Chapter 5 - The Trap at Pinecrest
While Solomon Construction was being purged of David's loyalists, forty miles away at Pinecrest Lake, the sun was reflecting brilliantly off the quiet waters.
David sat on the wooden balcony of the luxurious lakeside cabin, wearing a cashmere sweater, sipping a glass of aged scotch. Maggie sat opposite him, reviewing a printed ledger of Solomon Construction’s land values.
"The Apex payment should clear by Thursday," Maggie said, her sharp eyes scanning the column of numbers. "Ten million upfront, another fifteen once the probate court validates Adrianna's cause of death. We can liquidate the Maplewood estate by the end of the month."
"It's almost too easy," David smiled, swirling his scotch. "She didn't suspect a thing. She actually thanked me for the vitamins."
Suddenly, David’s secondary phone—the encrypted burner line he used exclusively for his off-shore dealings—began to ring furiously.
David frowned, picking it up. "Hayes? What's going on? You're supposed to be finalizing the Apex contracts."
"David! Get out of there!" Hayes’s panicked, hysterical voice shrieked through the speaker. "She knows! Adrianna knows everything!"
David stood up so fast his chair overturned against the wooden deck. "What are you talking about? She's at home taking the pills!"
"She's not at home!" Hayes screamed. "She came into the boardroom with Evelyn Vance and six state investigators! They froze the Cayman accounts! They have the toxicology logs, the Apex wire transfers, and the banking records! The state police are pulling arrest warrants right now!"
Maggie gasped, dropping her ledger onto the floor. "What?!"
David’s face went completely red, the smooth, handsome mask shattering into pure, murderous rage. "Where is she now?"
"I don't know!" Hayes sobbed. "She took control of the main server room and revoked your biometric access! She’s tearing the whole company down!"
David ended the call, slamming the phone against the wooden railing until the plastic shattered into pieces.
"David!" Maggie shrieked, grabbing his arm. "We need to get to the airport! We have the passports in the safe!"
"No!" David growled, his eyes turning into two black, unreadable pools of absolute fury. "She doesn't have the physical evidence of Thomas's death! She's bluffing! The original poison compound is still in the study safe at the house! If the police find that safe, we're done!"
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"You can't go back there!" Maggie begged. "It's a trap!"
"She thinks I'm at the lake," David hissed, grabbing his coat and reaching into his leather bag for a dark, suppressed hand weapon he kept hidden in a false compartment. "She’s at the corporate office downtown. The house is empty except for the housekeeper and the mute boy. I'm getting the safe contents, and then we leave the country."
