret said. “Your father is a very brave man.”
Chloe smiled back. “Are you his boss?”
“No,” Margaret said softly. “Tonight, I think he is mine.”
I stood up, keeping Chloe behind me. “Mrs. Whitmore, if the board is waiting for the medical declaration, where are Paige and Graham?”
“The private lounge,” Margaret said. “That’s where the board members drink after dinner. Paige will bring the doctors in there to make a public show of my 'condition.'”
“We need proof that Paige forced this,” I said. “Is there security footage of Lawson's office? If we can prove Lawson locked my daughter in here—”
“Better,” Margaret interrupted.
She walked over to Lawson’s desk and picked up a heavy, glass paperweight.
Underneath it was a black, velvet jewelry box.
Margaret opened it.
Inside was a brilliant, emerald-cut diamond ring.
“Paige's engagement ring,” Margaret said. “Graham bought it for her three years ago. I recognize the setting.”
I frowned. “Why is Paige’s engagement ring on Lawson’s desk?”
Margaret looked at me, the pieces of the puzzle snapping together in her brilliant mind.
“Because Graham didn't arrange this coup. Paige and Lawson did. Together. They’ve been having an affair.”
Margaret turned the ring over. “She took it off to sign the final transfer papers tonight without Graham knowing. She left it as collateral for Lawson.”
Suddenly, the office door handle jiggled.
Someone was trying to get in.
I pushed Chloe behind the heavy mahogany desk. Margaret backed into the shadows.
A key slid into the lock.
The door swung open.
It wasn't Lawson.
It was Graham.
He looked exhausted, his tie loosened, his eyes bloodshot. He stepped into the room and froze when he saw me.
Then he saw his grandmother standing in the shadows.
“Grandma,” Graham whispered.
May you like
He didn't look angry. He looked broken.
“Graham,” Margaret said, her voice completely devoid of warmth. “Are you looking for your wife's ring? Or are you looking for the forged deed she used to steal your life?”
