Chapter 7: The Hotel That Disappeared
For several seconds, Megan couldn't take her eyes off the screen.
"That's the hotel where Curtis worked before Akron.""
Elaine repeated the words quietly, almost as if saying them aloud might make the situation worse.
Megan pulled out a chair.
"What happened there?""
Elaine didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she opened her laptop and searched the company's archived property records.
"Three years ago, Curtis managed a property outside Columbus. It was one of our smaller locations. The hotel closed after a financial review.""
"Why?""
"At the time, corporate attributed it to declining revenue and operational losses.""
Megan frowned.
"Was there an investigation?""
"Yes. An internal investigation.""
"And?""
Elaine looked up.
"The investigation was closed without a formal disciplinary action against Curtis.""
Megan stared at her.
"Even though the hotel was losing money?""
"That's what the records say.""
Dylan, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke.
"I've heard him talk about that place.""
Both women turned toward him.
"What did he say?"" Elaine asked.
Dylan rubbed his palms together.
"He said he'd been blamed for everything that went wrong there. He said someone in corporate had protected the real thief.""
"Who?""
"I don't know. He never gave me a name.""
Megan looked back at the screen.
The message Curtis had sent was now the most important piece of evidence they had.
She pointed to it.
"Can we identify the recipient?""
The forensic examiner nodded.
"The account belongs to a senior human resources executive named Richard Vaughn.""
Elaine's expression hardened.
"Richard approved Curtis's promotion after the Columbus investigation.""
Megan leaned back.
"So the same person who helped him get promoted received the complaint designed to discredit me.""
"Apparently.""
Elaine picked up her phone.
"I'm calling legal.""
Before she could dial, another email appeared.
The forensic examiner glanced at it.
"There's a reply.""
Elaine opened the message.
It was from Richard Vaughn.
*RICHARD: Keep this contained. I don't want the Columbus file reopened.*
Megan read it twice.
"He's telling Curtis to keep the investigation contained.""
Elaine shook her head.
"He's telling someone to keep something hidden.""
Dylan looked pale.
"Maybe Curtis was telling the truth about being framed.""
Megan turned toward him.
"Then why did he steal money here?""
Dylan didn't answer.
Elaine stood.
"We need the original Columbus file. Not a summary. Not a report prepared by the same people who closed the investigation.""
She called the corporate archive department.
The response wasn't encouraging.
The original documents had been transferred to an off-site storage facility after the hotel closed.
Access required approval from the company's legal department.
Elaine requested emergency authorization.
While they waited, Megan examined the old property records.
One document caught her attention.
It was a list of employees who had worked at the Columbus hotel.
Near the bottom was a name she recognized.
Laura Miller.
Curtis's wife.
"Elaine.""
Elaine walked over.
"What's wrong?""
Megan pointed to the page.
"Laura worked there?""
Elaine nodded.
"She was listed as an administrative assistant.""
Megan scrolled further.
Another name appeared.
Richard Vaughn.
He had been the regional human resources director at the time.
Megan looked between the two records.
"So Curtis, his wife, and Richard all worked at the same property.""
"Yes.""
"And now Curtis is transferring money to his wife's account, while Richard is helping him suppress an investigation.""
Elaine pressed her lips together.
"We don't have enough to establish that Richard participated in the theft.""
"But we have enough to ask why he's protecting Curtis.""
Elaine nodded.
"Agreed.""
An hour later, corporate legal approved access to the archived files.
The archive department sent a digital copy of the original investigation.
The examiner opened the first folder.
It contained employee statements, financial reports, bank reconciliation records, and internal emails.
Megan began reading.
The first discrepancy was nearly identical to what she'd found in Akron.
Five hundred dollars missing.
Then seven hundred.
Then twelve hundred.
The amounts were different, but the pattern was familiar.
Every time the hotel's nightly deposits were short, a manual adjustment appeared in the accounting system.
And every adjustment was linked to a management account.
Curtis's.
Megan turned another page.
A statement from a former night auditor caught her attention.
*I watched Mr. Miller remove money from the deposit envelope. When I reported it, he told me the amount had been authorized by regional management.*
The statement had been signed.
But beneath it was a handwritten note:
*Witness subsequently withdrew allegation.*
Megan looked at Elaine.
"Why did the witness withdraw it?""
Elaine opened the next document.
There was an email from Richard Vaughn.
It instructed the investigator to classify the allegation as an unresolved cash-handling dispute.
Megan shook her head.
"He didn't investigate it. He buried it.""
The examiner continued searching.
Then he found something else.
A scanned employee termination form.
The former night auditor had been dismissed two weeks after making the allegation.
The reason listed was theft.
Megan felt a chill.
"They accused the witness of doing exactly what Curtis was doing.""
Elaine nodded slowly.
"That's what it looks like.""
Dylan moved closer to the screen.
"Wait.""
He pointed at the employee's name.
"That's Daniel.""
"Do you know him?"" Megan asked.
Dylan nodded.
"He trained me when I first started working at the Akron property. He told me he'd worked with Curtis before.""
Megan stared at him.
"Did he ever tell you what happened?""
Dylan hesitated.
"He said Curtis had ruined his life.""
Elaine immediately reached for her phone.
"Does anyone have his contact information?""
Dylan searched his contacts.
After a moment, he found a number.
He called.
The phone rang four times.
Then a man's voice answered.
"Hello?""
Dylan swallowed.
"Daniel? It's Dylan. I used to work with you.""
Silence.
Then the man said, "Why are you calling me?""
"We're investigating Curtis.""
Another silence.
Finally, Daniel spoke.
"Did he do it again?""
Megan leaned closer.
Dylan looked at her.
"Yes.""
Daniel exhaled sharply.
"Then listen carefully. Don't let him convince you the records are missing. He never kept the real records at the hotel.""
Elaine took the phone.
"This is Elaine Brooks, regional operations.""
"Then you need to find the storage account.""
"What storage account?""
Daniel lowered his voice.
"The account Curtis used to keep copies of every deposit report. He told me it was insurance in case corporate ever turned against him.""
"Where is it?""
"I don't know the password. But I know the recovery email.""
Elaine grabbed a pen.
"Tell me.""
Daniel gave her an address.
It belonged to Laura Miller.
Megan stared at the name.
Daniel continued.
"There's something else. The Columbus investigation wasn't closed because they found Curtis innocent.""
"Why was it closed?"" Elaine asked.
"Because someone paid back the missing money.""
"Who?""
Daniel paused.
Then he answered.
"Richard Vaughn.""
The room went silent.
Megan slowly looked at Elaine.
Richard hadn't merely protected Curtis.
He had personally paid to make the missing money disappear.
But why would a senior executive risk his career to protect a hotel manager?
Daniel's voice came through the phone again.
"There's one more thing you need to know.""
Elaine leaned closer.
"What?""
"Richard didn't protect Curtis because they were friends.""
A pause.
"He protected him because Curtis had proof of something Richard did.""
The call disconnected.
Megan stared at the phone.
Then the forensic examiner's computer chimed.
A recovery notification had appeared on the screen.
May you like
Someone had just attempted to delete the storage account.
And the person making the request was currently logged in from inside the hotel.
