The Man Who Knew Everything
Chapter 10 - The Man Who Knew Everything
The investigation led Caleb to a retired engineer named Frank Delgado.
Frank had supervised the site where Luke died.
For nine years, he had refused interviews.
When Caleb showed him Luke's video, the old man's hands began shaking.
“I told your father somebody was going to die.”
Caleb leaned forward.
“What happened the night before the collapse?”
Frank looked toward the window.
“Luke came to the site.”
“Was Richard there?”
“Yes.”
“Did they fight?”
Frank nodded.
But the argument wasn't about money.
Luke wanted the entire project shut down.
Richard agreed.
Jonathan Mercer refused.
According to Frank, Luke threatened to expose both men.
Then Jonathan told his own son that if he destroyed the company, he would destroy the family.
The next morning, Luke entered the structure to photograph the faulty supports.
The platform collapsed.
Caleb closed his eyes.
“So nobody murdered him.”
Frank shook his head.
“No.”
The truth was almost worse.
His father had known the building was unsafe.
Luke died because Jonathan valued his company more than his son's warning.
Richard covered it up because exposure would have destroyed him too.
Caleb asked one final question.
“Why did Richard threaten Mara?”
Frank stared at him.
“Because Luke left something.”
“What?”
“A legal document.”
Caleb's pulse quickened.
“What document?”
Frank whispered.
“A statement giving his unborn child ownership rights to Luke's shares.”
Caleb froze.
Eli did not simply have a claim to the Mercer family name.
He potentially owned nearly twenty percent of Mercer Industries.
The same shares Richard needed to complete the merger.
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Suddenly, Caleb understood why the wedding had been so important.
And why Richard could never allow Eli to return.
