"And he can steal more."
Leo nodded.
"Or use the new money to conceal what he's already taken."
Maya sat on an overturned storage crate.
The scale of the corruption was almost impossible to comprehend.
Nine million dollars.
She thought about Rosa borrowing money to buy medication for her husband.
She remembered coworkers skipping meals because their wages had been reduced.
And somewhere above them, Grant Mercer was still walking through the hotel as though he owned the world.
"Why didn't you stop him sooner?" she asked.
Leo looked ashamed.
"I convinced myself I was just following instructions."
"That's what everyone says."
"I know."
"People suffered while you looked away."
Leo lowered his head.
"Yes."
His answer surprised her.
For once, someone involved in the scandal wasn't making excuses.
"I can't undo that," he said. "But I can help prove what happened."
He connected his hard drive to a maintenance computer.
An encrypted folder appeared.
Inside were invoices, internal emails, payment authorizations, and spreadsheets showing the relationships among Bellwether Facilities, Mercer Capital, and several suspicious contractors.
But Leo needed one final piece of evidence.
Original access logs from the hotel's payroll and security systems.
"If we can match the false employee records with building access data, the auditors will have a much stronger case," he explained.
Maya knew exactly who could help.
"Tomas Reed."
"Who's that?"
"The night engineer. He manages the backup systems."
Ten minutes later, Tomas was staring at the documents.
His expression darkened.
"I knew something was wrong."
He explained that Martin Pike had ordered several security recordings removed from the main system earlier that afternoon.
But Pike had overlooked an important detail.
The hotel's emergency backup server stored protected copies before routine deletion.
"I can retrieve them," Tomas said.
He entered a password.
A progress bar appeared.
Twenty percent.
Thirty-five.
Fifty.
Then the lights went out.
The computer screen turned black.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
A distant alarm began sounding.
"What happened?" Maya whispered.
Tomas reached for his flashlight.
"The power to this section has been interrupted."
Leo moved toward the door.
It wouldn't open.
Someone had locked it from outside.
Maya felt her heartbeat quicken.
"Can they do that?"
"The maintenance locks can be controlled from the security office," Tomas answered.
A metallic noise sounded in the corridor.
Then footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone was approaching.
Leo whispered, "Grant knows we're here."
Maya searched for another exit.
Tomas pointed toward an emergency access hatch near the ceiling.
"That leads into a service passage."
Leo climbed onto a cabinet and forced the hatch open.
Inside, the passage was narrow but accessible.
Maya climbed after him while Tomas collected a portable backup drive from the protected server rack.
The emergency lighting flickered back on.
Then they heard a key turning in the locked door.
"Move!" Tomas whispered.
They crawled through the passage, emerging beside a fire stairwell.
Maya's uniform caught on a metal bracket, tearing at the shoulder.
She barely noticed.
They hurried down two flights before stopping.
Leo checked the drive.
His face went pale.
"There's a problem."
Maya grabbed the handrail.
"What?"
"The download wasn't finished."
Tomas examined the storage device.
Then a small smile appeared.
"Not the download you started."
He raised the drive.
"This is the automatic archive. It finished backing up an hour ago."
For the first time that evening, Maya laughed.
A shaky, exhausted laugh.
They finally had the evidence.
But Tomas's phone rang.
It was Evelyn.
Her voice sounded urgent.
"Where are you?"
"Near the east stairwell," Maya answered.
"Get to my office. Now."
"Did something happen?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"Grant has called an emergency board meeting for six tomorrow morning."
Maya looked at the hard drive in Tomas's hand.
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he's trying to force the investment through before the investigation can stop him."
A pause followed.
Then Evelyn spoke again.
"And he's telling the board that you're the one responsible for the missing money."
CHAPTER 6: THE BILLIONAIRE'S DOWNFALL
At six o'clock the following morning, the Meridian Grand's executive boardroom was filled with some of the most influential people in the hospitality industry.
Twelve directors sat around an enormous mahogany table.
Lawyers occupied the chairs along the walls.
At the center stood Grant Mercer.
He looked perfectly composed.
His navy suit was freshly pressed. His hair was carefully styled. His expensive wristwatch glimmered beneath the bright ceiling lights.
Nobody looking at him would have guessed that his financial empire was beginning to collapse.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Grant began confidently, "we are here because certain individuals have attempted to sabotage a valuable business partnership."
He activated a presentation.
A photograph of Maya Brooks appeared on the screen.
"One hotel employee has fabricated allegations against my company using stolen documents and misleading information."
Several directors exchanged concerned glances.
Grant continued.
"The employee has already been implicated in a theft investigation. Her credibility is questionable, and these accusations have damaged our reputation."