Chapter 5 - the confession under the frame
Five minutes later, the heavy footsteps of Jonathan Whitmore echoed down the hallway.
Jonathan stepped around the corner, followed closely by Rosa. He stopped in surprise, seeing Camila standing guard in front of the locked server room door, holding a heavy bronze decorative candle holder in her small hands.
"Camila?" Rosa cried out, rushing forward to hug her daughter.
Camila pointed at the glass door. "He tried to break the computers, Mr. Whitmore! So I locked him inside!"
Jonathan looked at the young girl, a rare, genuine spark of pride flashing in his dark eyes. "Good work, Camila."
Jonathan pulled out his master security keycard, disarmed the external deadbolt, and pushed the glass door open.
Harrison backed against the server rack, his hands trembling, his expensive charcoal suit disheveled.
Jonathan stepped into the room, picking up the fallen flash drive from the floor. "You were going to wipe the system, Harrison. Erase the paper trail before the federal investigators arrive."
"Jonathan, listen to me!" Harrison stammered, his voice losing all its polished composure. "I didn't have a choice! Victor Sterling forced me into this!"
"You had five years of choices, Harrison," Jonathan said, his voice cold as ice.
"Sterling has documents from your father's old files!" Harrison gasped, sweating profusely. "He threatened to release private records that would destroy your father's memory! I was trying to protect the Whitmore name!"
"My father's memory doesn't need protection from a thief," Jonathan growled, grabbing Harrison by his coat lapels and pinning him against the rack. "Where is the physical master file?"
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Harrison swallowed hard, his eyes darting frantically. "In... in the private safety deposit box at First National Bank on Fifth Avenue. Box 714. The key is hidden inside Rosa's old employment file in HR!"
Jonathan stared at him for a long moment before pushing him toward two broad-shouldered security enforcers who had just arrived in the hallway. "Lock him in the holding quarters in the gatehouse until morning."
