Chapter 14 - The Day the Dennis Empire FellAt 7:12 the next morning, Evelyn called me from the hospital.
“Carter is alive.”
I closed my eyes in relief before remembering everything he'd done.
“The bullet struck his shoulder. A state police unit arrived at the warehouse minutes after you escaped. Julian fled, but Carter gave them a statement before surgery.”
“Is he willing to testify?”
“He says he'll tell them everything.”
I looked at the music box resting on the motel table.
“Then tell him I hope he survives long enough to face a jury.”
Evelyn gave a tired laugh.
“That sounds fair.”
At nine o'clock, Dennis Enterprises would hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting at its downtown headquarters. Julian Cross intended to finalize the acquisition, transfer the company's assets, and announce Reagan as the new chief executive.
It was the final piece of their plan.
Without the original will, they believed the Meridian Trust could be challenged. Without the trust, they could claim control of the company. And without the company, my family would lose the last thing my parents had built together.
Evelyn had filed an emergency injunction using the evidence recovered from Bellweather. The court had not yet ruled, but she intended to serve the papers before the meeting began.
I arrived at headquarters carrying my mother's music box, the original will, and the memory card.
The lobby was crowded with journalists, executives, and investors. A giant screen displayed the company logo above a stage decorated with white flowers.
Reagan stood near the entrance in an emerald dress.
When she saw me, her face turned to stone.
“You're trespassing.”
“I own part of this company.”
“You own nothing.”
I held up the original will.
“Then explain this.”
For the first time, Reagan looked afraid.
Julian Cross appeared beside her. He was a tall, silver-haired man with a carefully controlled smile. His silver snake ring glinted beneath the lobby lights.
The same ring I'd seen in the photograph beside my father.
“Finnley Dennis,” he said. “I've been expecting you.”
“Then you know why I'm here.”
“I know you've been manipulated by people who want to exploit your grief.”
“That's an interesting way to describe my father being held against his will.”
Julian's smile faded.
“Be careful. Accusing a man of a crime doesn't make the accusation true.”
“No. But medical records, forged documents, bank transfers, and witness testimony might.”
I handed the papers to Evelyn, who had just entered with two state police officers.
“Mr. Cross,” she said, “this is a court notice relating to an emergency challenge against the proposed acquisition. Any transfer of the company's controlling shares is now subject to immediate judicial review.”
Julian glanced at the document.
“An administrative inconvenience.”
“Then you won't object to postponing the sale.”
He handed it back.
“The board will proceed.”
He turned toward the stage.
I followed him.
“Before you sign anything, perhaps everyone should know what happened to my father.”
The room fell quiet.
Reagan seized my arm.
“Don't you dare.”
I pulled away.
“You told the world Camden Dennis died of cancer. You buried an unidentified body, concealed his medical history, and held him under a false name. You paid people to keep him sedated while you attempted to seize his company.”
A ripple of whispers spread across the room.
Julian stepped toward the microphone.
“These are desperate accusations from a convicted criminal.”
I almost smiled.
There it was again.
The same old weapon. Call me a criminal, and perhaps nobody would listen to anything I said.
But this time, I wasn't alone.
Evelyn connected the memory card to the presentation system.
The first screen displayed the fraudulent payment records from Dennis Enterprises. The next showed the forged authorization bearing Carter's name. Then came the medical records, the email describing my planned conviction, and the video of Reagan demanding my father's signature.
The audience erupted.
Reagan lunged toward the computer.
One of the officers blocked her path.
“Mrs. Dennis, step back.”
Julian remained motionless.
“Anyone can manipulate a recording,” he said. “None of this establishes that I authorized a crime.”
The screen changed again.
A live video appeared from a hospital room.
My father was sitting upright in bed, pale but conscious, with an independent physician beside him.
“This is Camden Dennis,” he said. “And I am alive.”
Several people gasped.
Dad continued.
“I did not sign the will filed after my reported death. I did not authorize the transfer of my controlling shares. And I never gave Julian Cross permission to sell the company I founded.”
He held up the original document.
“My valid will places those shares under the Meridian Trust. My son, Finnley Dennis, is the designated beneficiary.”
Julian's expression finally broke.
“You can't be here,” he muttered.
Dad looked directly into the camera.
“Neither should you.”
The two police officers approached Julian.
He stepped backward.
“You have no idea what you're doing,” he hissed at me. “Your mother understood what would happen if these documents became public. She tried to protect you, and look where it got her.”
“Did you have her killed?”
For the first time, Julian didn't answer immediately.
Then he made a fatal mistake.
“Your mother was warned.”
The room went silent.
Every journalist turned toward him.
Evelyn raised her hand.
“Could you repeat that statement, Mr. Cross?”
Julian realized what he had said.
He tried to recover.
“I meant she was warned about the consequences of interfering in business matters.”
A voice came from the rear of the room.
“That's not what you meant.”
Carter stood in the doorway, his right arm secured in a sling. A police officer supported him as he walked toward the stage.
His face was pale, but his eyes were steady.
“I have a recording of Julian discussing the payments made before Aunt Claire's accident,” he said. “I also have the original correspondence identifying the people who falsified the investigation.”
Reagan stared at him.
“You ungrateful little traitor!”
Carter looked at her.
“You taught me that money mattered more than family. Julian taught me that people were disposable. I'm done learning from either of you.”
He turned toward the officers.
“I'll cooperate with the investigation.”
Julian tried to leave.
The officers stopped him.
“Julian Cross, you're under arrest pending further investigation into fraud, unlawful confinement, conspiracy, and related offenses.”
Reagan screamed as another officer took her by the arm.
“You can't do this! I am his wife!”
My father spoke through the screen.
“No, Reagan. You were my mistake.”
She twisted toward the camera.
“Camden, you need me! I kept your company running!”
“You kept my son in prison.”
She opened her mouth, but no words came.
Then the officers led her away.
Julian was the last to leave. As he passed me, he paused.
“You think you've won,” he whispered. “But the company is only the beginning.”
I met his gaze.
“Then I'll see you at the next battle.”
The doors closed behind him.
For the first time in three years, nobody was dragging me away in handcuffs.
The truth had finally found its way out.
But the moment I thought it was over, Evelyn's phone rang.
She listened for several seconds, then slowly lowered it.
“What happened?” I asked.
Her eyes were fixed on Carter.
“Your stepbrother has just revealed something about Julian Cross that changes everything.”
Carter swallowed.
“Reagan wasn't the only person who knew who killed your mother.”
May you like
He looked at me.
“And I know who gave the order.”
