Chapter 4 - The Apex Inquest
The fallout from the boardroom coup was swift and devastating. By that afternoon, Frederick and Avery had been escorted from the corporate tower by private security, their personal electronics seized and their access codes permanently wiped from the system.
Hazel sat in the massive CEO corner office that had once belonged to her father-in-law. The walls were lined with expensive hunting trophies and oil paintings of old mills, an oppressive testament to Frederick’s ego. She had already ordered the staff to remove every single piece of his personal property and donate the sports memorabilia to a local youth shelter.
Miriam Cole entered, accompanied by a sharp-eyed young man named Leo Chen, the firm’s chief forensic accountant.
"Hazel, we have a major problem," Miriam said, her expression grim as she shut the heavy door behind her. "Frederick isn't just going quietly. Before he was escorted out, he initiated a secret wire transfer of four point five million dollars from the company's primary operational account to a secure bank in Grand Cayman. It was his escape fund. If that money clears the international clearing house by tomorrow morning, the company won't have enough liquid cash to pay our regional logging crews their weekly wages. We could face a massive wildcat strike by Friday."
Leo Chen placed his laptop on the desk, opening an encrypted transaction log. "He used a secondary corporate gateway that Jasper hadn't fully mapped out in his initial audit. The transfer is currently stalled in the Federal Reserve's security hold because of the sudden change in executive leadership, but Frederick's personal attorneys are filing an emergency motion in local court right now to release the funds, claiming it’s an authorized severance payout."
Hazel felt a surge of cold determination. Frederick had spent his entire life treating people like disposable assets—his workers, his daughter-in-law, even his own son. He was willing to bankrupt the very men who cut the timber just to save his own skin.
"Where is Frederick right now?" Hazel asked.
"He’s at his private estate in the country club district," Miriam said. "He’s packing his things, preparing to leave the country the moment his lawyers get the money released. They’ve already booked a private charter flight to Nassau for tomorrow afternoon."
Hazel stood up, grabbing her coat. "Leo, can you track the exact terminal signature he used to authorize that transfer?"
"Yes," Leo said. "It was authorized from a secure laptop located inside his home study. If we can secure that physical hard drive, we can prove to the federal judge that the transfer was an unauthorized, fraudulent extraction of corporate capital before his lawyers can argue the severance claim."
"Then we’re going to his house," Hazel said.
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"Hazel, you can't just walk in there," Miriam warned. "He’s desperate. He’s already facing criminal embezzlement charges. There’s no telling what he’ll do if he feels cornered."
"He struck my son yesterday, Miriam," Hazel said, her voice dropping to a level of absolute iron. "He took my wedding ring from my finger. He thinks he can run away to an island paradise while the men who worked for my husband go hungry? Not on my watch. Call the district attorney’s financial crimes unit. Tell them we are delivering the smoking gun within the hour."
