Chapter 4 - THE MAN ABOVE MALCOLMMalcolm was not arrested that afternoon.
At 5:47 the next morning, three black company vehicles rolled through the gates of Blackridge Manor.
Rachel Kim stepped from the first.
Chief Compliance Officer of Sterling Meridian.
Former federal labor investigator.
Five-foot-three.
Calm voice.
Terrifying memory.
Behind her came two forensic accountants and company counsel Nathan Cole.
Richard met them in the library.
Rachel placed a tablet on the table.
“Forty-three complaints over four years.”
Richard stared at the screen.
“Why didn’t I know?”
“Because none reached you.”
“How?”
“Your estate is legally administered through Sterling Residential Services.”
“I know.”
“Malcolm is regional operations director.”
Richard frowned.
“I thought he managed only Blackridge.”
“He was promoted eighteen months ago.”
“By whom?”
“Graham Bell.”
Richard recognized the name.
Executive vice president of Sterling Residential.
A man who had attended Richard’s birthday dinner in this very house.
Rachel continued.
“Complaints against Malcolm were routed to HR for residential operations.”
“And?”
“Most were marked resolved.”
“By whom?”
“Graham.”
Richard leaned back.
The problem had just become larger.
Nathan spoke.
“We need to be careful. If this involves coordinated wage manipulation, retaliation, or falsified theft accusations, firing people immediately could destroy evidence.”
Richard hated that Nathan was right.
“So Malcolm works today?”
“For a few hours,” Rachel said. “Preferably while thinking he’s safe.”
At 6:15, Emily arrived.
She expected Malcolm to be waiting.
Instead, Richard stood near the service entrance.
“Good morning.”
Emily stopped.
“Mr. Sterling.”
“You ate breakfast?”
She blinked.
“What?”
“Breakfast.”
“Yes.”
He raised an eyebrow.
She looked guilty.
“Coffee.”
“That’s not breakfast.”
“I was running late.”
Richard looked at his watch.
She was twelve minutes early.
Behind him, Rachel suppressed a smile.
Richard gestured toward a table.
A tray held eggs, toast, fruit, oatmeal, and coffee.
Emily stared.
“This is unnecessary.”
“No employee in this house starts work hungry today.”
Other staff members were entering now.
They slowed when they saw the food.
Caleb stopped completely.
Richard addressed them.
“Breakfast is paid time.”
Nobody moved.
He added:
“That means sit down.”
Caleb sat first.
Then others followed cautiously.
Emily noticed Malcolm entering from the hallway.
His face tightened.
“Mr. Sterling,” he said. “We normally reserve this area—”
Richard looked at him.
“For people who eat?”
A few workers lowered their faces to hide smiles.
Malcolm swallowed.
“Of course.”
He left.
But the moment he turned the corner, Linda followed him.
Emily saw them whispering.
Then Linda looked directly at her.
Emily’s appetite disappeared.
Rachel sat beside her.
“Emily Carter?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Rachel Kim.”
Emily stiffened.
“HR?”
“Compliance.”
“That sounds worse.”
Rachel smiled.
“Only if you’ve done something wrong.”
Emily glanced toward the doorway.
“Am I being investigated?”
“No.”
Rachel lowered her voice.
“We’re investigating what was done to you.”
For the next three hours, investigators interviewed employees separately.
At first, almost nobody talked.
Then Caleb did.
Malcolm had withheld two weeks of overtime after Caleb broke a wineglass.
The glass cost sixty dollars.
Malcolm deducted eight hundred and forty from his wages.
Illegal.
A cook named Javier admitted Malcolm charged kitchen employees for “meal privileges” even though their contracts included staff meals.
A housekeeper named Ana revealed workers were forced to pay fifty dollars cash for replacement uniforms that actually cost twelve.
Then Emily mentioned Rosa.
Rachel found her number.
By noon, Rosa was crying over speakerphone.
“I never stole anything.”
“We believe you,” Rachel said.
Rosa explained that before being fired, she had discovered Malcolm keeping two sets of cleaning supply invoices.
One real.
One inflated.
She had asked questions.
Three days later, a diamond bracelet supposedly disappeared.
Richard’s expression darkened.
“What cleaning company?”
“Voss Hospitality Supply.”
Rachel looked up.
“Voss?”
Rosa answered quietly.
“His brother owns it.”
The forensic accountants started digging.
At 1:20 p.m., one called Rachel upstairs.
They found invoices.
Blackridge Manor had paid $612,000 in cleaning supplies over three years.
A comparable estate should have spent less than $160,000.
Money had flowed from Sterling Residential to Voss Hospitality Supply.
Then portions moved into a consulting company.
That company belonged to Linda Hayes.
Rachel stared at the records.
“This isn’t petty theft.”
Nathan nodded.
“It’s organized fraud.”
“How much?”
“So far? More than two million.”
Richard stood at the library window.
“And Graham?”
“We haven’t found his payment yet.”
“Yet.”
“No.”
A knock came.
Emily stood in the doorway.
“Sir?”
Richard turned.
“What happened?”
“There’s a problem downstairs.”
They followed her to the staff locker room.
Caleb’s locker stood open.
Inside was an expensive gold watch.
Malcolm held it in his hand.
Beside him stood two security guards.
“I’m sorry, Caleb,” Malcolm said loudly. “But theft cannot be tolerated.”
Caleb’s face had gone white.
“That isn’t mine.”
Malcolm sighed.
“Of course you’d say that.”
Richard looked at Emily.
Her eyes widened.
Exactly like Rosa.
Malcolm turned.
“Mr. Sterling. Fortunately, we caught this quickly. Mr. Beaumont reported his watch missing twenty minutes ago.”
Richard looked at the security guards.
“Who searched the locker?”
“I did,” Malcolm said.
“I asked security.”
One guard answered.
“Mr. Voss opened it before we arrived.”
Malcolm’s smile weakened.
Richard took the watch.
“Caleb, did you steal this?”
“No, sir.”
“I believe you.”
Malcolm blinked.
“Richard, with respect—”
“No.”
The room fell silent.
Richard turned to the guard.
“Pull every camera covering this hallway.”
Malcolm suddenly stepped forward.
“There’s no reason to embarrass the boy further.”
Richard looked at him.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“Yesterday you wanted Emily punished for eating leftovers. Today you’re worried about embarrassing someone accused of stealing a ten-thousand-dollar watch?”
Malcolm’s mouth tightened.
Richard handed the watch to security.
“Seal this room.”
Then he pointed at Malcolm.
“And he doesn’t leave the property.”
Malcolm’s face finally cracked.
“You can’t detain me.”
“No.”
Richard looked toward the front drive.
Two police vehicles were passing through the gates.
“But they can.”
For the first time, Malcolm Voss stopped pretending to smile.
Yet as officers approached, he leaned toward Emily and whispered something only she heard.
“You think this ends with me?”
Emily froze.
May you like
Malcolm smiled.
“Ask Richard who signed my promotion.”
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