Chapter 9 - THE FILES MASON REED DID NOT KNOW HE HAD
Mason Reed asked for his own attorney before speaking again.
Reasonable.
His wife, Amelia, joined.
She looked shocked by Rachel’s diary.
“My father represented hundreds of clients.”
Samuel asked:
“Did he represent David Langley?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you possess his archives?”
“Some.”
Alexander Mercer died unexpectedly from a stroke.
His law practice closed.
Old files moved into storage controlled by Amelia.
Mason later used the same storage company for his firm.
When David contacted Mason, he claimed a referral through Blackline.
Mason recognized the old Mercer name in a background document and assumed David had known his late father in law professionally.
He did not investigate further.
That was mistake.
Not necessarily conspiracy.
Amelia authorized independent search of Alexander’s client index.
David Langley appeared.
So did Rachel Vaughn.
Not as client.
Subject.
File:
LANGLEY DOMESTIC ASSET CONTINGENCY.
Twelve years earlier.
Alexander had advised David on what financial rights spouses hold if one becomes incapacitated.
General legal advice.
Then a memo:
Client asks whether temporary guardianship would permit control of spouse’s design partnership.
Answer:
Highly limited. Court oversight required.
Then another:
Client reports spouse medically unstable.
Alexander wrote:
Do not take financial action without independent counsel for spouse.
So Architect at that time may have been Alexander.
Was he encouraging David?
The documents suggested the opposite.
Then why Rachel remembered a message saying incapacity mattered?
Because lawyers explain contingencies.
David may have interpreted.
Then one alarming note.
Alexander terminated representation after receiving an anonymous medical letter suggesting Rachel’s illness could be externally caused.
He wrote:
I will not assist further. Client advised to obtain criminal counsel if exposure is intentional.
There.
Alexander suspected something.
Did he report?
Attorney confidentiality complicated.
He withdrew.
Then David saved Alexander under ARCHITECT.
After Alexander died, the contact name remained.
Could someone else have taken over that channel?
Maybe.
Current encrypted messages came from a new account created seven months earlier.
Architect may be someone deliberately invoking David’s old adviser identity to gain trust.
Who knew David called Alexander Architect?
Very few.
David.
Alexander.
Possibly Amelia if she saw files.
Maybe Rachel from glimpse.
Whoever created current Architect may have accessed Alexander’s old client archive.
Where was it stored?
Same company used by Mason Reed.
Who had accessed boxes recently?
Storage logs.
Mason’s legal assistant requested several Mercer archives nine months earlier during an office digitization project.
Assistant:
Evelyn Shaw.
She scanned them into Mason’s document system.
Then current Architect messages began two months later.
Evelyn had access to old files and current Meridian drafts.
She became obvious suspect.
Too obvious.
Investigators interviewed.
She admitted scanning.
No knowledge of David.
Digital logs showed she never opened LANGLEY folder after scan.
An automated OCR system processed it.
Who searched the system?
Mason.
Amelia.
Three associates.
And one external IT consultant.
Name:
Nathan Cross.
Julian’s younger brother.
The connections were tightening uncomfortably.
Nathan Cross managed cybersecurity for several law firms.
He had access to Mason’s system.
He was also a former Arden technology executive.
Could he be Architect?
Julian looked devastated.
Nathan was fifty.
Quiet.
Brilliant.
Left Arden after dispute over Meridian Harbor patent ownership.
There.
Motive.
Nathan believed he deserved equity for early software integration patents.
I had settled with him nine years earlier.
He signed release.
Received substantial compensation.
Still resentful.
Did he know David?
Employment logs showed Nathan attended one hotel project meeting twelve years earlier where David and Rachel were present.
Small world.
But perhaps enough.
Nathan’s consulting IP accessed Mason’s archive.
Then Black Line Advisory Group registration.
The contact email traced to a privacy service.
Payment processor ultimately deposited to a business account controlled by:
NXC Systems.
Nathan Cross Consulting.
Strong evidence.
Nathan became Architect.
Or his company account was used.
Samuel said:
“We need more.”
He was right.
Then Nathan disappeared.
His office empty.
Phone off.
Passport not used.
No need for dramatic manhunt yet.
His attorney contacted investigators.
Nathan would cooperate.
He denied poisoning conspiracy.
He admitted advising David anonymously.
Why anonymous?
“He hates me.”
David blamed Nathan for a failed consulting investment years earlier.
Nathan wanted information without personal conflict.
That made little sense.
Then Nathan explained his motive.
Meridian Harbor.
Nathan claimed Arden’s patent trust included software he created.
If the project closed under current terms, he received nothing beyond old settlement.
He believed my settlement release was invalid because Arden had concealed later derivative patents.
He wanted leverage to reopen it.
He used David’s desperation.
“I told him how incapacity changed governance.”
“Did you tell him to poison Claire?”
“No.”
“Did you know?”
“Not until later.”
“When?”
“Six weeks ago.”
“What did you do?”
“Told him to stop.”
“Did you report?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he had recordings of me giving him confidential Arden information.”
There.
Blackmail.
David turned Architect into accomplice.
Nathan kept talking to protect himself.
Then he admitted the most important fact.
“David was not poisoning Claire when I first contacted him.”
Samuel asked:
“How do you know?”
“Because he told me he had another way.”
“What way?”
Nathan looked toward me through the screen.
May you like
“He said he already had someone inside her medical team.”
Continue to the next part: Nathan claims David’s original plan did not involve poison because he believed someone inside Claire’s medical care could declare her permanently incapacitated.
