Chapter 5 - The Brother Who Wanted Control
Victor Bennett arrived at headquarters with three attorneys.
He claimed innocence before anyone accused him publicly.
That alone told Andrew enough.
Police had not yet arrested him.
The recovered burner messages were incriminating but still required authentication.
Victor argued anyone could have used the letter V.
The offshore vendor records required forensic tracing.
Harold’s video established suspicion, not criminal liability.
So Victor walked into Bennett Maritime as CFO the morning after his nephew nearly drowned.
Andrew met him in the boardroom.
“You came to work.”
Victor removed his gloves.
“Someone has to.”
Andrew stared.
“You knew what Monica planned.”
“No.”
“We recovered messages.”
“From an unverified phone.”
“You put the flash drive in Lucas’s diaper bag.”
Victor’s expression changed only slightly.
“So?”
“Why?”
“Dad told me years ago that if I ever decided to come clean, I should give the evidence to you.”
Andrew almost laughed.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I panicked.”
“You hid evidence in a baby’s bag.”
“I knew Monica never let it out of her sight.”
“Apparently you miscalculated.”
Victor looked toward the windows.
“You’re emotional.”
“My son was thrown into the ocean.”
“Yes.”
“By my fiancée.”
“Yes.”
“A woman you were secretly paying.”
Victor’s eyes returned to him.
“She consulted for me.”
“To seduce me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Andrew crossed the table in two strides.
For one dangerous second, he nearly hit his brother.
Victor did not move.
“Do it,” he said quietly.
Andrew’s fist tightened.
“Give me the assault charge Monica needs.”
Andrew slowly lowered his hand.
Victor smiled.
“There. Maybe you can learn.”
Andrew hated him for being right.
He stepped away.
“What do you want?”
“The company stabilized.”
“You mean under your control.”
“I mean without you destroying shareholder confidence.”
“Lucas gives my branch control.”
Victor’s eyes sharpened.
“Lucas is seven months old.”
“And you tried to erase him from the structure.”
Victor laughed.
“You’ve already decided every crime belongs to me.”
“Convince me otherwise.”
“I was stealing from the company.”
Andrew went still.
Victor had said it calmly.
“What?”
“I took money.”
“How much?”
“Less than the files suggest.”
“You’re admitting this?”
“To you.”
“Why?”
“Because financial fraud and attempted murder are different things.”
Andrew stared.
Victor sat.
“I created North Harbor and Greyhaven. I moved approximately nine million over five years.”
“Why?”
“Debt.”
“What debt?”
Victor’s face tightened.
“Personal.”
“Gambling?”
“No.”
“Drugs?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Victor looked ashamed for the first time.
“Private equity losses.”
Andrew laughed without humor.
“You stole millions because you made bad investments.”
“I intended to repay it.”
“Everyone says that.”
“Then Monica found out.”
Andrew’s expression changed.
“She blackmailed you.”
“At first.”
“Then?”
“I paid her consulting company to help restructure the vendors.”
“So she helped launder stolen money.”
“Yes.”
“And the rest? Twenty-two million?”
Victor looked toward the door.
“I didn’t take it.”
“Who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying.”
Victor leaned forward.
“Dad discovered the nine million. Monica discovered he knew. After that, the vendor transfers accelerated without my authorization.”
Andrew stared.
“Someone copied your scheme.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“I thought Monica.”
“And now?”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
“Now I think she had someone else.”
Andrew remembered the messages.
V.
Maybe they had assumed too quickly.
“Why put the drive in Lucas’s bag?”
“Because Monica had searched my office twice. Police were boarding at Stamford after a separate financial complaint. I needed the drive out of my possession.”
“You used my son.”
“Yes.”
The honesty was ugly.
“But I did not know she would push him.”
Andrew wanted to believe nothing Victor said.
Then Victor added something unexpected.
“Check Dad’s last week.”
“What?”
“His calendar.”
“Why?”
“He met Monica three times before he died.”
Andrew froze.
“For what?”
“He wouldn’t tell me.”
“You knew she was meeting him?”
“I followed her once.”
“Where?”
“Old Harbor Warehouse.”
Andrew knew the property.
Bennett Maritime had abandoned it years earlier.
Victor continued.
“She met someone else after Dad left.”
“Who?”
“I couldn’t see his face.”
“Man or woman?”
“Man.”
“Company employee?”
“I don’t know.”
Andrew stared.
Victor said, “I stole money. I lied. I manipulated you. But I didn’t order Monica to kill Lucas.”
Andrew replied, “You gave her the tools.”
Victor’s face hardened.
“Yes.”
The distinction mattered legally.
Not morally.
Then Rachel entered with Detective Chen.
Chen placed a photograph on the table.
“Victor Bennett, we found this on Monica’s burner phone.”
The photograph showed Harold Bennett sitting at the old warehouse.
Across from him sat Monica.
Beside Monica was another man.
Andrew leaned closer.
He recognized him immediately.
David Rosen.
May you like
Andrew’s personal attorney.
The man currently managing Lucas’s trust.
