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Chapter 63
The supplier record arrived at Silver Company the following morning.Beatrice had asked the records team to trace the business listed in Aurelion Systems’ old paperwork. By the time Riley reached the office, they had recovered two additional documents from an archived procurement folder.Neither document mentioned the technical archive directly.But both named Martin Shaw.Riley placed the papers side by side on the conference table.“What have we verified?” he asked.Beatrice sat opposite him, with the technical team’s notes arranged in a separate folder.“The supplier existed. We found its registration details and confirmed that it provided temporary storage services to several businesses during the period when Aurelion Systems was closing down.”“And Martin?”“He was listed as Aurelion’s contact for storage coordination. One document concerns equipment collection. The other records a discussion about extending a temporary storage arrangement.”“Does it say what was being stored?”“
Chapter 62
Riley read the receipt again before leaving the hospital.The paper was old enough that its edges had begun to soften. The handwriting was faded, and the description of the property it covered was brief. Yet one line remained clear.Technical Archive — Temporary Storage Pending Final Custody Agreement.Below it was the name that had occupied Riley’s thoughts since the previous evening.Martin Shaw.The receipt did not prove that Martin had stolen anything. It did not even prove that he had kept the archive after Aurelion Systems closed. He might have transferred it to another party, returned it to one of the founders, or followed instructions that were never properly recorded.But someone had received the archive.And the final custody agreement had never appeared among the documents Daniel Mercer retained.Riley slipped the receipt back into its protective folder.“Have you found something?” one of his uncles asked.Riley looked up from the chair beside his father’s bed.“Possibly. W
Chapter 61
Riley was reading through Beatrice's latest report when Daniel Mercer sent the document he had promised.The message contained a scanned letter, three pages of correspondence, and a photograph of a handwritten inventory.Riley opened the letter first.It was dated several years before Aurelion Systems had been dissolved. The writer discussed the company's remaining technical materials and proposed dividing the records into separate collections. One collection would remain with the founders, while another would be transferred to an external storage facility until the ownership dispute was resolved.The document did not identify the storage facility by name.Riley moved to the second page.There, beneath a paragraph about preserving the company's intellectual property, he found a sentence that made him stop.No transfer should take place until all parties have acknowledged the inventory and signed the final custody record.He read it again.Then he opened the handwritten inventory.Most
Chapter 60
Riley was halfway through reviewing Daniel Mercer's messages when his phone rang again.It was Beatrice.“We've found the original migration report,” she said without greeting. “The legacy project folder wasn't simply absent from the current system. It was specifically excluded from one of the migration batches.”Riley put down the notebook in which he had been recording the findings.“Who excluded it?”“That is what we're trying to establish. The report records the exclusion, but the authorization field points to an administrative account. We haven't verified who operated that account when the decision was made.”“Was the exclusion approved?”“The record says it was.”“That wasn't my question. Is there evidence that the person named in the authorization actually approved it?”“Not yet.”Riley leaned back in his chair.“Then we have a record claiming authorization, not proof of authorization.”“Correct.”“Can you establish when the exclusion happened?”“The report gives us a date, but
Chapter 59
Riley did not sleep much that night.The photographs Evelyn Carter had left behind remained inside his bag, but his attention kept returning to the message from Beatrice.An archived project identifier had appeared in Silver Company's altered records.That alone did not prove wrongdoing. Companies often inherited old databases, reused internal references, or retained records long after the original projects had ended.But Evelyn had told him that someone was searching for Aurelion Systems. The caller had specifically asked whether Riley knew about the company.Now the same name had surfaced in an investigation involving unauthorized changes to Silver Company's internal system.Riley disliked coincidences that demanded too many explanations.At six in the morning, he called Beatrice.“You said the identifier appeared in an altered routing record,” he began. “I need to know exactly where it appeared.”“We've isolated the relevant entry,” Beatrice replied. “The identifier was referenced
Chapter 58
Riley was reviewing the latest message from Beatrice when the nurse approached him.“Mr. Riley, there's someone here asking to see your father.”He looked up. “Who is it?”“She says she is an old acquaintance of his. She didn't give us many details, but she insists that the visit is important.”Riley's expression tightened.“Did she give her name?”“Evelyn Carter.”The name meant nothing to him.“Where is she now?”“In the waiting area.”Riley put his phone away and stood. He had no intention of allowing a stranger into his father's ward without first understanding why she had come.“Please ask her to wait a little longer.”The nurse nodded and returned to her station.Riley found his uncle in the corridor and explained what had happened.“Do you know anyone called Evelyn Carter?” he asked.His uncle thought for a moment before shaking his head.“Not that I can remember. Did she say how she knew your father?”“No. She only said she was an old acquaintance.”“Perhaps she worked with hi
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