Chapter 2 - He Knew Before He Came HomeLuke did not move.
Diane stared at Graham.
The second phone was black.
Cheap.
Prepaid.
Luke had hidden it in the drawer beside the bed three nights earlier because Diane said Graham never opened her side.
Apparently Graham had.
“Come out, Luke.”
Nothing.
Graham walked closer.
“I’m not going to drag you.”
Diane whispered:
“Graham—”
“Don’t.”
His voice was quiet.
That frightened her more than shouting.
Luke slowly pushed himself backward.
Elbows.
Shoulders.
One knee emerging.
Then the other.
He stood beside the bed, white shirt wrinkled, dark hair damp with sweat.
Graham looked at him.
No surprise.
No rage.
Only disappointment.
Luke wished he would shout.
“Mr. Holloway.”
Graham almost smiled.
“Still calling me that?”
Luke looked down.
Diane stepped between them.
“Let me explain.”
Graham laughed softly.
“Which part?”
“The affair?”
“The phone?”
“The missing money?”
“Or the fact that Luke has been inside my house eleven times in six weeks while I was away?”
Diane’s face changed.
“You checked the security system.”
“I own the security system.”
“You told me the hallway logs were deleted.”
“I told you the system was being upgraded.”
Luke looked at Diane.
She had told him every camera had been shut off during renovation.
Another lie.
Graham placed the prepaid phone on the dresser.
“I came home because our auditors found transfers.”
Diane folded her arms.
“I handle foundation spending.”
“Not through North Ridge Consulting.”
Luke finally spoke.
“I didn’t take that money.”
Graham looked at him.
“North Ridge is registered to you.”
“It was.”
“Was?”
“I opened it because Diane asked me to.”
Graham turned toward his wife.
She said nothing.
Luke continued.
“She said it was for a private acquisition.”
“What acquisition?”
Luke looked at Diane.
Graham saw it.
“Don’t ask permission from my wife before answering me.”
Luke swallowed.
“A property.”
“Where?”
“Red Mountain.”
Graham went still.
Diane snapped:
“Luke.”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“You’re going to ruin everything.”
Graham smiled without humor.
“That feels late.”
Diane turned on him.
“You disappear for four nights a week.”
“I work.”
“You live at work.”
“So you decided to sleep with one of my employees?”
“He’s not your employee anymore.”
Graham looked at Luke.
“When did you resign?”
Luke hesitated.
Diane answered:
“This morning.”
Graham’s expression changed.
He hadn’t known.
Luke looked away.
Graham nodded slowly.
“Interesting.”
He walked to the armchair near the fireplace.
Sat.
“Both of you sit.”
Diane laughed.
“You don’t get to run this like a board meeting.”
“No.”
Graham looked at her.
“But I do get to decide whether I call federal investigators tonight.”
That worked.
Diane sat.
Luke remained standing.
Graham looked at him.
“Sit.”
Luke did.
Graham crossed one ankle over the other.
Calm.
Controlled.
“North Ridge received four transfers.”
He held up four fingers.
“Six hundred thousand.”
“Four hundred thousand.”
“Eight hundred thousand.”
“Six hundred thousand.”
“Total?”
Luke whispered:
“Two point four.”
Graham nodded.
“From the Holloway Foundation’s restricted investment account.”
Diane said:
“The funds were temporary.”
“Where are they?”
Silence.
Graham looked at Luke.
“Where?”
Luke’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t know.”
“You own the company.”
“I signed paperwork.”
“Did you move the money?”
“No.”
“Who has banking access?”
Luke looked at Diane.
There.
Again.
Graham leaned back.
“My wife.”
Luke nodded.
Diane stood.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Sit down.”
“No.”
Graham looked up.
For the first time anger appeared.
“Sit.”
Diane did.
Luke felt the room shrink.
Graham continued.
“I returned from Denver because my CFO called at four-thirty.”
Diane looked toward the window.
“He said someone tried to move another three million.”
Luke stared.
“What?”
Diane’s eyes remained away from him.
Graham noticed.
“The transfer failed.”
Luke whispered:
“You said two point four was all.”
Diane snapped:
“Stop talking.”
Luke stared at her.
Three million.
He hadn’t known.
Graham said:
“Who was it going to?”
Diane said nothing.
“Diane.”
She looked at him.
“An escrow account.”
“For?”
“The Red Mountain property.”
Graham’s face changed.
“That property isn’t worth five point four million.”
Diane’s silence became answer.
Graham stood.
“What exactly were you buying?”
She did not respond.
Luke did.
“A file.”
Everyone turned.
Diane’s eyes widened.
Graham stared.
“What file?”
Luke exhaled.
“This is why she needed me.”
Diane whispered:
“You promised.”
Luke laughed bitterly.
“You told me your husband was hiding the truth about my father.”
Graham went completely still.
Diane closed her eyes.
Luke continued.
“You said the Red Mountain seller had documents from 2003.”
Graham stared at him.
“What documents?”
“Victor Mercer’s audit.”
The name hit the room like a second door slamming.
Victor Mercer.
Luke’s father.
Graham’s former business partner.
A man who had been accused of stealing millions from investors twenty-three years earlier.
A man whose reputation had never recovered.
A man who died when Luke was ten.
Graham looked at Diane.
“You told him about Victor?”
She said nothing.
Luke’s voice sharpened.
“You told me Graham destroyed my father.”
Graham turned toward him.
“That’s what she told you?”
“Yes.”
Diane stood.
“Enough.”
Luke ignored her.
“She said you framed him.”
Graham stared at Diane.
Something far older than tonight appeared in his face.
“You promised never to tell him that.”
Luke frowned.
“Tell me what?”
Graham looked at him.
Then at Diane.
“You used Victor’s son to get that file.”
Diane’s expression turned cold.
“I needed the truth.”
“No.”
Graham shook his head.
“You needed leverage.”
Luke looked between them.
“What truth?”
Graham did not answer.
Diane did.
“Your father never stole that money.”
Luke stopped breathing.
Graham closed his eyes.
Diane continued.
“He took the blame for someone else.”
Luke stood.
“Who?”
Graham whispered:
“Diane.”
She smiled.
Too late.
Luke stared.
“Who?”
Diane looked directly at her husband.
May you like
Then answered:
“Graham.”
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