Julian snapped his head toward the study door, his grip on the floor hatch tightening. The front door chimes meant only one thing: someone had an master access key to the estate's high-tech security system. He lowered the hatch gently without locking it, pulling the Persian rug back over the wood seam with his foot.
Julian: Stay quiet down there, or I swear I will make sure Lily suffers the consequences.
Elena: Julian, don't...
Julian: Not another word.
He stepped out into the main foyer just as the massive double doors swung open. Standing in the doorway wrapped in a damp trench coat was Arthur Vance, Julian's elder brother and the chief legal counsel for the family's real estate firm. Arthur wiped his wet shoes on the mat, his expression grim and exhausted.
Julian: Arthur? What are you doing here at nine o'clock on a Sunday night?
Arthur: We have a massive problem, Julian. The federal auditors just flagged the offshore accounts in the Cayman trust.
Julian: What are you talking about? Those files were secured.
Arthur: They weren't secured well enough. Someone leaked the bank routing codes to the district attorney's office two hours ago.
Julian felt a surge of cold panic hit his chest, but his face remained a calm, mask of stone.
Julian: That's impossible. Only three people had access to those routing codes.
Arthur: I know. You, me, and Elena before she disappeared.
Julian: Elena has been gone for three months, Arthur. She didn't leak anything.
Arthur: Then someone hacked her personal laptop before the police seized it. Look at me, Julian. If the DA links those funds to the company's fake losses, you are facing twenty years for grand larceny and wire fraud.
Julian: I have top-tier defense lawyers on retainer. We can handle a financial audit.
Arthur: Not if the money missing from the trust is tied directly to Elena's sudden disappearance. The press is already calling it foul play.
Arthur walked past Julian, heading straight toward the study. Julian's heart hammered against his ribs as he stepped in front of his brother, blocking the doorway.
Julian: Let's talk about this in the lounge. The study is a mess right now.
Arthur: I need the original signatures from the mortgage deeds, Julian. They are in your floor safe in the study.
Julian: I will get them for you tomorrow morning.
Arthur: No, the DA gave us until midnight to produce the paperwork, or they issue a search warrant for this entire property.
Arthur brushed past Julian's shoulder, stepping firmly into the study. He stopped in the middle of the room, looking around at the cluttered desk, the half-empty glass of scotch, and the slightly wrinkled rug sitting awkwardly near the center of the floor.
Arthur: Why is the rug pulled back like that?
Julian: Lily was playing in here earlier. She dropped a toy.
Arthur: You never let Lily play in your study.
Julian: Well, tonight I did. Now let's go back out to the living room.
Before Julian could push his brother back out, a muffled voice echoed from beneath the rug, soft but distinct enough to freeze both men in their tracks.
Elena: Arthur... help me...
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