And because I was secretly a Vale heir, Marcus could suggest I had an enormous financial motive.
My mouth became dry.
“He framed me.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“He tried.”
Then I remembered another part of the scheme.
“Gavin.”
Everyone looked toward me.
“Marcus used Gavin.”
Richard frowned.
“How?”
Gavin had financial difficulties that weren’t exactly secret.
He’d endured an expensive divorce, lost money in an unsuccessful restaurant investment, and repeatedly gambled on business opportunities beyond his means.
What if Marcus had offered him money?
Investigators soon uncovered a transfer.
Gavin had received $300,000 through a consulting firm connected to Vale Development.
Confronted with the evidence, he confessed that he’d been instructed to copy confidential acquisition files onto my laptop.
He claimed he’d believed the objective was gaining leverage in corporate negotiations.
He insisted he knew nothing about Eleanor’s medical emergency.
Whether he was telling the entire truth remained for investigators to determine.
