Chapter 4: The Man Behind the Glass
Nobody spoke after the call ended.
The silence inside the conference room felt different now.
Before, they had been afraid of what Margaret Ellis might do.
Now they were afraid of each other.
David Sterling lowered his phone slowly.
His eyes moved from Elliot to Rebecca.
Then to the dark television screen.
Then back again.
“Jonathan is alive,” he said.
Elliot nodded.
“We heard him.””
David looked at him.
“That doesn't prove it.””
“Then who was it?””
“I don't know.””
Rebecca stepped toward the table.
“He said we've been sitting in a room with his secrets all night.””
Her voice was calm, but her hands were cold.
“And he said someone brought those secrets to us.””
Elliot stared at her.
“You think it's me.””
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't know what to think.””
David looked at the folder.
The photograph remained on the table.
Thomas Ellis.
Jonathan Ellis.
Two brothers.
One dead.
One supposedly missing.
For twenty-five years, Jonathan had been nothing more than a ghost in the Ellis family history.
Yet tonight, he had called David directly.
That meant one thing.
He had been watching.
Maybe for years.
David reached for the photograph.
“Where did you get this?””
Elliot hesitated.
“I told you. Three months ago.””
“From where?””
“I found it in an archived acquisition file.””
“Which acquisition?””
Elliot looked at Rebecca before answering.
“The Dallas International Aviation merger.””
David's expression changed.
“That file was destroyed.””
“No.””
Elliot shook his head.
“It was marked closed. That's different.””
David stood abruptly.
“Who had access?””
“Legal. Finance. Corporate archives.””
“Names.””
Elliot opened the folder.
“Richard Hayes. Michael Turner. Me. You.””
David stared at him.
“Michael.””
Rebecca's heart tightened.
The missing executive.
The man who had supposedly resigned.
“You think Michael found this?”” she asked.
Elliot nodded.
“Maybe.””
“Maybe?””
“There are pages missing from the original file.””
“Who removed them?””
“We don't know.””
David looked at the photograph again.
“What was Michael investigating?””
Elliot closed the folder.
“He requested access to Thomas Ellis's original shareholder records.””
David's face darkened.
“Why?””
“Three weeks before he disappeared.””
Rebecca felt a chill.
“Three weeks?””
Elliot looked at her.
“The same week you were promoted.””
Rebecca stared.
“You're saying Michael disappeared because of this?””
“I don't know.””
“Then why was I promoted?””
Elliot didn't answer.
Rebecca turned toward David.
“Did you know?””
David looked at her.
“No.””
She believed him.
Or at least she wanted to.
The conference room door suddenly rattled.
Everyone froze.
Someone was trying to open it.
Elliot moved first.
He stepped between Rebecca and the door.
“Who is it?””
No answer.
The handle moved again.
Then a voice came through.
“It's security.””
David frowned.
“I didn't call security.””
Neither did Elliot.
The handle moved.
“Open the door, Mr. Sterling.””
Elliot whispered,
“Don't.””
David stared at him.
“Why?””
“Because Sterling security doesn't speak like that.””
Before David could respond, the lights went out.
Complete darkness swallowed the room.
Rebecca heard someone inhale sharply.
Then something crashed.
A chair.
A table.
She reached for the wall instinctively.
“Elliot?””
“Stay where you are.””
A loud metallic click came from the door.
Someone was forcing the lock.
David whispered,
“There's another exit.””
“Where?”” Rebecca asked.
“Behind the cabinet.””
Elliot moved quickly through the darkness.
He pulled a panel aside.
A narrow emergency passage appeared.
Rebecca could barely see him.
“Go.””
David pushed her forward.
She entered.
Elliot followed.
David came last.
Behind them, the conference room door exploded inward.
Someone entered.
Rebecca heard footsteps.
Then a voice.
“Find them.””
The three of them disappeared into the passage.
They moved quickly through the narrow corridor.
Rebecca could hear her own breathing.
“What is this place?”” she whispered.
“Old service access,” David said.
“You knew about this?””
“Yes.””
“How many exits?””
“Two.””
“Where do they lead?””
“One to the maintenance hangar.””
“And the other?””
David hesitated.
“The executive parking structure.””
Rebecca stopped.
“Why are we running through hidden corridors inside our own building?””
Elliot grabbed her arm.
“Because somebody just tried to break into a locked room.””
She stared at him.
“And you think that's normal?””
“No.””
He looked behind them.
“I think we're in danger.””
They continued.
Then they heard footsteps.
Someone was following them.
Closer.
David cursed under his breath.
“Faster.””
Rebecca's heels made too much noise.
She kicked them off.
Barefoot, she ran.
The passage ended at a steel door.
Elliot opened it.
They emerged into the maintenance hangar.
Bright industrial lights flooded the space.
Several ground vehicles sat beneath the enormous ceiling.
Rebecca looked around.
No security personnel.
No employees.
Nothing.
Then Elliot pointed.
A black SUV was parked near the far gate.
Its engine was running.
David stared at it.
“That's mine.””
“Get in,” Elliot said.
They rushed across the hangar.
As they reached the vehicle, headlights suddenly appeared behind them.
A second SUV accelerated toward them.
“Down!””
Elliot shoved Rebecca aside.
The vehicle slammed into a stack of equipment.
Metal screamed.
David fell against the ground.
Rebecca crawled behind a concrete support.
Elliot pulled David up.
“Are you hurt?””
David shook his head.
“Go!””
They ran toward the black SUV.
Elliot jumped into the driver's seat.
Rebecca climbed into the back.
David got in beside her.
The tires screamed as they pulled away.
Behind them, two men ran out of the maintenance area.
One raised a weapon.
The SUV disappeared through the gate.
Rebecca looked back through the rear window.
Her heart was pounding.
“Who were they?””
Elliot didn't answer.
David did.
“People who don't want us to find Jonathan.””
Rebecca stared at him.
“Or people who don't want Jonathan to find us.””
David looked at her.
“You've become very suspicious.””
“I've had a difficult evening.””
For the first time in hours, David almost smiled.
Then his phone buzzed.
A text.
No number.
Just six words.
*You should have trusted Margaret sooner.*
David stared.
Rebecca saw the message.
“She knew this would happen.””
Elliot nodded.
“Of course she did.””
David looked at him.
“What?””
Elliot's eyes stayed on the road.
“She didn't come here to take Sterling.””
“Then why?””
“To force us out.””
David frowned.
“Out of what?””
Elliot looked at him.
“The company.””
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Why would she want us out?””
“Because Sterling Aviation isn't safe.””
David's voice hardened.
“What does that mean?””
Elliot finally looked at him.
“It means whoever controlled the company before tonight may have been using it for something much bigger.””
Rebecca frowned.
“Bigger than money?””
“Yes.””
“What?””
Elliot hesitated.
“People.””
David stared.
“People?””
“Clients.””
Rebecca's expression changed.
“What about them?””
Elliot tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“Private flights. Offshore transfers. Unregistered passengers.””
David's face went still.
Rebecca stared.
“Are you saying Sterling was transporting illegal passengers?””
“No.””
Elliot shook his head.
“I'm saying I don't know what the flights were being used for.””
“Then how do you know?””
“Because I've seen the records.””
“Where?””
“In a second database.””
Rebecca frowned.
“Sterling has one database.””
“It has one official database.””
David leaned forward.
“What are you talking about?””
“The hidden system.””
David's eyes narrowed.
“How long have you known?””
“Four months.””
“Four months?””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I didn't know who to trust.””
Rebecca looked at both men.
“So this entire time, there was another set of flight records?””
“Yes.””
“Who had access?””
Elliot answered quietly.
“Three people.””
David stared.
“Who?””
“Richard Hayes.””
David's face tightened.
“Michael Turner.””
Rebecca swallowed.
“And?””
Elliot looked in the rearview mirror.
His eyes met Rebecca's.
“You.””
Rebecca froze.
“What?””
“You were added to the administrator list six months ago.””
“I never accessed it.””
“I know.””
“Then why?””
“I don't know.””
David looked between them.
“Who created the account?””
Elliot's face became grim.
“Richard Hayes.””
The vehicle went silent.
Rebecca sank back into her seat.
“So he gave me access.””
“Without telling you.””
“Why?””
Elliot shook his head.
“That is what we need to find out.””
David stared through the windshield.
“Take us somewhere safe.””
Elliot nodded.
“I know a place.””
Twenty minutes later, the SUV entered a private underground garage beneath an office building in downtown Dallas.
There were no company signs.
No security desk.
No cameras that Rebecca could see.
Elliot parked on the third basement level.
They stepped out.
David looked around.
“Whose building?””
“Mine.””
Rebecca raised an eyebrow.
“Since when?””
“Since before Sterling.””
They entered a private elevator.
Elliot pressed a code.
The elevator moved downward.
Not upward.
Rebecca glanced at the display.
Basement three.
Basement four.
Basement five.
“What is this?”” she asked.
Elliot didn't respond.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
A narrow hallway stretched ahead.
At the end was a steel door.
Elliot entered another code.
The door opened.
Rebecca stepped inside.
Her breath caught.
The room was filled with monitors.
Dozens of them.
Maps.
Flight routes.
Passenger manifests.
Bank transfers.
Photographs.
Private communications.
A wall-sized screen displayed the Sterling Aviation logo.
But underneath it was another symbol.
An unfamiliar black circle crossed by three thin lines.
Rebecca recognized it.
She had seen the symbol once before.
In an email.
Months ago.
She had assumed it was a technical watermark.
“What's this?””
Elliot closed the door.
“The real Sterling.””
David turned toward him.
“What have you been doing?””
“Investigating.””
“For whom?””
“Myself.””
“Why?””
Elliot walked toward the monitors.
“Because four months ago, I discovered something in the company's financial records.””
He brought up a file.
“Payments were being made to accounts that didn't exist.””
Rebecca stepped closer.
“Shell accounts?””
“Yes.””
“How much?””
Elliot entered a number.
Rebecca stared.
“That's hundreds of millions.””
“Yes.””
David's voice became cold.
“Where did it go?””
Elliot opened another file.
“That's the problem.””
Rebecca looked at the screen.
The money wasn't going to companies.
It was going to individuals.
Dozens of them.
Some names were familiar.
Others weren't.
Then she saw one she recognized.
Her heart stopped.
“Wait.””
Elliot looked at her.
Rebecca pointed at the screen.
“That can't be right.””
“What?””
She touched the monitor.
The name was unmistakable.
*REBECCA LANE.*
Underneath it was a payment record.
Date:
Six months earlier.
Amount:
$250,000.
Rebecca stared in horror.
“I never received that.””
David looked at Elliot.
“Can it be forged?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“Someone would need my credentials.””
Rebecca stepped backward.
“Someone paid money in my name.””
Elliot nodded.
“Apparently.””
David looked at her.
Rebecca shook her head.
“I don't understand.””
Her voice trembled.
“I've never seen that account.””
Elliot opened the transaction details.
“Neither have I.””
Rebecca stared.
“Then who created it?””
Elliot's face became grim.
“The same person who created your administrator account.””
Richard Hayes.
David stepped away.
“No.””
Rebecca turned.
“What?””
David looked sick.
“Richard wouldn't do this.””
Elliot said nothing.
The room was suddenly very quiet.
Then one of the monitors began flashing.
INCOMING CONNECTION.
Everyone turned.
Elliot approached the console.
“What is that?””
A video window opened.
Margaret Ellis appeared again.
This time, she wasn't alone.
A man stood behind her.
Older.
Gray hair.
Sharp features.
He looked directly into the camera.
Rebecca had never seen him in person.
But she recognized him immediately.
Jonathan Ellis.
David staggered backward.
“No.””
Margaret looked into the camera.
“David.””
Jonathan stepped forward.
“I think it's time you stopped running.””
David stared at the screen.
“You're alive.””
Jonathan smiled.
“I've been alive every day you've been telling people I was dead.””
“Where have you been?””
“Watching.””
“Why?””
Jonathan looked at Rebecca.
Then Elliot.
Then back at David.
“Because someone inside Sterling has been protecting me.””
David's eyes widened.
“Who?””
Jonathan smiled.
“You still haven't figured it out?””
Margaret stepped closer to the camera.
“You're looking at the wrong people.””
David frowned.
“Then who?””
Jonathan's expression became serious.
“The person you're afraid to name.””
David went pale.
“Richard?””
Jonathan didn't answer.
Margaret did.
“No.””
Everyone froze.
She looked directly at Rebecca.
“Not Richard.””
Rebecca felt a chill.
Margaret continued.
“Richard is guilty.””
David stared.
“But he isn't the mastermind.””
Elliot stepped forward.
“Then who is?””
Margaret's expression changed.
For the first time, Rebecca saw genuine fear in her eyes.
“Someone you have trusted for twenty years.””
David's face hardened.
“Who?””
Margaret looked at Jonathan.
Jonathan nodded.
Then the screen went black.
A single file appeared on the monitor.
No title.
No sender.
Just a photograph.
Rebecca leaned toward it.
The photograph showed a younger David Sterling standing beside Thomas Ellis.
Behind them stood several employees.
Rebecca recognized one immediately.
The woman beside Thomas.
The woman holding a folder.
The woman whose face had appeared in old Sterling photographs for decades.
Rebecca whispered her name.
“Evelyn Grant.””
Elliot turned sharply.
“That's my mother.””
David stared at the photograph.
Rebecca looked at Elliot.
His face had lost all color.
Your mother?
Elliot stepped toward the screen.
“No.””
David looked at him.
“No what?””
“My mother died twenty years ago.””
Rebecca swallowed.
The photograph displayed a date.
Twenty years ago.
The exact year Elliot's mother had supposedly died.
Then another image appeared.
A bank document.
Signed by Evelyn Grant.
Then another.
A passport.
Then another.
A recent photograph.
Taken three months ago.
Evelyn Grant.
Alive.
Standing outside an airport in Geneva.
Rebecca looked at Elliot.
He couldn't breathe.
“She lied,” he whispered.
David stared at the screen.
“Your mother is alive.””
Elliot shook his head.
“No.””
His voice cracked.
“She can't be.””
Rebecca touched his arm.
He pulled away.
Suddenly furious.
“Everyone is lying.””
The screen changed again.
A final message appeared.
*SHE IS COMING TO DALLAS.*
Then another line.
*AND SHE KNOWS WHO KILLED THOMAS.*
The monitors went dark.
Nobody spoke.
Outside the underground building, thunder rolled across Dallas.
Rebecca looked at David.
“What happens now?””
David stared at the empty screens.
His voice was almost a whisper.
“Now we find Evelyn Grant.””
Elliot shook his head.
“No.””
David turned.
“Why?””
Elliot looked terrified.
“Because if my mother is alive…”
He glanced at the photograph of Thomas and Jonathan.
“…then she didn't disappear twenty years ago.””
He pointed toward the final message.
“She disappeared because someone wanted us to believe she was dead.””
Rebecca's chest tightened.
“And if she knows who killed Thomas?””
Elliot looked at her.
“Then whoever killed him will do anything to keep her silent.””
A car engine suddenly roared somewhere above them.
Then another.
Then several more.
Elliot looked toward the security monitors.
Vehicles were entering the underground garage.
Black SUVs.
One after another.
David stared at the screen.
“How did they find us?””
Elliot's face became cold.
“They didn't.””
Rebecca looked at him.
“What?””
“They knew where we were going before we did.””
The first elevator began descending.
Floor five.
Floor six.
Floor seven.
The basement only had six levels.
Rebecca stared at the display.
“That's impossible.””
Elliot looked at her.
“No.””
The elevator continued downward.
Then the lights in the room flickered.
Once.
Twice.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
A woman stepped out.
Gray-haired.
Elegant.
Calm.
Alive.
She looked directly at Elliot.
“Hello, son.””
Elliot couldn't move.
Behind her stood Richard Hayes.
And behind Richard stood Margaret Ellis.
Rebecca stared at all three.
Then she realized something that made her blood run cold.
Margaret wasn't looking at Richard.
May you like
She was looking at Rebecca.
And she was crying.
