Chapter 10 - THE WITNESS WHO ALMOST DIED|
Khloe learned about the crash the following morning.
Detective Morales called while she was preparing breakfast at Dana's house.
“Liam Price was injured last night.”
Khloe froze with a coffee mug in her hand.
“What happened?”
“Someone struck him with a vehicle in a parking garage.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
The relief came automatically.
Khloe hated how complicated it felt.
Liam had hurt her.
He had betrayed her.
He had helped a criminal organization use her identity and threaten her family.
But she had never wanted him dead.
“Was it an accident?”
“We're investigating it as a possible intentional attack.”
Khloe slowly sat down.
“Because he talked to you.”
“That's one possibility.”
“Is he protected?”
“He's receiving medical treatment under appropriate security arrangements.”
Khloe looked toward Dana, who was standing near the refrigerator.
Her sister understood immediately that something serious had happened.
“Do you need to go somewhere?” Dana whispered.
Khloe shook her head.
“No.”
For the first time in years, she didn't feel responsible for fixing Liam's crisis.
He had made choices.
He was accountable for them.
And she was allowed to care whether he survived without returning to the role of the woman who saved him from every consequence.
Later that day, Grace contacted her.
“The investigation has uncovered a second inventory discrepancy.”
Khloe rubbed her forehead.
“Another one?”
“Yes.”
“Please tell me they didn't use my name again.”
“Not this time.”
Grace explained that investigators had obtained records showing several of the refrigeration units were scheduled for delivery to community clinics through a separate distributor.
But the model numbers didn't match the original manufacturer specifications.
Khloe's professional instincts immediately took over.
“Are you telling me Northstar substituted refurbished units?”
“That's what the records suggest.”
“Do the clinics know?”
“The relevant authorities and purchasers are being notified.”
Khloe reached for her laptop.
“Can you send the serial-number report through the authorized case channel?”
Grace hesitated.
“Why?”
“Because the serial numbers tell us more than the invoices.”
Within an hour, Khloe was reviewing supplier documentation made available for the authorized audit.
She compared the original manufacturer records with the Northstar inventory list.
Then she found it.
Three units listed under the same serial number.
She stared at the spreadsheet.
“That isn't possible.”
Jules was on a secure conference call with her.
“What isn't?”
“Three different pieces of equipment supposedly have the same manufacturer identification.”
Jules leaned toward her camera.
“Copy-and-paste mistake?”
“Not with these shipping references.”
Khloe highlighted the entries.
“Look at the dates.”
The supposed equipment transfers had occurred on different days.
Different warehouses.
Different drivers.
Yet the serial-number fields were identical.
“Someone reused the original serial numbers on replacement units,” Khloe said.
Jules frowned.
“Why?”
“To make the records appear consistent with the supplier's delivery paperwork.”
“And the original units?”
“Still missing.”
Khloe checked another column.
A clinic had already received one of the substituted refrigeration units as an advance delivery.
It was a small community healthcare center serving families who often couldn't afford private medical services.
Khloe's chest tightened.
“Jules, these refrigerators are supposed to maintain precise storage temperatures.”
“I know.”
“If the compressor specifications are wrong, medicines stored inside could be affected.”
The realization changed everything.
This wasn't only a financial crime.
It could become a public health emergency.
Khloe immediately shared her findings with Grace.
Grace contacted the investigators and the medical equipment purchasers.
The clinic was advised through the appropriate channels not to place temperature-sensitive medical stock into the questionable equipment until its safety and performance could be verified.
The other affected deliveries were suspended for inspection.
Khloe sat staring at her computer after the call.
She had spent days defending her reputation.
Now she realized that clearing her name was only part of the problem.
Someone had been willing to put vulnerable people at risk for profit.
That evening, Victor called.
“I heard about the refrigeration units.”
Khloe closed her laptop.
“Then you know the substitutions weren't just a billing trick.”
“Yes.”
“Someone might have used those machines to store medication.”
“I know.”
She waited.
Victor's voice was heavy.
“My people are helping the investigators trace the original inventory.”
“Your people?”
“The company's authorized logistics team and outside auditors.”
Khloe appreciated the clarification.
“Good.”
He paused.
“How is your family?”
“Safe.”
“And you?”
She considered the question.
“Angry.”
“That's understandable.”
“No, Victor.”
Her voice sharpened.
“I'm angry because none of this had to happen.”
He didn't interrupt.
“The original equipment was properly purchased.”
“Yes.”
“The clinics were waiting for it.”
“Yes.”
“And people in expensive offices decided that moving numbers around on a spreadsheet was more important than what those numbers represented.”
Victor remained silent.
Khloe swallowed.
“This is what I tried to explain in your boardroom.”
“I understand that now.”
“Then don't forget it.”
“I won't.”
After the call ended, Khloe opened the original shipment schedule one more time.
There had to be a pattern.
Equipment couldn't simply vanish.
Every legitimate movement created records.
A pickup confirmation.
A loading ticket.
A warehouse scan.
A delivery receipt.
Someone might falsify one document.
But making every independent record agree was much harder.
She compared the recovered manifests with the carrier tracking records.
Then she noticed something strange.
Four of the missing units had not been sent to the Calumet warehouse at all.
Their tracking numbers led to an older storage facility on Damen Avenue.
The destination code had been disguised as a routine consolidation transfer.
Khloe checked the dispatch date.
It was scheduled for completion at five the following morning.
She immediately contacted Grace and Detective Morales.
Morales listened without interrupting.
Then she asked for the tracking references.
Khloe supplied them.
“Detective, if those units are still there, you may be able to recover the originals.”
“We'll verify the location.”
“And stop the substitute deliveries.”
“Those notifications are already underway.”
Khloe leaned back.
For the first time, the evidence was leading somewhere concrete.
Then Morales asked an unexpected question.
“Ms. Hayes, does the name Hayes Consulting Group mean anything to you?”
Khloe frowned.
“No.”
“Have you ever owned a company under that name?”
“Absolutely not.”
The detective paused.
“Because we found a payment account associated with the equipment transfers.”
Khloe's mouth went dry.
“What account?”
Morales answered carefully.
“An account registered using your full legal name and personal identification information.”
And just like that, the missing equipment wasn't the only thing Adrian Vale had stolen.
May you like
He had created an entire business identity for Khloe.
One that could make her appear to be the person receiving the money.
