Chapter 4 - The Investigation Begins
The rain turned into a persistent autumn downpour by Monday morning, drumming a steady, heavy beat against the roof of the Lantern House.
Inside, the restaurant was closed for deep cleaning and structural renovation. A crew of professional contractors was already stripping away the grease-stained wallpaper, replacing the flickering fluorescent tubes with warm, industrial-grade lighting, and servicing the ancient walk-in freezers that Victor had neglected for years.
Julian Vance stood near Booth Twelve—the exact spot where he had sat on Sunday—holding a steaming mug of black coffee.
Katherine Vance walked over, sliding a thick manila folder onto the newly polished oak table.
“I had our local investigators pull Hannah Brooks’s complete background file, employment history, and public records,” Katherine said, crossing her arms. “It’s... worse than we thought, Julian.”
Julian opened the folder. The first page was a personnel file from the Lantern House, showing Hannah’s hire date, her flawless attendance record, and her steady promotions through the years—all of which Victor had systematically ignored when calculating bonuses.
Beneath that were public utility notices, medical collection notices from a local urgent care clinic, and a court summons regarding past-due water bills for her apartment in the industrial district.
“She’s been working double shifts for six years while raising a seven-year-old daughter completely on her own,” Katherine noted, her voice carrying a rare trace of sympathy. “Her ex-husband skipped town for California right after the baby was born, leaving zero child support. She has less than forty dollars in her personal bank account, and her car’s transmission is currently failing.”
Julian traced his thumb across Hannah’s employee photo—a small, passport-sized picture stapled to her original application. Her dark hair was pulled back neatly, her green eyes looking directly into the camera with a quiet, unyielding dignity.
“Find her,” Julian said quietly.
“Julian, we bought a diner, we didn’t adopt a charity case,” Katherine cautioned. “If you start tracking down every fired employee in Chicago, you’ll spend half your net worth playing knight-errant.”
“I didn't buy a diner, Katherine,” Julian said, closing the folder with a soft thud. “I bought an asset that was being mismanaged by a parasite. And part of restructuring an asset is correcting its human capital failures. Bring her back.”
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“And if she refuses?” Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow. “She’s proud, Julian. She walked out of here without asking for a dime, even when Victor was stealing her tips.”
“Then we make her an offer she can't refuse,” Julian replied, a faint, resolute smile touching the corners of his mouth. “Not charity. An investment.”
