“What are we looking for?”
Ethan remembered Patricia’s words.
Sarah found the first ledger.
Robert kept a copy.
“Anything that does not belong,” he said.
They searched in silence.
Boxes slid.
Dust rose.
Old paper whispered.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Then Lupita called from the back row.
“Ethan.”
He found her crouched beside a lower shelf.
She had pulled out a box labeled 2019 BANQUET LINENS.
Inside were no linens.
Only black folders.
Seven of them.
One for each Vance hotel.
Ethan took the folder marked CHICAGO.
Inside was a ledger.
Not printed from modern accounting software.
Handwritten.
Names.
Dates.
Room numbers.
Payments.
Initials.
Some pages were photocopies of checks.
Others were emails.
Others were photographs of people entering private event rooms late at night.
Naomi’s face hardened as she scanned the first page.
“This is not just hotel fraud.”
Aaron leaned over.
His expression changed.
“Ethan.”
Ethan turned a page.
