Chapter 6

“That number needs to be handed over to the investigator immediately.”

Leonard returned Julian’s phone to the table, but Anneth was still staring at the screen displaying the threatening message.

They had already uncovered enough suspicious details over the past few days, from Adrian’s access card being used by someone else to the company transactions connected to Julian’s old case. But the message changed the direction of their investigation.

Someone wasn't merely trying to conceal something from them. They already knew the investigators were getting close to a particular secret.

Julian contacted the investigator handling Victoria’s case and submitted a screenshot of the message. Anneth also requested that the number be traced, while Leonard made sure all the documents Julian possessed were copied before they left the café.

“I want to see the complete documents,” Anneth said as they stepped outside.

“The documents Victoria sent him?”

“Yes. If those transactions are connected to the company that appeared in your case, we need to know who controls the flow of money.”

Leonard walked beside her, reading the copies Julian had just sent to his phone.

“There's something bothering me.”

“What?”

“The recipient company is the same, but the accounts are different.”

Anneth stopped for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

“In Julian’s case, the money went into the same company's account through a single intermediary account. Now Lancaster Group is sending money to that company through two other businesses. The pattern is different, but the money ends up in the same place.”

Anneth resumed walking, considering his explanation.

“So someone deliberately changed the route after Julian’s case.”

“Possibly.”

“And Victoria discovered the pattern.”

Leonard nodded.

“That's what made her a threat.”

They returned to the office and asked their team to investigate the companies listed in the documents.

Before long, they began uncovering several details.

One company was registered as a consulting firm, but it had no actual office at its official address. The second operated in distribution, yet most of its recorded transactions involved payments for consulting services.

Anneth read through the findings while leaning back in her chair.

“An empty company, substantial transactions, and then the money gets transferred to a business that once appeared in an embezzlement case.”

“Doesn't look like a coincidence,” Leonard said.

“No, it doesn't.”

Leonard picked up one of the reports.

“There's something else.”

Anneth looked at him.

“The first company was established six months before the largest transaction entered its account.”

“Who owns it?”

“The registered name is different.”

“A nominee?”

“Can't confirm that yet.”

Anneth was about to respond when her phone rang.

The investigator they had contacted earlier asked them to come to the police station because there had been a development concerning the threat against Julian.

They arrived shortly afterward and were immediately escorted to the investigator's office.

Inside, an officer showed them the preliminary results of the phone number trace.

“It's a prepaid number,” he explained. “It was registered using an identity that doesn't match the actual user. The number was activated only two days ago and hasn't been used for any other communications.”

“So it's difficult to trace?” Anneth asked.

“For now.”

Leonard studied the officer's computer screen.

“Do you have location data from when the message was sent?”

“The nearest cell tower covered a fairly large area. The message was sent approximately two minutes after you left the café.”

Anneth immediately turned to Leonard.

“He knew we were there.”

“Not necessarily,” Leonard replied, though his voice lacked conviction.

The officer then pulled up CCTV footage from the street outside the café.

Several vehicles passed through the area, including a black sedan that had stopped near the café's entrance for several minutes.

“This car caught our attention,” he said. “We couldn't get a clear view of the license plate because it was obscured.”

Anneth studied the image.

“Can you enhance it?”

“We've already tried. The footage isn't clear enough.”

Leonard leaned closer to the screen.

“How long was the car there?”

“About twelve minutes. It arrived before you did and left a few minutes after you walked out.”

No one spoke immediately.

Anneth looked at the footage again.

The car might have stopped there by coincidence, but the timing was too close to their meeting to ignore.

“What about Julian?” she asked.

“We've advised him not to return home alone for the time being.”

Leonard nodded.

“Good.”

The investigator then took another folder from his desk.

“There's something else we just received from the laboratory.”

Anneth immediately focused on the folder.

“About Victoria?”

“Yes. We conducted additional examinations of several items recovered from her apartment.”

The investigator opened the folder and took out several photographs.

“We found a deleted folder on Victoria's laptop. Our forensic team managed to recover part of its contents.”

Anneth picked up one of the photographs.

The folder contained a list of transactions, several company names, and a file dated three days before Victoria's death.

“This matches the documents Julian gave us.”

“Partially,” the investigator replied. “But there's one name that doesn't appear in Julian's copies.”

Leonard took the photograph and read it.

His expression changed as soon as he saw the name.

Anneth noticed immediately.

“You recognize it?”

Leonard didn't answer right away. Instead, he pointed to one line in the document.

It listed a company that had received payments from Lancaster Group, but beside its name was a handwritten note from Victoria.

Investigate the Laurent family connection.

Anneth froze when she saw her own family name.

“Laurent?”

Leonard nodded slowly.

The investigator looked at Anneth.

“We don't know what this note means yet. We also haven't found any evidence that your family was involved in these transactions.”

Anneth took the photograph from Leonard and read the note again.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Then her phone vibrated on the desk.

A message had arrived from an unknown number.

Anneth opened it.

Don't believe everything Leonard tells you about your family.