Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Eleanor moved into a small waterfront apartment.
It had two bedrooms.
A narrow balcony.
And a kitchen that overlooked the marina.
It was nothing like the Calloway estate.
She loved it.
She spent her mornings working with Nora.
They reviewed corporate records.
Bank statements.
Ownership transfers.
And documents that had been signed in her name.
The more they examined, the worse the situation became.
Harbor Crown Holdings had acquired significant voting rights in Calloway Maritime.
Several transactions appeared to involve inflated valuations.
And some payments had moved through companies with unclear business purposes.
Nora contacted a forensic accountant.
His name was Julian Price.
He examined the records.
Then looked at Eleanor.
"These transfers weren't random."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They were structured."
Julian pointed to a chart.
"Someone was consolidating control."
"Who?"
He hesitated.
"That depends on who owns Harbor Crown."
Two days later, they found the answer.
The beneficial owner was connected to Victor Sloane, Graham's longtime business partner.
Eleanor stared at the name.
Victor had been at the anniversary party.
He had stood beside Graham in the private lounge.
He had laughed when Graham called marriage a business investment.
Nora studied her.
"Did Graham know?"
Eleanor looked down.
"I don't know."
Then Julian found another document.
A memorandum describing a planned restructuring.
The memo referred to Eleanor as a "nonessential stakeholder."
She read the phrase twice.
Nonessential.
For ten years, she had built systems that kept the company operating.
Now someone had reduced her to a line in a document.
Eleanor looked at Nora.
"I want to know who approved this."
Nora nodded.
"We'll find out."
That evening, Eleanor received a message from Graham.
I found the watch.
She stared at it.
Another message appeared.
Thank you.
She typed a reply.
Then deleted it.
May you like
Some gifts were too late to give.
And some apologies were too late to matter.
