PART 3: Box 317

During the drive, Graham gave me a second silver key, heavier than the first and marked 317. Beatrice had instructed him to release it only after I independently chose to expose Adrian.

At the bank, a manager helped us open her safe-deposit box. Inside were photographs of Adrian meeting unfamiliar people, exchanging envelopes, traveling, and spending time with Victoria.

One image showed him outside our house six months earlier with Dr. Lewis Grant, Beatrice’s former physician. Adrian had dismissed the doctor, claiming he was incompetent.

Beneath the photographs lay an envelope Beatrice wanted me to receive if her health declined unexpectedly. It contained a laboratory report and a warning that raised concerns about possible interference with her treatment.

She explicitly cautioned against accusing anyone without evidence. She asked that any unexpected death receive an independent examination before funeral arrangements proceeded.

Her condition had worsened abruptly three days before Adrian’s trip, despite earlier expectations that she had months left. Graham and I immediately recognized the need to contact the hospital.

Before we could do so, a woman named Megan called. She worked at Adrian’s company and said he had ordered the finance director to delete six years of records.

Megan had already copied them months earlier at Beatrice’s request. She wanted to hand them over, but she was frightened.

Three years before, an accountant had discovered missing funds and then disappeared. Adrian told employees the man had resigned, but Megan had seen Adrian the night before the disappearance and believed investigators needed to know.

She proposed meeting beneath the Carlton Hotel in thirty minutes. Afraid of being seen with police, she threatened to leave if officers appeared.

Graham and I agreed that law enforcement still needed to be involved. First, we reached the hospital before Beatrice was transferred and requested that our concerns be documented and her release paused.

Graham contacted an investigator he trusted. Then we headed to the meeting.