PART 6 — WHAT CHARLES WANTED BURIED
I didn’t move.
Charles’s footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
“Audrey?”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
I pressed myself against the wall beside the storage room door and held the recorder against my chest.
For one second, I thought maybe I could stay silent until he left.
Then the basement lights came on.
Bright white fluorescent tubes flickered overhead.
My hiding place disappeared.
Charles stood near the entrance.
No coat this time.
No smile.
He looked toward the open storage room.
Then at me.
“There you are.”
I backed away.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
He almost laughed.
“Neither should you.”
My fingers closed around my phone inside my pocket.
I had no signal.
Of course.
Concrete walls.
Basement.
Underground.
Charles glanced toward the box marked MARGARET ELLIS.
Then his eyes moved to the recorder in my hand.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
“You listened to that.”
It wasn’t a question.
I said nothing.
He stepped closer.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
“Audrey.”
“Stay away from me.”
He stopped.
“You don’t understand what you’ve found.”
“That seems to be everyone’s favorite sentence.”
His jaw tightened.
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“My apartment is full of mold.”
“That’s a separate issue.”
“You threatened me.”
“I didn’t threaten you.”
“You sent messages.”
“No.”
“You came to my apartment.”
“To retrieve stolen company records.”
“Margaret disappeared.”
His eyes hardened.
“That had nothing to do with Westbridge.”
I held up the recorder.
“Then why are you on this?”
For the first time, Charles looked genuinely worried.
“What exactly did you hear?”
“Enough.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Wesley yelling for Margaret to run.”
Charles stared at me.
“And your voice saying, ‘Find them both.’”
Silence.
I could hear the old pipes ticking overhead.
Charles slowly exhaled.
“You’re making a very dangerous assumption.”
“Then explain it.”
He stepped closer.
I backed toward the wall.
“Explain Margaret.”
“No.”
“Explain the money.”
“No.”
“Explain why her evidence is hidden in this basement.”
“No.”
My fear was turning into anger.
“Because you can’t.”
Charles’s face changed.
“You think this is some simple story where there are good people and bad people.”
“I think a woman disappeared.”
“You think Wesley told you the truth?”
That stopped me.
Charles noticed.
“He didn’t, did he?”
I said nothing.
He smiled faintly.
“You found out about the car.”
My stomach tightened.
“How do you know?”
“Because I know the investigation better than you do.”
“He was there.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Charles tilted his head.
“Did he finally admit it?”
“No.”
“Interesting.”
I gripped the recorder tighter.
“What happened that night?”
Charles looked toward the basement entrance.
Then back at me.
“If I tell you, will you give me the recorder?”
“No.”
A small laugh.
“At least you’re honest.”
He took another step.
I raised my phone.
“I’m recording this.”
It was a lie.
There was no signal, but the camera could still record.
Charles stopped.
“Then record carefully.”
He lowered his voice.
“Margaret Ellis was not investigating mold.”
“Yes, she was.”
“She started with mold.”
“What does that mean?”
“She found something else.”
“The money.”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
Charles looked at the box.
“Cash used to bribe building inspectors.”
My stomach dropped.
“So it was payoff money.”
“Some of it.”
“Some?”
He hesitated.
Then said, “There were documents too.”
“What kind?”
“Contracts. Payments. Names.”
“Whose names?”
“People who could destroy Westbridge.”
“City officials?”
“Contractors. Inspectors. Politicians. Property owners.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“You have no idea how many people were involved.”
“Were you?”
He looked directly at me.
“Yes.”
The answer surprised me.
No denial.
No excuse.
“I signed off on buildings that should never have passed.”
“People got sick.”
“I know.”
“Children.”
“I know.”
“And you still did it.”
His voice sharpened.
“You think I don’t live with that?”
“I don’t care what you live with.”
His face tightened.
I continued.
“What happened to Margaret?”
Charles looked away.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared.
“She came here that night.”
“To the basement?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She had copied documents.”
“From the compartment in 3B?”
“Yes.”
“She contacted Wesley.”
“Yes.”
“So Wesley came here.”
Charles stared at me.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“He wasn’t helping her at first.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Wesley worked for Westbridge.”
“I know.”
“No. You know he inspected buildings.”
Charles stepped closer.
“You don’t know who hired him to watch Margaret.”
My chest tightened.
“What are you talking about?”
“Westbridge knew she was documenting everything.”
“No.”
“Wesley was told to gain her trust.”
I shook my head.
“You’re lying.”
“Ask him.”
“He tried to expose you.”
“Eventually.”
That word hit hard.
Eventually.
Charles continued.
“At first, Wesley was one of us.”
“No.”
“He attended meetings. He delivered reports. He warned us whenever tenants were preparing complaints.”
“You’re lying.”
“I have payroll records.”
I wanted to believe Charles was manipulating me.
But Wesley had already lied about being with Margaret the night she disappeared.
What else hadn’t he told me?
Charles saw doubt on my face.
“Wesley changed sides.”
“When?”
“Margaret.”
“What about her?”
“She trusted him.”
Charles’s expression became distant.
“And eventually, he started believing her.”
“What happened that night?”
“Margaret discovered the hidden compartment.”
“She called Wesley.”
“Yes.”
“And you followed him?”
“Bell did.”
My heart jumped.
“Bell was there?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is your voice on the recording?”
“I arrived afterward.”
“Why?”
“Because Bell panicked.”
Charles looked toward the basement stairs.
“He called me.”
“What did Bell do?”
Charles said nothing.
“What did he do?”
“He confronted Margaret.”
“And?”
“She refused to give him the documents.”
My breathing became shallow.
“Did he hurt her?”
Charles looked at me.
“Yes.”
The word barely came out.
“How?”
“He grabbed her.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“She fought back.”
“And?”
“Wesley arrived.”
“Then what?”
“Bell attacked him.”
My grip tightened around the recorder.
“That explains Wesley’s blood.”
“Yes.”
“Was he injured?”
“Cut his hand badly on broken glass.”
“So the blood in Margaret’s car—”
“Wesley got into the passenger seat after the fight.”
“Why?”
“To help her escape.”
My thoughts raced.
“So Wesley was protecting Margaret.”
“That night, yes.”
“Where did they go?”
Charles slowly shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I followed them, but I lost the car.”
“What happened afterward?”
“Margaret disappeared.”
“And Wesley?”
“He showed up at work two days later acting like nothing happened.”
That didn’t sound right.
“Why?”
Charles shrugged.
“You’ll have to ask him.”
I stared at him.
“You said ‘find them both.’”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because they had documents that could destroy dozens of people.”
“Did you find Margaret?”
“No.”
“Did Bell?”
Charles didn’t answer.
That answer was enough.
“Where is Robert Bell?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were with him yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“And now he disappeared.”
“Yes.”
My stomach twisted.
The basement suddenly felt smaller.
I said, “Maybe Bell knows what happened to Margaret.”
Charles looked at me.
“Maybe.”
Then I heard something.
A soft creak above us.
Charles looked toward the stairs.
I did too.
Someone else was inside the building.
Charles lowered his voice.
“Did you tell anyone you were coming here?”
I didn’t answer.
“Audrey.”
“No.”
His face changed.
“That’s bad.”
“Why?”
Another sound.
A door shutting upstairs.
Then footsteps.
Charles moved quickly.
“Turn off your flashlight.”
“The lights are already on.”
He crossed the basement and hit the switch.
Darkness.
I almost screamed.
Charles grabbed my arm.
I jerked away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Quiet.”
His voice was different now.
Urgent.
The footsteps descended.
Slowly.
One step at a time.
Charles whispered, “Get behind the shelving.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
Then a beam of light appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
Someone had a flashlight.
Charles pulled me behind a tall metal shelf.
I could hear him breathing.
The stranger entered the basement.
Then a familiar voice spoke.
“Audrey?”
My heart stopped.
It was Wesley.
I almost stepped out.
Charles grabbed my wrist.
I glared at him in the darkness.
He shook his head.
Don’t.
Wesley moved deeper into the basement.
“Audrey?”
He sounded worried.
Then another voice came from upstairs.
“Keep going.”
Wesley stopped.
My blood turned cold.
That second voice belonged to Mr. Bell.
A moment later, Bell came down the stairs.
He was holding something in his right hand.
A gun.
Wesley slowly raised both hands.
“Robert.”
Bell pointed the gun at him.
“You should have stayed gone.”
Charles whispered beside me, “Now do you understand?”
Bell continued.
“You destroyed everything.”
Wesley’s voice was steady.
“It was already destroyed.”
“You think you’re some hero now?”
“No.”
“You ruined the company.”
“You poisoned families.”
“I kept people employed.”
“You covered mold with paint.”
“I kept buildings open.”
“You bribed inspectors.”
“I solved problems.”
“You made Margaret disappear.”
Bell’s face changed.
For the first time, Wesley had hit something real.
Bell raised the gun higher.
“You don’t know what happened to Margaret.”
“Yes, I do.”
I stared through the shelving.
Charles looked at me sharply.
Bell froze.
“What did you say?”
Wesley’s voice became quiet.
“I know where she went.”
My heart slammed.
Bell’s hand started shaking.
“You’re lying.”
“No.”
“She’s dead.”
Wesley stared at him.
“No, Robert.”
The basement went completely silent.
Then Wesley said the sentence none of us expected.
“Margaret Ellis is alive.”
My mouth opened.
Charles looked stunned.
Bell looked terrified.
Wesley continued.
“And she’s been waiting eighteen months for you to make one mistake.”
Bell took one step backward.
“What did you do?”
Wesley smiled for the first time.
“I didn’t come here alone.”
Suddenly blue and red light flashed through the small basement windows near the ceiling.
Sirens.
Bell spun toward the stairs.
Charles whispered, “Police.”
I nearly collapsed with relief.
But Bell didn’t run.
Instead, he turned the gun toward Wesley.
“If I go down, you’re coming with me.”
I stepped out before I could think.
“Robert!”
Everyone turned.
Bell stared at me.
“Audrey?”
His gun shifted.
Charles stepped out behind me.
Bell’s face twisted.
“You.”
Charles raised both hands.
“It’s over.”
“No.”
“Police are outside.”
“No!”
Bell backed away.
“You all think Margaret was innocent.”
Wesley frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Bell laughed.
A broken, desperate sound.
“You still don’t know.”
“Know what?”
Bell looked directly at Wesley.
“You think Margaret disappeared because she was afraid of me?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“She disappeared because she found out who really owned the money hidden in 3B.”
Wesley went still.
Charles whispered, “Robert, stop.”
Bell smiled.
“Oh, now you’re scared?”
“Put the gun down.”
“No.”
Bell looked at me.
“That money wasn’t Westbridge’s.”
“Then whose was it?”
He started laughing again.
Then he pointed at Wesley.
“Ask him.”
Wesley’s face changed.
Bell continued.
“Ask Wesley why his wife’s name is on every account.”
Everything stopped.
Wesley looked like he had been struck.
“My wife?”
Bell smiled.
“You really never knew.”
Charles closed his eyes.
I looked from one man to the other.
“What is he talking about?”
Bell raised the gun again.
“Wesley’s wife wasn’t just some woman who died three years ago.”
His smile widened.
“She was Westbridge’s accountant.”
Wesley whispered, “No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“And she was the person who created the entire payoff system.”
Wesley stumbled backward.
“That’s impossible.”
Bell laughed.
“Your wife built it, Wesley.”
Wesley’s face went white.
Bell wasn’t finished.
“And Margaret discovered something even worse.”
“What?”
Wesley whispered.
Bell looked directly at him.
“Your wife didn’t die the way you think she did.”
CONTINUE READ NEXT PART… 👇
